Human Trafficking in Minnesota

This was a topic that I had to tackle while I was in high school at a Model UN conference, even then I did not fully understand the importance and impact of human trafficking. Somehow I feel that this was a very large and serious topic to handle as an underclass high schooler. Partially because we did not take Model UN very seriously, and partially because anything involving sex in high school is taboo for teachers and too mature for young students.
I wish I had paid more attention, or fully understood the topic. Honestly, I barely remember anything from the conference, or even which country I had to represent. I do remember that one person in my class got the United States of America. I remembered learning that The Mall of America was a hot spot for human trafficking. This fact was probably one that drew me into this topic this semester.
I especially enjoyed watching Invisible. And by "enjoyed" I mean I was shocked and drawn in by how much that documentary hit home. I have to admit that sometimes i did think of human trafficking as being a problem that was "not in our backyards." The fact that this was staged in Minneapolis made that a realization that you couldn't surpass. Sometimes it is easier to be ignorant to a situation, then to actually think about what it means.
The film made me so sad. I had goosebumps the ENTIRE time. It reminds me of when Professor Isoke said at the beginning of the class that you can have no idea who you are sitting next to, and what they might have to do to survive.
While thinking about the over the past week, I have realized that people are quick to judge other people. Every person has their own background story; their own reasons for why they do what they do. Every person can have an "excuse" for their actions. While in thought, (mostly related to my own personal life, and conflicts with others) I started thinking that maybe peoples excuses don't matter and that we should all just have to suck it up because each person is going through their own struggles, but then i realized that that was totally wrong. I decided that instead of dealing with things on our own and excluding excuses and reasons, that we must come together as a society and show more empathy because of the simple fact that everyone DOES struggle.
This topic puts some things in perspective for me, and I realize that I am truly blessed to have never had to deal with trafficking/prostitution, because it is more of a reality for people than I ever realized.