Noy Thrupkaew: Human trafficking is all around you. This is how it works

Translator: Christian K. Vinther Reviewer: Jette Derriche

About 10 years ago, I went through a little bit of a hard time.

For ti år siden havde jeg svær periode.

So I decided to go see a therapist.

Så jeg besluttede mig for at opsøge en terapeut.

I had been seeing her for a few months, when she looked at me one day and said,

Jeg gik hos hende et par måneder, da hun en dag så på mig og sagde:

"Who actually raised you until you were three?"

"Hvem tog sig af dig, indtil du var 3?"

Seemed like a weird question. I said, "My parents."

Det var et sært spørgsmål. Jeg sagde: "Mine forældre."

And she said, "I don't think that's actually the case;

Og hun sagde: "Det tror jeg ikke -

because if it were,

- hvis det var sandt -

we'd be dealing with things that are far more complicated than just this."

- ville vi have at gøre med noget, der er meget mere kompliceret."

It sounded like the setup to a joke, but I knew she was serious.

Det lød som en joke, men jeg vidste, hun var seriøs.

Because when I first started seeing her,

For da jeg først begyndte at gå hos hende -

I was trying to be the funniest person in the room.

- forsøgte jeg at være hende den sjove.

And I would try and crack these jokes, but she caught on to me really quickly,

Og jeg lavede grin med alt, men hun gennemskue mig.

and whenever I tried to make a joke, she would look at me and say,

Og når jeg kom med en vits, så hun på mig og sagde:

"That is actually really sad."

"Det er faktisk rigtig sørgeligt."

(Laughter)

(Latter)

It's terrible.

Det er forfærdeligt.

So I knew I had to be serious, and I asked my parents

Så jeg tog det seriøst, og jeg spurgte mine forældre, -

who had actually raised me until I was three?

- hvem der havde taget sig af mig, indtil jeg var 3 år.

And to my surprise, they said

Og til min overraskelse sagde de, -

my primary caregiver had been a distant relative of the family.

- at det primært var et fjernt medlem af familien.

I had called her my auntie.

Jeg havde kaldt hende min tante.

I remember my auntie so clearly,

Jeg husker min tante meget tydeligt.

it felt like she had been part of my life when I was much older.

Det føltes, som var hun en del af mit liv, da jeg var meget ældre.

I remember the thick, straight hair,

Jeg husker det tykke, glatte hår.

and how it would come around me like a curtain

Og hvordan det faldt over mig som et gardin, -

when she bent to pick me up;

- når hun ville løfte mig.

her soft, southern Thai accent;

Jeg husker hendes blide Thai-accent.

the way I would cling to her,

Måden, jeg ville holde fast i hende, -

even if she just wanted to go to the bathroom

- selv når hun bare ville på toilet, -

or get something to eat.

- eller spise noget.

I loved her, but [with] the ferocity that a child has sometimes

Jeg elskede hende med sådan en vildskab, et barn nogen gange kan have, -

before she understands that love also requires letting go.

- før hun forstår, at kærlighed også betyder at kunne give slip.

But my clearest and sharpest memory of my auntie,

Men mit stærkeste minde om min tante, -

is also one of my first memories of life at all.

- er også en af de første minder, jeg har i livet.

I remember her being beaten and slapped by another member of my family.

Jeg husker, hun blev slået af et andet medlem af min familie.

I remember screaming hysterically and wanting it to stop,

Jeg husker at skrige hysterisk, fordi jeg ville stoppe det, -

as I did every single time it happened,

- som jeg gjorde, hver gang, det skete -

for things as minor as wanting to go out with her friends,

- for mindre ting, som når hun ville ud med vennerne -

or being a little late.

- eller når hun kom for sent.

I became so hysterical over her treatment,

Jeg blev så hysterisk over dette, -

that eventually, she was just beaten behind closed doors.

- at hun med tiden bare begyndte at blive banket bag lukkede døre.

Things got so bad for her that eventually she ran away.

Tingene blev så slemt for hende, at hun endte med at stikke af.

As an adult, I learned later

Som voksen fandt jeg ud af -

that she had been just 19 when she was brought over from Thailand

- at hun kun var 19, da hun blev hentet over fra Thailand -

to the States to care for me, on a tourist visa.

- til USA for at tage sig af mig på et turist visum.

She wound up working in Illinois for a time,

Hun arbejdede længe i Illinois, -

before eventually returning to Thailand,

- før hun til sidst rejste tilbage til Thailand, -

which is where I ran into her again, at a political rally in Bangkok.

- hvor jeg igen løb ind i hende, under en politisk forsamling i Bangkok.

I clung to her again, as I had when I was a child,

Jeg klamrede mig til hende igen, som da jeg var barn, -

and I let go, and then I promised that I would call.

- og jeg gav slip og lovede at ringe.

I never did, though.

Men det gjorde jeg aldrig.

Because I was afraid if I said everything that she meant to me --

Jeg var bange for at fortælle hende, alt det, hun betød for mig -

that I owed perhaps the best parts of who I became to her care,

- at jeg havde hende at takke for den person, jeg er i dag.

and that the words "I'm sorry" were like a thimble

Og ordene "undskyld" virkede som en bagatel, -

to bail out all the guilt and shame and rage I felt

- i forhold til al den skyld, vrede og skam jeg følte -

over everything she had endured to care for me for as long as she had --

- over alt det, hun var gået igennem for at have taget sig af mig så længe.

I thought if I said those words to her, I would never stop crying again.

Jeg tænkte, at fortalte jeg hende alt det, ville jeg aldrig holde op med at græde.

Because she had saved me.

For hun reddede mig.

And I had not saved her.

Og jeg havde ikke reddet hende.

I'm a journalist, and I've been writing and researching human trafficking

Jeg er journalist og har skrevet om og forsket i menneskehandel, -

for the past eight years or so,

- over de sidste otte år, eller deromkring.

and even so, I never put together this personal story

Men jeg har aldrig blandet denne personlige historie sammen -

with my professional life until pretty recently.

- med mit professionelle liv, indtil for nyligt.

I think this profound disconnect actually symbolizes

Jeg tror faktisk denne adskillelse symboliserer -

most of our understanding about human trafficking.

- det meste af vores forståelse for menneskehandel.

Because human trafficking is far more prevalent, complex and close to home

For menneskehandel er langt mere udbredt, kompleks og tættere på, -

than most of us realize.

- end de fleste af os ved.

I spent time in jails and brothels,

Jeg har været i fængsler og bordeller, -

interviewed hundreds of survivors and law enforcement, NGO workers.

- og har interviewet hundredevis af ofre, politifolk og NGO-folk.

And when I think about what we've done about human trafficking,

Og når jeg tænker på, hvad vi har gjort ved menneskehandel, -

I am hugely disappointed.

- er jeg enormt skuffet.

Partly because we don't even talk about the problem right at all.

Delvis fordi, vi end ikke taler om problemet på korrekt vis.

When I say "human trafficking,"

Når jeg siger "menneskehandel", -

most of you probably don't think about someone like my auntie.

- tænker de fleste af os nok ikke på sådan nogen som min tante.

You probably think about a young girl or woman,

Du forestiller dig nok en ung pige eller kvinde, -

who's been brutally forced into prostitution by a violent pimp.

- der er blevet brutalt tvunget ind i prostitution af en voldelig alfons.

That is real suffering, and that is a real story.

Det er sande lidelser, og en sand historie.

That story makes me angry

Det gør mig dog vred, -

for far more than just the reality of that situation, though.

- af mange flere årsager, end bare situationen.

As a journalist, I really care about how we relate to each other through language,

Som journalist går jeg op i, hvordan vi relaterer til hinanden gennem sprog.

and the way we tell that story, with all the gory, violent detail,

Den måde vi fortæller en historie på, med alle de blodige, voldelige detaljer.

the salacious aspects -- I call that "look at her scars" journalism.

De slibrige detaljer. Det, jeg kalder: "Se hendes ar"-journalistik.

We use that story to convince ourselves

Vi bruger den historie til at fortælle os selv -

that human trafficking is a bad man doing a bad thing to an innocent girl.

- at menneskehandel er en slem mand, der gør slemme ting mod en uskyldig pige.

That story lets us off the hook.

Den historie lader os slippe for let -

It takes away all the societal context that we might be indicted for,

- og fjerner den samfundsmæssige kontekst, vi måske kan anklage, -

for the structural inequality, or the poverty,

- for strukturelle uligheder, eller fattigdom, -

or the barriers to migration.

- eller barriererne for migration.

We let ourselves think

Vi lader os selv tro, -

that human trafficking is only about forced prostitution,

- at menneskehandel kun handler om tvungen prostitution.

when in reality,

Men virkeligheden er, -

human trafficking is embedded in our everyday lives.

- at menneskehandel er en del af vores hverdagsliv.

Let me show you what I mean.

Det her er, hvad jeg mener:

Forced prostitution accounts for 22 percent of human trafficking.

Tvunget prostitution udgør 22 % af al menneskehandel.

Ten percent is in state- imposed forced labor.

10 % er statspålagt tvangsarbejde.

but a whopping 68 percent is for the purpose of creating the goods

Men hele 68% er til at producere de varer -

and delivering the services that most of us rely on every day,

- og sørge for de services, de fleste af os er afhængige af -

in sectors like agricultural work, domestic work and construction.

- på områder som landbrug, plejearbejde og byggeri.

That is food and care and shelter.

Altså mad, pleje og husly.

And somehow, these most essential workers

Og disse meget vigtige arbejdere -

are also among the world's most underpaid and exploited today.

- er også blandt verdens mest underbetale og udnyttede.

Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion

Menneskehandel er brug af magt, bedrageri eller tvang -

to compel another person's labor.

- til at pålægge et menneske arbejde.

And it's found in cotton fields, and coltan mines,

Og det findes i bomuldsmarker, coltanminer, -

and even car washes in Norway and England.

- og selv på bilvaske i Norge og England.

It's found in U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Det findes på USAs militærbaser i Irak og Afghanistan.

It's found in Thailand's fishing industry.

Det findes i Thailands fiskeindustri.

That country has become the largest exporter of shrimp in the world.

Det land er blevet den største eksportør af rejer i hele verden.

But what are the circumstances

Men hvad er mon forholdene -

behind all that cheap and plentiful shrimp?

- bag alle disse billige rejer?

Thai military were caught selling Burmese and Cambodian migrants

Militæret i Thailand blevet taget i at sælge arbejdere fra Burma og Cambodja -

onto fishing boats.

til fiskerkuttere.

Those fishing boats were taken out, the men put to work,

Skibene sejlede ud, mændene blev sat til at arbejde -

and they were thrown overboard if they made the mistake of falling sick,

- og de blev smidt ombord, hvis de begik den fejl at blive syge -

or trying to resist their treatment.

- eller hvis de protesterede.

Those fish were then used to feed shrimp,

De fisk blev brugt som rejefoder.

The shrimp were then sold to four major global retailers:

Rejerne blev så solgt til fire store globale detailhandlere: -

Costco, Tesco, Walmart and Carrefour.

Costco, Tesco, Walmart og Carrefour.

Human trafficking is found on a smaller scale than just that,

Menneskehandel findes også i et mindre omfang.

and in places you would never even imagine.

Og på steder, du ikke ville regne med.

Traffickers have forced young people to drive ice cream trucks,

Menneskehandlere har tvunget unge til at køre isbiler, -

or to sing in touring boys' choirs.

- eller til at synge i drengekor.

Trafficking has even been found in a hair braiding salon in New Jersey.

Menneskehandel blev endda afsløret hos en frisør i New Jersey.

The scheme in that case was incredible.

I det tilfælde var planlægningen utrolig.

The traffickers found young families who were from Ghana and Togo,

Menneskehandlerne fandt unge familier fra Ghana og Togo, -

and they told these families that "your daughters are going to get

- og de fortalte dem, at: "jeres datter vil få -

a fine education in the United States."

- en fin uddannelse i USA."

They then located winners of the green card lottery,

De opsporede så vindere af green-card lotteriet, -

and they told them, "We'll help you out.

- og de sagde til dem: "Vi vil hjælpe dig.

We'll get you a plane ticket. We'll pay your fees.

Vi køber en flybillet til dig. Vi betaler dine udgifter.

All you have to do is take this young girl with you,

Du skal blot tage denne unge pige med dig -

say that she's your sister or your spouse.

- og sige, hun er din søster eller kone."

Once everyone arrived in New Jersey, the young girls were taken away,

Når alle så ankom til New Jersey, blev de unger piger taget med, -

and put to work for 14-hour days,

- og sat til at arbejde 14 timer om dagen -

seven days a week, for five years.

- syv dage om ugen, i fem år.

They made their traffickers nearly four million dollars.

De tjente næsten 4 millioner dollars til deres menneskehandlere.

This is a huge problem.

Dette er et kæmpe problem.

So what have we done about it?

Og hvad har vi gjort ved det?

We've mostly turned to the criminal justice system.

Vi har mest gjort brug af retssystemet.

But keep in mind, most victims of human trafficking are poor and marginalized.

Men husk, de fleste ofre er fattige og marginaliserede.

They're migrants, people of color.

De er immigranter med en anden hudfarve.

Sometimes they're in the sex trade.

Nogle gange sælger de sex.

And for populations like these,

Og for denne del af befolkningen, -

the criminal justice system is too often part of the problem,

- er retssystemet nærmere en del af problemet, -

rather than the solution.

- end af løsningen.

In study after study, in countries ranging from Bangladesh to the United States,

I undersøgelser fra Bangladesh til USA, -

between 20 and 60 percent of the people in the sex trade who were surveyed

- kom det frem at 20 til 60 % af de udspurgte sexarbejdere -

said that they had been raped or assaulted by the police in the past year alone.

- har været udsat for voldtægt eller vold af politiet bare inden for det sidste år.

People in prostitution, including people who have been trafficked into it,

Prostituerede, inklusiv ofre for menneskehandel, -

regularly receive multiple convictions for prostitution.

- får ofte flere prostitutionsdomme.

Having that criminal record makes it so much more difficult

En straffeattest gør det meget vanskeligt -

to leave poverty, leave abuse, or leave prostitution,

- at komme ud af fattigdom, og forlade mishandling og prostitution, -

if that person so desires.

- selv hvis personen ønsker det.

Workers outside of the sex sector --

Arbejdere uden for sexbranchen...

if they try and resist their treatment, they risk deportation.

Hvis de prøver at gøre modstand, risikerer de udvisning.

In case after case I've studied, employers have no problem

I mange sager, jeg har set, har arbejdsgivere ikke problemer med, -

calling on law enforcement to try and threaten or deport

- at bruge politiet som trussel mod udvisning -

their striking trafficked workers.

- hvis deres handlede arbejdere strejker.

If those workers run away,

Hvis arbejdere stikker af, -

they risk becoming part of the great mass of undocumented workers

- risikerer de at blive en del af en stor mængde papirløse arbejdere, -

who are also subject to the whims of law enforcement if they're caught.

- som underlægges politiet og systemets manier, hvis de fanges.

Law enforcement is supposed to identify victims and prosecute traffickers.

Systemet skal identificere ofre og retsforfølge menneskehandlerne.

But out of an estimated 21 million victims of human trafficking in the world,

Men ud af omtrent 21 millioner ofre for menneskehandel i hele verden, -

they have helped and identified fewer than 50,000 people.

- er mindre end 50,000 mennesker blevet hjulpet og identificeret.

That's like comparing

Det er som at sammenligne -

the population of the world to the population of Los Angeles,

- verdensbefolkningen med befolkningen i LA.

proportionally speaking.

Proportionalt set.

As for convictions, out of an estimated 5,700 convictions in 2013,

Med hensyn til retsforfølgelser: Ud af de ca. 5700 domme i 2013 -

fewer than 500 were for labor trafficking.

- var under 500 for handel og udnyttelse af arbejdskraft.

Keep in mind that labor trafficking

Udnyttelse af arbejdskraft -

accounts for 68 percent of all trafficking,

- udgør 68 % af al menneskehandel, -

but fewer than 10 percent of the convictions.

- men færre end 10 % af alle domfældelser.

I've heard one expert say that trafficking happens where need meets greed.

En ekspert sagde, at menneskehandel sker, hvor behov møder grådighed.

I'd like to add one more element to that.

Dette vil jeg gerne tilføje noget til.

Trafficking happens in sectors where workers are excluded from protections,

Menneskehandel finder sted i brancher, hvor arbejdere er uden beskyttelse, -

and denied the right to organize.

- og hvor de ikke har ret til at organisere sig.

Trafficking doesn't happen in a vacuum.

Menneskehandel finder ikke sted i et tomrum.

It happens in systematically degraded work environments.

Det finder sted i systematisk forringede arbejdsmiljøer.

You might be thinking,

Du tænker måske, -

oh, she's talking about failed states, or war-torn states, or --

- at hun taler om mislykkede lande, krigsplagede lande, eller...

I'm actually talking about the United States.

Faktisk taler jeg om USA.

Let me tell you what that looks like.

Lad mig give jer et eksempel:

I spent many months researching a trafficking case called Global Horizons,

I månedsvis undersøgte jeg en sag om menneskehandel. Global Horizons.

involving hundreds of Thai farm workers.

Hundredevis af thailændere var indblandet.

They were sent all over the States, to work in Hawaii pineapple plantations,

De blev placeret over hele USA for at arbejde på ananas- -

and Washington apple orchards, and anywhere the work was needed.

- eller æbleplantager, og hvor som helst, arbejdskraften manglede.

They were promised three years of solid agricultural work.

De blev lovet tre år med fast landbrugsarbejde.

So they made a calculated risk.

Så de tog en chance.

They sold their land, they sold their wives' jewelry,

De solgte land, deres kones smykker, -

to make thousands in recruitment fees for this company, Global Horizons.

- så de kunne tjene nok til at betale ansættelsesgebyret hos Global Horizons

But once they were brought over,

Men så snart de var ankommet, -

their passports were confiscated.

- blev deres pas konfiskeret.

Some of the men were beaten and held at gunpoint.

Nogle af mændene blev tæsket og truet med pistoler.

They worked so hard they fainted in the fields.

De arbejdede så hårdt, at de besvimede i markerne.

This case hit me so hard.

Sagen gjorde stor indflydelse på mig.

After I came back home,

Da jeg vendte tilbage, -

I was wandering through the grocery store, and I froze in the produce department.

- var jeg ude for at handle ind, da jeg stivnede i supermarkedet.

I was remembering the over-the-top meals the Global Horizons survivors

Jeg kom i tanke om de overdådige måltider, ofrene fra Global Horizon -

would make for me every time I showed up to interview them.

- lavede til mig hver gang, jeg kom for at interviewe dem.

They finished one meal with this plate of perfect, long-stemmed strawberries,

De lavede en tallerken med perfekte, langstilkede jordbær, -

and as they handed them to me, they said,

- og da de rakte mig den, sagde de: -

"Aren't these the kind of strawberries you eat with somebody special

- "Er det ikke den slags jordbær, du ville spise med en elsket -

in the States?

i USA?

And don't they taste so much better

Og smager de ikke bare så meget bedre -

when you know the people whose hands picked them for you?"

- når du kender de mennesker, der har plukket dem til dig?"

As I stood in that grocery store weeks later, I realized I had no idea

Som jeg stod i supermarkedet uger senere, gik det op for mig, at jeg ikke anede, -

of who to thank for this plenty,

- hvem jeg skulle takke for alt dette, -

and no idea of how they were being treated.

- eller hvordan de blev behandlet.

So, like the journalist I am, I started digging into the agricultural sector.

Som journalist begyndte jeg at grave i landbrugsindustrien.

And I found there are too many fields, and too few labor inspectors.

Og jeg fandt alt for mange marker, og for få arbejdsinspektører.

I found multiple layers of plausible deniability

Jeg fandt lag efter lag af plausibel benægtelse -

between grower and distributor and processor, and God knows who else.

- mellem landmænd, distributører, forarbejdningsvirksomheder, og så videre.

The Global Horizons survivors had been brought to the States

Ofrene for Global Horizon var blevet hentet til USA -

on a temporary guest worker program.

- med midlertidige gæste-arbejdstilladelser.

That guest worker program ties a person's legal status

Dette forbinder en persons retsstilling -

to his or her employer,

- til deres arbejdsgiver -

and denies that worker the right to organize.

- og arbejderen mister retten til at organisere sig.

Mind you, none of what I am describing about this agricultural sector

Husk på, at intet af det, jeg beskriver om landbrugsindustrien -

or the guest worker program is actually human trafficking.

- eller midlertidige arbejdstilladelser, teknisk set er menneskehandel.

It is merely what we find legally tolerable.

Det er blot, hvad der opfattes som lovligt acceptabelt.

And I would argue this is fertile ground for exploitation.

Og jeg vil mene, dette er en grobund for udnyttelse.

And all of this had been hidden to me, before I had tried to understand it.

Og jeg var blind over for alt dette, indtil jeg prøvede at forstå det.

I wasn't the only person grappling with these issues.

Jeg var ikke den eneste, der kæmpede med disse problemer.

Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay,

Pierre Omidyar, stifteren af eBay, -

is one of the biggest anti-trafficking philanthropists in the world.

- er en af de største filantroper imod menneskehandel i verden.

And even he wound up accidentally investing nearly 10 million dollars

Og selv han endte tilfældigt med at investere næsten 10 millioner dollars -

in the pineapple plantation cited as having the worst working conditions

- i de ananasplantager, der angiveligt har de værste arbejdsforhold -

in that Global Horizons case.

- i dette tilfælde Global Horizons.

When he found out, he and his wife were shocked and horrified,

Da vi opdagede det, var han og hans kone chokerede og rystede, -

and they wound up writing an op-ed for a newspaper,

- og de endte med at skrive en leder i en avis -

saying that it was up to all of us to learn everything we can

- der handlede om vores ansvar for at lære alt, vi kan, -

about the labor and supply chains of the products that we support.

- om de virksomheder, der står bag de produkter, vi støtter.

I totally agree.

Jeg er helt enig.

What would happen if each one of us decided

Hvad ville der ske, hvis vi alle besluttede os for -

that we are no longer going to support companies

- ikke længere at støtte virksomheder -

if they don't eliminate exploitation from their labor and supply chains?

- der ikke eliminerer udnyttelse af deres arbejdskraft og forsyningskæder?

If we demanded laws calling for the same?

Hvis vi kræver love på området?

If all the CEOs out there decided

Hvis alle direktører besluttede sig for -

that they were going to go through their businesses and say, "no more"?

- at gå igennem deres forretninger og sige: "ikke mere"?

If we ended recruitment fees for migrant workers?

Hvis vi stoppede ansættelsesgebyrer for gæstearbejdere?

If we decided that guest workers should have the right to organize

Hvis gæstearbejdere havde ret til at organisere sig -

without fear of retaliation?

- uden frygt for konsekvenser?

These would be decisions heard around the world.

Disse beslutninger ville blive hørt i hele verden.

This isn't a matter of buying a fair-trade peach

Det handler ikke bare om at købe fair-trade -

and calling it a day, buying a guilt-free zone with your money.

- da ren samvittighed ikke kan købes for penge.

That's not how it works.

Sådan fungerer det ikke.

This is the decision to change a system that is broken,

Dette er en beslutning om at forandre et dårligt system, -

and that we have unwittingly but willingly

- som vi uvidende men villigt -

allowed ourselves to profit from and benefit from for too long.

- har ladet os selv tjene på og nyde godt af alt for længe.

We often dwell on human trafficking survivors' victimization.

Vi dvæler ofte ved behandlingen af ofrene for menneskehandel.

But that is not my experience of them.

Men jeg har en anden oplevelse af dem.

Over all the years that I've been talking to them,

Gennem alle de år, jeg har talt med dem -

they have taught me that we are more than our worst days.

- har de lært mig, at vi er stærkere, end vi tror.

Each one of us is more than what we have lived through.

Vi kan komme igennem mere, end vi tror.

Especially trafficking survivors.

Dette gælder især disse ofre.

These people were the most resourceful and resilient and responsible

De var de mest ressourcestærke og robuste og ansvarlige -

in their communities.

- i deres samfund.

They were the people that you would take a gamble on.

Det var den slags folk, man ville satse på.

You'd say, I'm gong to sell my rings, because I have the chance

Du ville sige: Jeg sælger min ring, så jeg kan få chancen -

to send you off to a better future.

- for at sende dig afsted mod en bedre fremtid.

They were the emissaries of hope.

De var håbets budbringere.

These survivors don't need saving.

Disse ofre har ikke brug for at blive frelst.

They need solidarity, because they're behind

De har brug for solidaritet, fordi de står bag -

some of the most exciting social justice movements out there today.

- en af tidens mest spændende bevægelser for social retfærdighed.

The nannies and housekeepers who marched with their families

Barnepiger og husholdersker har marcheret med deres familier -

and their employers' families --

- og deres arbejdsgiveres familier -

their activism got us an international treaty

- og deres aktivisme skaffede os en international traktat -

on domestic workers' rights.

- om husarbejderes rettigheder.

The Nepali women who were trafficked into the sex trade --

Sexhandlede nepalesiske kvinder -

they came together, and they decided

- samlede sig og besluttede -

that they were going to make the world's first anti-trafficking organization

- at starte verdens første organisation for bekæmpelse af menneskehandel -

actually headed and run by trafficking survivors themselves.

- styret af ofrene for menneskehandel.

These Indian shipyard workers were trafficked

De indiske handlede værftsarbejdere, -

to do post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction.

- brugt til genopbygningen efter Orkanen Katrina, -

They were threatened with deportation, but they broke out of their work compound

- blev truet med udvisning, men brød ud af deres arbejdslejre -

and they marched from New Orleans to Washington, D.C.,

- og marcherede fra New Orleans til Washington -

to protest labor exploitation.

- i protest mod udnyttelse af arbejdskraft.

They cofounded an organization called the National Guest Worker Alliance,

De startede organisationen National Guest Worker Alliance, -

and through this organization, they have wound up helping other workers

- og gennem denne organisation, har de hjulpet andre arbejdere, -

bring to light exploitation and abuses in supply chains

- til at kaste lys over udnyttelsen og misbruget i forsyningskæder -

in Walmart and Hershey's factories.

- på Walmart- og Hershey-fabrikker.

And although the Department of Justice declined to take their case,

Og selvom Justitsministeriet afviste at tage deres sag, -

a team of civil rights lawyers won the first of a dozen civil suits

- vandt en gruppe advokater den første række civile sager, -

this February, and got their clients 14 million dollars.

- nu i februar og fik 14 millioner til deres klienter.

These survivors are fighting for people they don't even know yet,

Disse ofre kæmper for de mennesker, de end ikke kender.

other workers, and for the possibility of a just world for all of us.

De kæmper for andre arbejdere og for en retfærdig verden for os alle.

This is our chance to do the same.

Vi kan gøre det samme.

This is our chance to make the decision

Vi kan træffe en beslutning -

that tells us who we are, as a people and as a society;

- der fortæller os, hvem vi er, som mennesker og som samfund.

that our prosperity is no longer prosperity,

At vores velstand ikke længere er velstand -

as long as it is pinned to other people's pain;

- så længe den er forbundet med andres lidelser.

that our lives are inextricably woven together;

At vores liv er uløseligt vævet sammen, -

and that we have the power to make a different choice.

- og at vi har magten til at gøre en forskel.

I was so reluctant to share my story of my auntie with you.

Jeg var så nervøs for at dele min historie om min tante med jer.

Before I started this TED process and climbed up on this stage,

Før jeg startede denne process med TED og gik på scenen, -

I had told literally a handful of people about it,

- havde jeg kun delt min historie med meget få.

because, like many a journalist,

Som mange andre journalister -

I am far more interested in learning about your stories

- er jeg mere interesseret i at kende jeres historier, -

than sharing much, if anything, about my own.

- end at dele meget, hvis noget, af min egen.

I also haven't done my journalistic due diligence on this.

Jeg har heller ikke fortaget baggrundstjek på dette.

I haven't issued my mountains of document requests,

Udbedte dokumenter er ikke blevet udleveret, -

and interviewed everyone and their mother,

- mange interviews er ikke blevet lavet, -

and I haven't found my auntie yet.

- og jeg har heller ikke fundet min tante.

I don't know her story of what happened, and of her life now.

Jeg kender ikke hendes historie og ved ikke, hvad der blev af hende.

The story as I've told it to you is messy and unfinished.

Den historie, jeg har fortalt jer, er rodet og ufærdig -

But I think it mirrors the messy and unfinished situation we're all in,

- dog blot en afspejling af vores rodede og ufærdige situation, -

when it comes to human trafficking.

- når det gælder menneskehandel.

We are all implicated in this problem.

Vi er alle indblandede i dette problem.

But that means we are all also part of its solution.

Men det betyder også, at vi alle er en del af løsningen.

Figuring out how to build a more just world is our work to do,

Svaret på en mere retfærdig verden er op til os at finde -

and our story to tell.

- og det er vores historie at fortælle.

So let us tell it the way we should have done,

Så lad os fortælle den, som vi skulle have gjort -

from the very beginning.

- helt fra begyndelsen.

Let us tell this story together.

Lad os fortælle historien sammen.

Thank you so much.

Mange tak.

(Applause)

(Klapsalver)