Meet Me at The Meat Market by Elizabeth Kent

These wearable art pieces were created to call attention to the horrors of human trafficking.

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World-wide, human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Traffickers exploit people in different ways for labor and commercial sex. Imagine being vulnerable and then letting down your guard – trusting someone, putting your faith and trust in that person – and then being abused and subjected to forced labor or to turn tricks. It’s horrible. Unfortunately, we are not immune to this social disease here in paradise.

“Meet Me at The Meat Market” by Elizabeth Kent is a series that incorporates intimate apparel that has been dyed to look like meat at various stages of decay. We must remain vigilant to protect both those at risk and our society at large.

CHINATOWN: FORMER RED LIGHT DISTRICT

Located adjacent to Downtown Honolulu is Chinatown. In recent years, the area has been redeveloped into a Culture and Arts District. Throughout Honolulu’s Chinatown, you’ll find iconic establishments and stumble upon hidden gems. From classic lei stands to legendary eateries to herbal medicine shops, this historic and evolving neighborhood is a center for commerce.

However, Chinatown has a very enmeshed history with the sex trade. Now more than ever, Miya is taking a stand against Anti-Asian Violence and we stand with all who have been sexualized or dehumanized as a result of crime & violence.

Chinatown had acquired a reputation as a red light district even before World War II, when the military and the police regulated the brothel industry. Immediately after the war, the local authorities outlawed prostitution and closed all the Chinatown brothels. Still segments of the sex industry remained. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Chinatown venues began featuring adult films and nude dancing as mainstream entertainment migrated to Waikiki and the suburbs. The Risque Theater and Bookstore that featured pornographic films and magazines exemplified the shift in the neighborhood when it opened in 1970. The Risque prospered for almost 25 years until a fire gutted the building in 2004. The Marquee still remains.

Read about a former brothel in Wahiawa.

If you’re interested in learning more about sex trafficking, order The Status of Women today on Amazon.