Trade

Almost everyone has heard about/seen the movie Taken, which documents the trafficking and rescue of a young American girl on vacation in Paris. It was eye-opening to many, and it created quite a temporary storm for the anti-human trafficking campaign when it came out in 2008. Has anyone ever heard about the movie Trade? Although based on the same subject matter (sex trafficking), Taken is to picture books as Trade is to chapter books. In other words, Taken presents the more “tame” side of the issue, whereas Taken is harshly in your face, extremely uncomfortably but at the same time incredibly gripping. Set in both Mexico and the US, Trade tells a more somber tale by getting down into the nitty grittiness (it’s rated R for a reason) of what goes on in the sex trade including the emotional, physical, and mental abuse that comes with it. It’s the type of movie you don’t ever want to see but should if you are interested in the anti-human trafficking effort. It will be brutal, heart-wrenching, and extremely painful to watch but when the credits start to roll and blur before your eyes, you will be equipped with a more realistic idea of what’s going on and on what needs to be done to end this horrible injustice.