Sunday, May 9, 2010
Myrna Raffkind
Amarillo.com (Texas, USA)
Once in a while we read a book that jolts us out of our comfort zone and literally opens our eyes to the many benefits, rights, and privileges we have as a result of living in the United States of America. Such was the experience I encountered when reading Somali Mam's book, "The Road of Lost Innocence."
Somali Mam grew up in Cambodia and her book chronicles her life from early childhood until adulthood. She was abandoned by her parents, grew up as a child of the forest, and sold into sexual slavery at age 12. She lived in brothels until she was in her early 20s, and at this time married a diplomat who took her to France.
Somali Mam was not able to acclimate herself to life in Europe and returned to her native Cambodia to do whatever she could to eliminate the business of brothels and trafficking of sex slaves. She started a foundation dedicated to protesting and has since devoted her time to making the world aware of the horrors the young Cambodian women experience when they are sold as sex slaves.
Undoubtedly all of us in this country can recall incidents where people are treated unfairly and/or even tortured. And yes, most of us know or have heard about incidents where parents have even gained monetarily by forcing their children to engage in illegal or immoral acts. Yet, what's different in America as contrasted to a country such as Cambodia is the institutionalization of sex trafficking and the sanctioning of this practice by government. Fortunately in America, we not only have laws that protect against inhumane practices such as selling children into slavery but we also have a system for enforcing these laws and punishing their offenders.
And yet, what many have forgotten or fail to realize is that in our blessed country rights for women and minority groups have not always been such a vital part of our government. They came only after years of struggle and overcoming resistance and lives were lost in the process.
For example, even though America was founded on the principle of equal rights for all, it was not until 1865 and the passage of the 14th Amendment that blacks were freed from slavery. Fifty-five years passed before the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was signed into law in 1920. The Civil Rights Act that barred discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex was not passed until 1964 and in some states the use of contraceptives by married couples was prohibited until 1965.
There are times when I question the misuse and even abuse of some of the rights we enjoy as citizens. I become angry when I read about members of the Westboro Baptist church disrupting funerals with their protests of gays and lesbians. I experience fear when I hear about the stockpiling of weapons by militia groups and I am dismayed when I hear hecklers at political rallies denounce politicians whose views I favor and support. Yet, at the same time, I realize that these signs of protest are but a small price to pay for freedom of speech, assembly or the right to bear arms.
Those who have grown up and live in Cambodia or other countries ruled by tyranny have no safeguards for human rights.
They must fear for their lives when they speak out or protest against inhumane and immoral practices such as selling children to brothels. In order to institute change they must rely on the support of others who live in free countries and who are willing to advocate for their causes.
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Somali Mam will be speaking later this year on the WTAMU campus at Freshman Convocation. She is coming to WTAMU as part of the Readership WT Program, the same program that brought to campus Elie Weisel (Holocaust survivor and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize) in 2007; Valentino Deng (one of the lost boys of Sudan), in 2008, and Khaled Husseini (author of "The Kite Runner") in 2009.
In speaking to the students and youth, these authors have told of genocide, cruelty, and torture imposed in their native countries by corrupt regimes and despotic leaders.
Hearing their stories, the young people of today and the leaders of tomorrow cannot help but have a greater understanding and appreciation of the value and meaning of freedom.
Myrna Raffkind is a retired West Texas A&M University faculty member. She lives in Amarillo.
Somali Mam grew up in Cambodia and her book chronicles her life from early childhood until adulthood. She was abandoned by her parents, grew up as a child of the forest, and sold into sexual slavery at age 12. She lived in brothels until she was in her early 20s, and at this time married a diplomat who took her to France.
Somali Mam was not able to acclimate herself to life in Europe and returned to her native Cambodia to do whatever she could to eliminate the business of brothels and trafficking of sex slaves. She started a foundation dedicated to protesting and has since devoted her time to making the world aware of the horrors the young Cambodian women experience when they are sold as sex slaves.
Undoubtedly all of us in this country can recall incidents where people are treated unfairly and/or even tortured. And yes, most of us know or have heard about incidents where parents have even gained monetarily by forcing their children to engage in illegal or immoral acts. Yet, what's different in America as contrasted to a country such as Cambodia is the institutionalization of sex trafficking and the sanctioning of this practice by government. Fortunately in America, we not only have laws that protect against inhumane practices such as selling children into slavery but we also have a system for enforcing these laws and punishing their offenders.
And yet, what many have forgotten or fail to realize is that in our blessed country rights for women and minority groups have not always been such a vital part of our government. They came only after years of struggle and overcoming resistance and lives were lost in the process.
For example, even though America was founded on the principle of equal rights for all, it was not until 1865 and the passage of the 14th Amendment that blacks were freed from slavery. Fifty-five years passed before the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was signed into law in 1920. The Civil Rights Act that barred discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex was not passed until 1964 and in some states the use of contraceptives by married couples was prohibited until 1965.
There are times when I question the misuse and even abuse of some of the rights we enjoy as citizens. I become angry when I read about members of the Westboro Baptist church disrupting funerals with their protests of gays and lesbians. I experience fear when I hear about the stockpiling of weapons by militia groups and I am dismayed when I hear hecklers at political rallies denounce politicians whose views I favor and support. Yet, at the same time, I realize that these signs of protest are but a small price to pay for freedom of speech, assembly or the right to bear arms.
Those who have grown up and live in Cambodia or other countries ruled by tyranny have no safeguards for human rights.
They must fear for their lives when they speak out or protest against inhumane and immoral practices such as selling children to brothels. In order to institute change they must rely on the support of others who live in free countries and who are willing to advocate for their causes.
---------------
Somali Mam will be speaking later this year on the WTAMU campus at Freshman Convocation. She is coming to WTAMU as part of the Readership WT Program, the same program that brought to campus Elie Weisel (Holocaust survivor and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize) in 2007; Valentino Deng (one of the lost boys of Sudan), in 2008, and Khaled Husseini (author of "The Kite Runner") in 2009.
In speaking to the students and youth, these authors have told of genocide, cruelty, and torture imposed in their native countries by corrupt regimes and despotic leaders.
Hearing their stories, the young people of today and the leaders of tomorrow cannot help but have a greater understanding and appreciation of the value and meaning of freedom.
Myrna Raffkind is a retired West Texas A&M University faculty member. She lives in Amarillo.
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