Terrify No More

Rating:
Summary: Self promotion and sensationalism at all costs
Review: G Haugen's marketing machine is more efficient at raising money from naive taxpayers than at solving real issues. Religious fanaticism and sealous bigotry at their worst getting ready to americanize Cambodia.

KM11 was excessive and prostitution is present in Cambodia, but certainly no more than in most US or European cities and all Asian countries, and Heugen is very quick to associate pedophilia to it to raise red flags and more money from all sides. His real purpose is eradicating prostitution, not saving lifes. The purpose of his action is self promotion, helped by an ever ready CBS that jumps on the bandwagon of sexual exploitation. I'm a moderate christian, not a fanatical zealot, so I would not buy this misleading book.



Rating:
Summary: An Important Book For Our Time
Review: Gary Haugen, the President of IJM in Washington D.C. has written a clear and conscise overview of the situation of sexual slavery in Southeast Asia (specifically Cambodia) and around the world. The book centers around the rescue of very young girs, highlighted in the January 2004 Dateline special, but the book deals with other issues and stories, as well. After graduating seminary, I went to Cambodia to evaluate the situation myself and found that there is a severe crisis. Thousands of children are at risk and quality aftercare is scarce, if available at all. Though residential care cannot be the sole component, it is a necessary solution to resolving the immediate needs of these precious children.

I highly recommend this book as a primer for anyone wanting to get a feel for the situation in Southeast Asia or anyone who is interested in social justice issues. This particular issue is high on the radar for America - our actions and reactions to this issue in the future will determine the fate of thousands of children.

This book has been featured on Fox News and other news programs, as well. Gary's writing style is engaging and very understandable to anyone new to the issue - the one thing lacking is a clear understanding of how Westerners can contribute to the cause beyond writing a check. IJM is a professional organization of lawyers, investigators, and social workers, so I understand the hesitance to invite "just anyone" to the table (which he addresses in the book - i.e. substandard aftercare facilities). Though, responsible tourism, consumerism, awareness, and involvement with our local, state, and federal government officials would have a valuable impact.

Rating:
Summary: Appalling
Review: I cannot read this book. Like I cannot go to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC., I simply cannot read all of this and do not have to read about this in its unspeakable detail to know that I am appalled. It would hurt too much. However, I believe the purpose of the book nonetheless has been served in my case - I am appalled, and I am doing something. This trade must cease. I have sent a copy of the review with my views on the subject to my elected representative, better, I have also sent a copy to a friend who is not my representative, but is a Congressman. I saw the news program and I had to turn that off too. I have young children and this is so far beyond the pale that if it was not true I would be sure that it simply could not be true. We cannot again ignore a horror in Cambodia! Surely one genocide there in our lifetime is enough.
I gave it five statrs because this horrible story needs to be told, so that it can be stopped.

Rating:
Summary: Important issue that needs exposure
Review: This book is not sensationalism or extremist. It is the critical story of the types of abuses that go on around the world. There is still slavery in much of the world, and it is inexcusable for people to ignore it. It focuses on a specific episode of child sex trafficking in Cambodia, but it touches on forced labor, kidnapping, and other issues throughout the book. One reviewer falsely claims it is anti-prostitution. The book goes out of its way to show that the people involved were taken against their will and wanted to leave, and that it wasn't prostitution "by choice".

The book is written by the founder and president of International Justice Mission, a group dedicated to establishing justice where there is injustice. They work to not only remove the oppressed from the situation, but to change the culture so that it doesn't reoccur with fresh victims. They lobby, educate, train, work with local law enforcement to enforce LOCAL laws, not to establish an American/Western bias on things.

The writing style is a little disjointed, because it cuts from the main story of the Cambodian intervention to introduce characters important for the mission or to highlight other aspects of slavery. This can distract at times, but it is otherwise well-written. It handles very delicate, sometimes very distasteful material with all the respect it deserves.

Jesus said, "If you did it for one of the least of these, you did it for Me". This is an issue that isn't a Christian or non-Christian issue. Anyone should see that this issue deserves attention and support, by anyone's standard of morality.

Rating:
Summary: Pepare To Be Shocked
Review: This grim account of IJM's efforts to combat sexual slavery and the rape for profit abuse of young girls in Southeast Asia had my stomach churning in disgust while at the same time marveling at the heroic efforts of these dedicated people to fight what most would view as a hopeless situation. It is impossible to read this and not be awed by both the capacity for people to commit evil on innocent children and the capacity of people to work fearlessly and tirelessly to combat that evil. This story has been given some sporadic media coverage but it deserves to be escalated so that more light can be shined and more pressure brought to bear on this horrible practice of human trafficking.