Film spotlights human trafficking as Trump promises action. by PHILIP MARCELO

Stopping Traffic Documentary Is Highlighted by Associate Press and Phillip Marcelo. They have run a great article on the documentary Stopping Traffic that we have had the pleasure of being involved in.

Here are the opening paragraphs, please make sure that you click the links and check out the story and we would love to meet you at the Global Cinema Film Festival in Boston this weekend.

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BOSTON (AP) — A new documentary is spotlighting human trafficking across the globe, with a focus on the grassroots activists trying to end the scourge.

“Stopping Traffic” premieres at the Global Cinema Film Festival in the Boston suburb of Belmont on March 11.

The film is the first by Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, a 33-year-old Jain monk, Iraq War veteran and child abuse survivor who intends to distribute it free of charge to universities, nonprofits and government agencies.

Shree gives credit to the Republican billionaire for placing an emphasis on human trafficking early in his tenure, but stressed it still remains to be seen what is actually done.

“We need action to back that up,” she said. “We will need a lot of resources, legislation and law enforcement.”

While trafficking is a global issue, it’s also important to remember that America isn’t immune — and that it’s not just foreigners being trafficked, said Stephanie Clark, executive director of Amirah, a Massachusetts nonprofit that helps sexually exploited women but isn’t featured in the film.

“This is an extremely prevalent issue that is right here, hidden in plain sight,” she said.

It’s not just women being trafficked either. Young men and boys are often abused at far higher rates than what’s recorded because many cultures still don’t accept the notion that boys can also be rape victims, said John King, a child abuse survivor and activist in Grapevine, Texas, who is featured prominently in the film.