Slavery still exists today on a large scale. It affects mostly women and children and until recently most people were unaware of the magnitude of this problem. It is a social injustice that is a crime and it is a complex issue that is being targeted from all areas including social work. Films and media are useful in bringing to light such injustices as human and sex trafficking. The film Taken illustrates the journey of one girl and her experiences with human trafficking. Although, films are great tools for advocacy and education but they often do not shed light on the whole picture. While Taken and its plot was very effective in representing the perpetrators, the victims and the horrific conditions involved in human trafficking; it does not portray the aftereffects of experiencing such trauma. The film is successful in helping the audience understand the issue of human trafficking through its vivid portrayal of the social issue. If I were a social worker I would help this population in a variety of ways such as counseling them and providing education to susceptible individuals.
The story portrayed in the movie Taken is set in the twenty-first century in the year 2011. The film depicts one family’s encounter with human trafficking. The family consists of Bryan Miller, an ex-CIA agent, his ex-wife Lenore and his daughter Kim. Mr. Miller had retired and moved to Los Angeles in order to make up for lost time with his daughter. One day, his daughter who is seventeen asks for permission to travel to Europe with her friend. The father is apprehensive to let his daughter go because she is a minor, but he finally agrees on the condition that she calls him with her whereabouts including when she lands in Paris, her first destination. When Kim and her friend Amanda arrive in Paris, a young man offers to share a taxi with them to save money. They agree and he ends up finding out where they are staying, that they are alone and even invites them to come to a party. The girls are then kidnapped by Albanian human traffickers who were tipped off by Peter, the young man. Fortunately, for the girls, Kimmy’s father calls her and is able to gain identifying information about the perpetuators from his daughter. He then flies to Paris and tracks down the traffickers with lots of violence, killing and high-speed chases. He eventually finds his daughter’s friend in a brothel, dead due to drugs and mistreatment. He proceeds to torture one of their captors to discover that his daughter was sold and is going to be auctioned off due to her virgin status. He finally finds his daughter by following the man who bought her and he then brings her safely back to the United States. (Morel 2009)
The film incorporates the social issue of human trafficking through the experiences of Kim and her friend. The movie illustrates how they are captured by force and taken away by a group of men after a spotter from the airport tips them off. The film illustrates kidnapping which is the...
