Yesterday I told my friend who does photography work documenting the lives of migrant workers, even if someone assembled a team of 6,000 people whose mission each day is to tackle this issue, we would STILL have a problem. It’s such a widespread concern where it isn’t only one abuser, but millions of sponsors, thousands of companies, and dozens of states are guilty of and tend to do little to nothing about. The problem is that we don’t even know who to target. The government? To change the law? And if they do, how do we ensure it gets implemented, and specifically by whom? Bahrain changed it, and yet abuses take place here on a daily basis, from murder to rape to runaway maids who find themselves in prison cells as opposed to shelters.

We need to know where to start – but I think documenting this abuse and making it as accessible as possible, is definitely a good way to increase the awareness necessary for action. For decades this information wasn’t being made available to the public, causing a huge number of people to deny it is actually as bad as it is. Aside from also refuting this denial, so many people who are now aware wish to help and have no idea where to begin. Media? Shelters? Protests? NGOs?

I suggest we make a list of what the average person can do, and what corporations should do as well as their commitment to “social responsibility.” We have to let people know where to begin and ways that their actions can translate to real differences.