An Educational Strategy to End Human Trafficking
Country: United States
Innovation: The long-term solution to societal problems through education of the children is a long-established traditional approach. My strategy calls for the development of three graduated sets of teaching/research resources. The first set, suitable for use at the senior high-school & college level, has been completed and can be found at http://www.gvnet.com/humantrafficking (figure 1). A second set of materials, suitable for middle school use, will be adapted from the first set by removing all links to reports of forced prostitution, child prostitution, sexual slavery, etc. The third set of materials (primary school level) will be adapted from the second set, and will be restricted to kidnapping and forced child labor.
Impact: My activity facilitates inclusion of human trafficking as a topic in the curriculum in graduated increments. Broad-scale awareness achieved through the education of two or three generations induces systemic change because an enlightened society, well versed in the nature and scale of trafficking, will not tolerate it. Although this is a long-term approach, it is part of the mosaic. In the early stages, grassroots mobilization and private sector movement building will be seen. In some countries, this has already begun. In later stages, after educating two or three generations, it is hoped that modern-day slavery will be universally rejected as a primitive evil - an unfortunate holdover from the past.
Tipping Point: The tipping point will occur when a groundswell of informed public opinion rejects trafficking in all of its manifestations. Although my activity, when completed, could get us to that tipping point, a mosaic of solutions will get us there sooner. The gap in my capacity to contribute to the end result in the near term stems from the fact that I am working alone. In addition to maintenance and updating of that which I have already produced, two variations of my resources still remain to be developed (e.g. primary & middle-school versions). In addition, all of these educational resources will have to be "sold" to the educational community. Later, these resources will have to be translated into other languages and "sold" internationally.
Replication: Because of the gap in my capacity to reach the tipping point, my model depends upon (indeed, encourages) replication. The 'how-to's are clearly spelled out in lesson plans, essay questions, debate topics, and a teacher discussion board (figures 2, 3 & 4). In addition, some assistance is provided for the preparation of lectures via a set of background articles, anecdotes and the beginnings of a treasury of images. All of my work is in the public domain, posted on the web without copyright protection.
Sustainability: Long-term sustainability is assured. Once the subject of Human Trafficking is brought into the classroom, it will be adapted and refined by the thousands of talented educators who will be teaching it. That is just the nature of things in the educational community.
-
Position in the Human Trafficking Mosaic of Solutions:
- Factor: Culture of Tolerance
- Principle: Creating Value-Driven Communities
Contact Information:
Name: Prof. Martin Patt
Organization:
Mailing address: 73 Russell Street Malden, MA 02148-5434
Country: United States
Email: profpatt@uml.edu
Website: http://www.gvnet.com/humantrafficking
Organization Size: One
|
Return to Home Page