Montana Fishbourne

I am sure that by now, everyone has read or heard about Montana Fishbourne and her sex tape. Most people are focusing on the issue of how this 19-year-old woman is the daughter of famed actor Laurence Fishbourne. Most people wonder why she just didn’t have her father help her break into Hollywood. Most people have seen Montana’s interview in where she is smiling and telling people “It’s something I always wanted to do. I have always been comfortable in my body and with my sexuality.” (People Magazine) And of course, most people believe that she is happy being the new Vivid girl. There has also been some discussion about Montana’s past history, in where allegedly she was arrested for prostitution. In a recent interview, Montana did state that she was actually arrested for Trespassing and not prostitution.

The one thing that I have noticed is that no one has really taken the time to look at what may have caused this young woman to decide to make a pornographic movie. I recently came across a video interview of a girl named “Nene”, who claims to be Montana’s friend. During this interview, Nene admits to introducing Montana to a guy named Jeremy. Montana allegedly was only 16 at the time. Nene then goes onto explain that Jeremy is a pimp and that both Montana and herself were “pimped out by” Jeremy. Nene goes onto further explain that Montana wasn’t the type of girl to do something like shoot a porn scene.

After seeing this interview I began to think about whether or not this is true. There are so many facts that may or may not be accurate. However, if this interview is accurate on what occurred to Montana prior to her filming her porn movie, than under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, she can be considered a victim of human trafficking. The TVPA clearly states that any person under the age of 18 that is engaged in a commercial sex act can be considered a victim. So again, if what Nene is stating in her interview is true, and Montana was engaged in prostitution since the age of 16, than Montana can potentially be viewed as a victim of human trafficking. Now please understand that I am not saying that Montana Fishbourne is 100% a victim of human trafficking. However, what I do encourage people to do is to dig a little further, to “look beneath the surface.” If in fact what Nene claims is true, then this situation needs to be handled differently.

My hope in all of this is that these interviews are viewed by the people who truly care about Montana. I also hope that law enforcement would take a look at this scenario and see if these allegations are accurate and if they are, I would hope that action would be taken against the person or people responsible for this.

I will say that if in fact this does turn out to be a human trafficking scenario, I would not be surprised. I recently worked with a woman who left the porn industry over a year ago and I remember when I first met her, she advised me about the recruitment process that takes place within the porn industry. All I can say is that from the information I learned I can feel safe in saying that is appears as though the porn industry tends to recruit performers in the same manner that pimps recruit young girls.

I will be paying close attention to this story to see what else unfolds. I hope that you all do the same. I can tell you that my thoughts are with the Fishbourne family as I can imagine how tough this situation may be. As I mentioned before, my only hope in all of this is that this situation and interviews are looked into by law enforcement and if this information is true that Montana be seen as a victim of the porn industry.

At this time The Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking stands in solidarity with the Fishbourne family. The F.C.A.H.T also encourages the Fishbourne family read about the T.V.P.A and see that the allegations surrounding Montana and Jeremy could fall under this law. This is a good example of how human trafficking can potentially involve anyone. This is a crime that does not discriminate.

Here are the interviews I viewed:

A Call for Action!

Please help Brittany Shoot by signing this petition (http://humantrafficking.change.org/petitions/view/end_child_labor_in_us_agriculture_support_the_care_act) at Change.org.

Most people believe that the only type of child exploitation that occurs in the U.S is sexual. Unfortunately this is not the only type of exploitation that occurs. There is evidence that is being found that there are numerous children that are being forced in working in our agricultural industry. Forced labor cases do not exclusively involve adult men. Recently ABC news did an investigative report in where they visited Blueberry farms in North Carolina, New Jersey and Michigan and they found a child working in fields who was only 5 years old. They also found children ages 7, 8 and 11 working in the blueberry fields. It is heartbreaking to see a child as young a five working these types of jobs and knowing that this child’s basic human rights are being denied.(Universal Declaration of Human Rights, passed in 1948 by the UN) At this time I have taken a stand against this type of child exploitation. I have stopped shopping at stores that sell merchandise made by children who are being exploited. I have also signed this petition on Change.org in hopes that our Congress will make some changes regarding our Child Labor laws. I hope that you will help me advocate for Congress to pass the CARE ACT. By passing the newly updated Children’s Act for Responsible Employment, or CARE Act (HR 3564), our Senators and Representatives can take a stand against child labor in U.S. agriculture.

Hundreds of thousands of children are employed as farmworkers in the United States today. Though child labor laws are in place for many sectors, agriculture has a major labor law loophole that exploits children. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), children often work ten or more hours a day with sharp tools, heavy machinery, and dangerous pesticides, and die at 4 times the rate of other working youth. They are often unable to keep up with their peers and drop out of school in alarming numbers.

By passing the newly updated Children’s Act for Responsible Employment, or CARE Act (HR 3564), you can take a stand against child labor in U.S. agriculture. Among other important assurances, the CARE Act would apply the same age and hour requirements for children working on farms as applied to children in other sectors. It would raise fines for child labor violations, and it would require better data collection on child labor in agriculture by the U.S. Department of Labor. It would also preserve the family farm exception that excuses children working on their parents’ farms.