Murder in the Media

If I had a dollar for everything event in the world that made me sick, I’d be a very rich woman. These recent tragedies have absolutely brought me to tears. Sick, unforgivable, heinous crimes filled with hate have been plastered across news stations all over the country. But stabbings and shootings, for many people, well, that’s part of their everyday life. A lot of people, especially Americans, myself included, have absolutely no idea what it’s like to live in a war zone. Tanks rolling down the street next to you as you walk to work or school. Bombs go off, mortar goes flying. Military is everywhere; never feeling completely safe. Horrific events that make the news, like the shooting in Connecticut and the stabbing in China, give Americans a little taste of what it’s like to live in fear everyday. I’m hard pressed to think of anything more gut wrenching than someone being savagely attacked or murdered, especially children.
There is so much violence in the world that it makes me absolutely sick. Murder sprees and killer rampages leaving school children dead, warlords murdering thousands even millions of people in their own countries, traffickers forcing people to sell their bodies for sex and labor. Forcing adults is already absolutely horrific, but to sell a child? There aren’t even words. It shouldn’t take such monstrous acts to remind people that the world we live is full of fear and dangers, many that never make it to the lead story on CNN. Little boys and girls go missing all the time and unless they have a family that cares, no one ever knows. No one will ever go looking for them. Some run away but soon return, others will never be heard from again. Every time I drive to and from school we stop at a rest stop and I always check the bulletin board for missing kids; maybe one day I’ll rYouecognize one and be able to help bring them home. Now, after spending so much time researching and thinking about trafficking, I wonder how many of those missing kids ended up trafficked? How many of those children will end up on the news? Trafficking is a quiet business because trafficking is a lucrative business. Traffickers, especially in America, really aren’t going to go around committing big, public crimes that draw attention to themselves like grabbing children from schools in the middle of the day. Because of this, they never really end up on national news. Traffickers stick to the shadows, conducting their business as discretely as possible. I wonder what would happen if trafficking was shown in the media the same way that other tragedies are? The coverage and the event of the unbelievable events at Sandy Hook Elementary led to police officers being stationed at schools around the country. If trafficking was broadcast in that same way, would changes be made to protect those victims and prevent future victims? It’s possible, but it’s unlikely that trafficking will be shown on such a large scale without a massive bust happening.
In the meantime, at least measures have been put in place to protect our nation’s children while they’re in school, but it’s a sad, sad world we live in that police on campus is even necessary. At least we can take comfort in the hope that the steps taken will prevent another vicious killing spree. My heart goes out to the sweet little souls lost that tragic day and to the families that now live with an immense hole in their lives.