Odanadi "The Chain Breaker" Media Critique

Odanadi is an organization that helps prevent sex trafficking and helps transition victims of trafficking to regain their life and identity. The Odanadi "The Chain Breaker" video highlights the struggles of the Odanadi organization and its efforts to prevent sex trafficking. The video features interviews with the organization's founders, Stanley and Parashuram, expressing their anger and the trickiness of their business. Some of the victims are also interviewed on their experiences. Videos of rescue missions were shown, as well as the living conditions of those who were trafficked. The video showed the founders speaking and the victims, but it felt like something more needed to be told.

Voices of authority are mainly both founders of Odanadi Stanley and Parashuram, and Higher education ministers also spoke on Odanadi's work. Both founders did a fantastic job expressing their passion through the video. They spoke about experiences they have encountered through the years. Parasuram told a story about a girl that got sold because her parents could not pay lenders money; when the family sought help from law enforcement, they realized that the police were with the lenders, and the family had no one for help until they sold their kid for money. Stories like this make you wonder why an Inspector or Sub-inspector who leads a police department does not speak about these problems. Having voices of power speak on these problems will give people a feeling of relief that they are trying to stop it or show that they acknowledge the problems. The social activist will always speak on societal problems from the victims' perspective, but its rarely heard from the perspective of those who have the power to stop or minimize the problem. Stanley made a point that the circle of people they trust is limited. Often when a government official helps Odanadi, it is to help them bust their rival's prostitution business. We need to hear from government officials about these types of cases. However, as previously stated, it is tricky whom to ask to discuss this topic because somebody can be held accountable for speaking out. One way is to keep the names of the officials anonymous not to get them in trouble. 

How people perceive media like this depends on how much they know about the topic. Someone who only knows the definition of sex trafficking will be shocked at how much bigger the problem is. Someone who knows a victim will see it and be mad at how little is being done or how little the world knows about the problem. Those who have studied sex trafficking will see the video, analyze it, try to come up with a solution or preventative measures, and judge the video as it goes on. How it is perceived varies depending on how much knowledge one knows about the problem. When I watch the video, I look back at my experiences with what I have read about and what I have been taught and reflect upon that to make an understanding unique to me.

The more media and deeper dive into trafficking I take, the more I understand how far away we as a society are from preventing sex trafficking. There is a difference between spreading awareness to try and stop trafficking and doing the work to stop trafficking. The members of Odanadi are everyday people who risk their lives and do rescue missions themselves. It is not discussed as much because it is not seen as a problem for everyone. A quote in the video by Pope Francis read, "When no one is to blame Everyone is to blame". However, I believe that quote can be read deeper; it is not that no one is to blame; it is that no one wants to be blamed, so that is why everyone is to blame. I am to blame. I lived my whole life believing that trafficking isn't my problem because no one I know has been a victim. That's the mindset everyone lives by. Watching the video, I saw the poor conditions these women live in. It is unsanitary, cramped living spaces, and overall disgusting. These women live in spaces detrimental to their physical and mental health, and for so many to live and think it's not essential is wrong. I was able to not only watch a video and see and hear a lecture but go to the Odanadi house and see and hear stories firsthand was an experience that changed my perspective on societal problems. It shows how little we know about these problems because of the limitations given to us by the media. So many factors stop us from exploring these problems, but we need to spread awareness, act upon what we know, and support foundations like Odanadi in their efforts to create change.