Silence is no longer golden

Sailing down the Amazon River just a few months ago with the beautiful skies as the sun rose and fell, the incredible flora, and the funkiest dolphins I have ever seen jumping beside the boat, it was hard to believe this boat trip was leading me to the sex trafficking capital of Latin America.

It was also hard to believe that just a kilometer away from the boat I was on, the indigenous people were living in such poverty, fear and violence which had become their way of life, something they had grown used to; and something so many people around the world know nothing about.

A way of life that had slowly but surely crept up on them, much like a silent assassin in the night.

Many are afraid they will be sold as sex slaves around the world, as well being afraid of those who traffick monkeys, jaguars and wild birds selling them off to cosmetics companies, fashion designers and high class restaurants.

They are also afraid of those who traffick the drugs, firearms and other weapons around the world, but for many the biggest fear they have is from the Brazilian government.

Why? Because many of those traffickers are people familiar to them, sometimes their own family members driven by such poverty into the world of trafficking ust to earn enough money to eat.

Add into the mix the drug cartels and their allies Colombian and US governments, the CIA and not forgetting various church organisations, and you have a melting pot of corruption just waiting to spill over.

The human rights violations happening are known by organisations such as the UN and still very little, if anything, is done about it, other than band aid actions, a little bit of lip service and well timed photos and press releases.

Keeping the Amazonians in fear and poverty, with a lack of education means political agendas can be fulfilled and the indigenous people have little to no power, soon becoming displaced, ending up on the streets of Tabatinga, Leticia and Santa Rosa, or on the streets to the east in Santarem and Belem or further north into Boa Vista.

The sole purpose of governmenance is to 'protect and serve the state' (that's you, me and our families just in case you were wondering), and yet with the the distraction techniques used by governments on civilians, just like a parent parenting a toddler, the only state being protected are the states of the wallets and interests of the governments and those turning a blind eye.

Arriving in Manaus, the capital of the Amazon, I was shocked by what I saw. Undescribeable poverty which presented smells like nothing I had ever smelled before, violence from man to woman and child, and enough litter on the land and in the water which made it look more like a garbage disposal point than a capital city.

Along the banks of the river entering the port was shipping container upon shipping container upon shipping container - far too many for legal activities by anyone's stretch of the imagination.

And trust me, as a ocean going sailor I have seen more than enough ports around the world to know a town of this size doesn't need that many containers for legal enterprises.

Having visited Vanuatu in Oceania, lived in Latin America for the last two years, as well as lived in Cairo during the Uprising, or Arab Spring as many prefer to call it, I have seen the depths of poverty, witnessed the worst of humanity, as well as personally experienced police and government corruption first hand.

Over the last two and half decades of being an activist, it never ceases to amaze me the number of people who say they do not wish to know about the human rights violations going on around the world, even though they want their own human rights recognised.

Not even friends of mine wanted to discuss with me my life in Egypt when I returned to the UK in 2013 because they had 'seen enough of it on TV' - regardless of the fact I may have needed someone to speak with about what I saw and experienced.

Needless to say, these friends are no longer in my space, because if I cannot talk about my pain, my experiences, or the subjects closest to my heart with people who call themselves friends, then why on earth are they in my space?

In 1967 Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio wrote the following words in their hit song 'Silence is Golden' "Talking is cheap, people follow like sheep". Although they were talking about a woman falling for the lies and manipulation of another man, the words - and the song - could not be more relevant today if we wanted them to be.

So many people talk about freedom, and yet they turn a blind eye to the pain and suffering going on in the world, because it is 'too upsetting to watch or read about', or it's "too confusing", "complicated" or worse still "nothing to do with me/us/our country".

They say they want freedom of speech, but silence those who have a different opinion.

They want freedom to travel and yet ignore the plight of those trapped in their homelands, such as the Palestinians.

They say they want freedom to choose and yet condemn and exclude those who chose alternative options for healthcare.

And the thing is, as I said to the CNN reporters in Tahrir Square back in 2011 "If I want my human rights recognised, then I have a duty and a responsibilty to help others have theirs recognised".

Those of us around the world who work in a variety of different ways to bring about social change through awareness of human rights are celebrating #humanrightsmonth this month.

We have a goal of reaching a minimum of #1millionpeople to raise awareness of violations, ways to get involved and results we have gathered through the work we do.

I hope you will join me in my endeavours by sharing this article, and those which will follow every single day over the next thirty days with your own network.

The more of us who speak up, the louder our voices become. As a mother, as a woman, as a human being, and as an author coach and publisher for those who wish to give a voice to the voiceless, I stand for my children, your children, for you and for those I do not know.

We are all connected, more so than ever, and to not know our human rights or how to stand strong together, shows how truly lost we are.

With kindness from Colombia,

Dawn

Help me reach #1millionreaders by also purchasing my books on various human rights violations by visiting https://dawnbates.com/books and let's be part of the much needed global change and justice needed in the world.