Jean Sasson and The Good Monk & Yasmeena's Choice discussion
Q&A with Jean Sasson about her new movie "Jean Sasson and The Good Monk"
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I have just watched the you tube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dus06N...what a wonderful video and wonderful cause. Just like you, I constantly feel as though I want to help everyone! It can be upsetting to think - with so many causes in the world, - child bondage, slavery, human trafficking, homelessness, starvation, animal cruelty, abandonment, abduction, honor killings (the list goes ON AND ON) that it is extremely hard to fight for every cause. The thing is as you said- even sharing the information, bringing awareness to such atrocities, IS SOMETHING. Now I am an adult, i completely understand the saying 'Ignorance is bliss', although it is scary and unsettling- I never want to be ignorant and ignorance is one thing that bothers me so much. (hence why i myself wrote about emotional abuse and depression..to bring awareness and hopfuly help someone, and tackle SOME of the ignorance out there!)
I am so thrilled Jean that you are doing these projects, I wish you so much luck and success on them. I will be sharing in as many social platforms as I possibly can.
as always- all my love and best :)
KerryKerry Connelly
Hiya, Francine invited it to this group. i'm ashamed to say i didn't realise the extend of the problem in Thailand. You hear stories but never further than the headline or the article you read. i hope I can help a little.
Jean keep up the great work!!! So admire your efforts!!!
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what a wonderful video and wonderful cause. Just like you, I constantly feel as though I want to help everyone! It..."
Thanks a lot, Kerry, I appreciate it. And, I know what you mean. Seems everywhere I look, there is a cause that I could devote my entire life to....Jean
Mod
I'm trying Mal! I feel a bit exhausted today, but I'll be up and back at it in the morning! (smile) Any help any of you can give by spreading the word, will be GREATLY appreciated! Jean
Mod
This is a subject dear to me, and I feel strongly about it for reasons I do not wish to go into right now.
Your campaign is great. Children sex slavery has to stop..."
Frenchie, I can tell that these things affect you as they affect me. Sometimes I can barely sleep at night. In fact, I have so many horror stories in my mind that there are times I wonder how I will keep upright! I agree with all you are saying. It seems you are very familiar with many of the same things I know so well. I hope we talk one day -- I'm sure we would talk until we fell over! (laugh) Thank you, again, Jean
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Thank you, Geraldine, so much. I need all the help I can get. I am haunted by the plight of these young girls, CHILDREN really... And, sadly, Western men are what keeps these kind of businesses thriving (brothels in Thailand.) When I was there observing, I was horrified to see that the audience of men was mainly from the west, and I was later told that the largest number of customers were from the USA and Europe! I WAS STRUCK BY SADNESS, as the western men should know better -- they live in societies where women are by law treated as equals... A puzzle to me how they can justify raping young girls that they must know are terrified of them!
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what a wonderful video and wonderful cause. Just like you, I constantly feel as though I want to help everyone! It..."
Thanks, Kerry -- I agree with you....
JEAN SASSON: The answer is simple. I am inspired by the young girls and women I saw in Bangkok and in Chiang Mai, Thailand who had been sold into the sex slave industry. For years I have wanted to write about their lives, and my experiences exploring the ghastly stories wrapped ‘round the thriving sex industry in that country. Thus far in my writing career I have been so caught up with stories about women from the Arab world, that through necessity, I had to postpone this very important project. The reason I’m doing two movies is so that we can provide the documentary free, and send it all over the world. I’m hoping for a world movement on this issue. (All of this depends upon the people who care enough to become involved in this project. A lot of people care and are sad about such stories, but they don’t care “enough” to take a moment to become involved, or to give up 10 or 15 dollars of their own money to help others.)
Q2: How did you come up with the title Jean Sasson and the Good Monk?
JEAN SASSON: I think of the title as a “working title” so don’t be surprised if the title changes! I wanted to accomplish two things with the title: One, I wanted my readers and followers of my books to know that I’m involved in this project, and that it means a lot to me. Thus, it was necessary to include my name. Secondly, I feel that the “Good Monk” wording is intriguing. And, I want to honor the monks I met in Thailand who were some of the few people in that country making huge efforts to help the women, and others, who had been felled by AIDS.
Q3: Jean your readers know that you lived in Saudi Arabia for more than ten years and traveled all over the world, in your opinion, how does Thailand compare to other countries in this region of the world as far as women’s rights and safety for women is concerned?
JEAN SASSON: Like most countries in the world, men rule in Thailand. Therefore, male desires are given priority over female needs. This is not unique in the world, unfortunately. Although Thai girls and women who have not become tangled in the sex trade industry can live fairly normal lives, the highly charged sexual atmosphere prevalent in Thailand, I believe, firmly locks all women into a second-class status. Females are looked upon as sex objects, pure and simple.
Then when we look at the girls and women in the sex slave industry, hopes plunge for anything to change. There is so much money to be made from selling women’s bodies that it is almost impossible to get anyone to listen to the horror stories that afflict so many CHILDREN. I saw with my two eyes, girls as young as eight years old being auctioned off for a weekend of sex with grown men, many of the men whom hailed from the USA and other western countries.
So if a Thai woman is NOT locked away in a brothel, she will be okay; albeit living in the midst of the world’s biggest sex industry. BUT, IF a Thai girl of woman is kidnapped and locked away in a brothel, where they often have to use their little bodies to pleasure 20 to 30 men every day, it is the worst thing ever that can happen to a woman.
At least in the Middle East if a girl or woman is being sexually abused, it is generally at the hands of ONE man. In Thailand, it is impossible to imagine the horror inflicted on children who are forced to have sex with adult men. Just thinking of the terror, the pain, and the agony these baby girls, as I call them, endure is enough to make me sit in a corner and weep for days. But there is no time to stop and cry. I must keep moving ahead, to do what I can to bring attention to these situations.
Q4: Jean what keeps you so inspired to be such an advocate for women’s and children’s rights?
JEAN SASSON: For years I didn’t know why this passion to help animals and women was such a force in my life. But then one day I was talking to a spiritual healer named Bryce Bond, a man who was a healer to the movie stars and to high ranking heads of state, and I told him of the enormous, almost unbearable pain I endure when I see any animal, or any human, being abused. I feel it as though the blows were coming onto my head or body. I feel the anguish as clearly as if it is happening directly to me. So, I have to react, because I’m in pain, along with the true victim. If one is being beaten or abused, generally there will be an instinctive reaction. That happens to me.
I told Bryce that I didn’t know if it was a curse or not, to be so affected by such events. Bruce was quiet, thinking it over, then told me that it was certainly a curse for me personally to be so deeply affected by others’ grief and pain, because it was clear that I suffered. Yet, he went on to say, he thought it was a blessing to have that kind of empathy, because the kind of pain I felt would never allow me to walk away from a dire situation. Bryce said that if every human felt that way, all violence and abuse would soon be stopped.
I find this in everyday life. While the people who are my friends, or those with whom I am been in a relationship, tend to walk away from dodgy situations, I always jump in, even as they are pleading with me to ignore the woman or the animal being abused. I simply cannot. So, I make a lot of my friends nervous, I admit, because I truly cannot bear it if I see someone in agony. I go crazy and jump in and get involved even if there’s a chance I might become the point of attack. Thus far in my life, all the evil ones have backed down. Perhaps I have a wild look on my face at such times, but everyone, even a man who was armed as I untied his dog from a tree and took it with me, walked away.
Perhaps you’ll hear or read a news article about me one day, that I’ve been shot or imprisoned in a country far from home, but you will know not to worry, because I chose to step in, and I know the risks.
Q5: During your time in Thailand did you ever feel threatened or unsafe?
JEAN SASSON: I will admit that Thailand was the only place where I felt relentless tension. From the expressions of hatred and anger on the faces of the brothel owners, and the policemen who were standing by glaring at ME, not at the ones keeping girls locked in brothels, I realized that I was close to crossing a specific line, and that there were people in Thailand who would kill me if they thought they might get away with it. I lucked out because none of the players could bring themselves to kill an American woman. Perhaps they feared the repercussions, or perhaps they thought I “knew” someone important because I acted fearless, which I actually feel when I’m in the middle of such a thing. Perhaps because I am willing to die, people back down.
In Thailand, unlike the Middle East and other countries, there is such a vast amount of money to be made on women’s bodies. The sex industry is VERY corrupt and many people make so much money that they would be happy to murder anyone who gets in their way. Compare this to the Middle East where abuse against women is generally about the control of ONE man over his women, and no money is passing hands. Thus the tension never built to the point of violence against me. Although I will say that one of my heroines, (Maryam) was involved in a situation helping a Saudi woman and her life was threatened by the husband of the victim.) In Thailand, watch out, you will be in danger. I’ve heard it is this way in Russian, as well, where so many girls are forcefully kept in prostitution, although I have not been to Russian and cannot speak knowledgably on the problem in that country.
Q6: Jean, your readers know that you lived in Saudi Arabia for twelve years and during the time befriended a royal princess, later telling her true story in the book “Princess”. How does the rights of women and young girls in Thailand compare to places in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia?
JEAN SASSON: Certainly, women in Saudi Arabia have few legal rights, although I will say the public attitudes are changing in the favor of females. But it will be a long and slow haul to true freedom for women in the kingdom. Just consider this one fact: EVERY Saudi female born has a male guardian from the moment of birth until the moment of death. This is not good, particularly if the man in charge is ignorant, or cruel. There is no one who dares to step in and help the woman. So there are many horror stories still in Saudi Arabia. For example: Recently a cleric father raped his five-year-old daughter to death. It took him a few years to rape her to death, but he eventually finished her off. Imagine that child’s terror for all those years. He kept her from her mother, who was pleading for help, since she knew her daughter was being abused, although she didn’t know the extent of the abuse. After the child died, it was discovered that her back was broken from the rapes. (The father was a big man, at least 250 pounds, while the child was tiny, probably 50 pounds.) Then, when the mother wanted him punished, the clerics protested and said, “He is the father of the girl. He can do what he pleases with her.” SO, until such abuses are met with serious punishments, no woman in Saudi Arabia is safe.
In Thailand, (as I mention in an earlier response) the issue is all about money. Until men from the west, and other countries, stop going to Thailand to participate in the vilest abuse against CHILDREN, girls, and women, this will continue. If there were no customers, the imprisoned girls and women would be set free instantly!
But for me, the comparison between Saudi Arabia and Thailand really does not matter. In both countries women need protection. Until this happens, I’ll rank Saudi Arabia and Thailand as one and the same.
Q7: What can your readers do to help with this movie campaign?
JEAN SASSON: It is my hope that people reading about the reason for this campaign, and the need for a movie, will be unable to resist helping out. Any amount donated will help. IF a person does not have a dollar to spare, then I hope they can take the time to forward the information about the campaign on to others. Additionally, they need to point out the importance of this campaign to their relatives and friends. Thus far, I’ve been surprised and disappointed. So many of my readers have contacted me and asked how they might help. Then, when something like this is put forward, something that will make a huge difference in the lives of many innocent girls and only a tiny minority take the 5 or 10 minutes necessary to actually help. It’s amazing to me that strangers to me and my books are the ones mainly helping.
Q8: Will you be keeping the donors updated about the progress of the campaign and later the production of the movie?
JEAN SASSON: Of course. There will be a weekly update on the Jean Sasson and The Good Monk campaign page. And, there will be an e-mail sent monthly to all donors.
Q9: What happens if you do not reach your goal during this campaign?
JEAN SASSON: I’m already planning the second campaign. I’m not a quitter when I feel something this strong.
Q10: How optimistic are you that Jean Sasson and the Good Monk will initiate change for the countless victims of human trafficking in Thailand?
JEAN SASSON: Movies reach many millions of people, and movies impact the vision of feeling people. So I am certain this movie project will make a huge impact on the world.
I say to everyone who says they care about the lives of young girls and women: JOIN IN THIS CAMPAIGN and do something that will not only make YOU feel better, but something that will actually save lives!
YOU ARE SO WELCOME to this cause.