Synopsis
With the instant reach of social media and the explosion in cyber porn, a child sex slave can be purchased online and delivered to a customer more quickly than a pizza. Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex Trafficking initiates the conversation on a difficult topic to discuss with raw images and heart-wrenching stories through the eyes of survivors, veteran activists, front-line rescue and aid organizations and celebrities who are lending their names and clout to launch a movement to end this modern-day form of slavery in the U.S. and abroad.
With 27 million victims, human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, predominantly victimizing women, with children making up as much as half the statistics...But it’s not just a back-alley enterprise in Asia and other underdeveloped regions of the world, it’s also prevalent in industrial nations and–in conflict with closely held beliefs about our society in the United States – right here in our own backyard.
Prevailing across every culture and at all socio-economic strata, the U.S.– with its affluence, technological sophistication and robust tourism industry – is the greatest source of customers. Sex trafficking has occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with the highest incidence rates in California, Texas, Florida, Ohio and New York. The most popular event for scoring a trafficking arrangement? The Super Bowl. Stopping Traffic marks the feature film debut of producer/director Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, a Jain monk, U.S. Army veteran, international speaker, author, passionate activist for social justice...and victim of childhood sexual abuse.
Academic Reviews
"The material may be sensitive or triggering for some viewers but recommended for collections as it brings attention to a subject that is becoming frighteningly common in our country as well as worldwide." - Library Journal (Julia M. Reffner, North Chesterfield, VA)
What the Press is Saying:
"However bad you think sex trafficking is — in terms of either the scope or the horrific acts committed — it’s worse. “Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex Trafficking” doesn’t merely cite the overwhelming statistics about the millions of women and girls affected around the globe; the activist documentary makes its message highly personal through individual stories that put faces on the survivors and those fighting against trafficking. The film also offers solutions to live up to the goal of its title... Shree’s film offers insight and intimacy, with survivors being incredibly honest and vulnerable, which will help to drive awareness of the problem and how to fix it."
- Los Angeles Times
"Director Sadhvi Siddhali Shree begins with candid testimony from a survivor of child sex abuse, John A. King, who’s now an activist. His words alone make the movie a harrowing experience. The film visits Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico and the Philippines — all reportedly notorious for trafficking. But many of the activists, who include actor Dolph Lundgren and TV host Jeannie Mai, are based in Texas or Los Angeles. The tenor of their comments ranges from angry to pragmatic to spiritual. (Shree is a Jain monk.)"
- The Washington Post
"One thing [Jeannie] Mai wants viewers to take away from “Stopping Traffic,” is that trafficking happens everywhere and that viewers can make a difference and need to be vigilant."
- NBC News