http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/11/time-for-egypt-and-sudan-to-rein-in-traffickers/

While stoners and conspiracy theorists of America prophesize about their country’s growing resemblance to a corrupt police state, Sudanese police forces are selling Eritrean asylum seekers to North African human traffickers. Egyptian police have also been known to conspire with the human traffickers in spite of Egypt’s 2010 Law on Combating Human Trafficking, which requires Egyptian Authorities to aid victims of human trafficking with medical assistance and protection. After being sold, the refugees are taken to hideouts where they are forced to call their relatives and ask for ransom money. Refugees are then tortured while they are on the phone with their relatives and even after the traffickers receive the money, the refugees are often sold again and the process starts all over. The American government has been accused of turning a blind eye to these crimes against humanity. More pressure needs to be put on Egyptian and Sudanese authorities to investigate the corruption within them. The article on CNN.com chronicles the journey of an Eritean man named Mesfin. Seeking refuge from the repressive regime of Eritea, Mesfin fled to Sudan where he was captured by police and sold to human traffickers. Mesfin was tortured and sold twice before being released. He ended up in the hands of Egyptian authorities. In these circumstances, more often then not, refugees intercepted by Egyptian police are detained until they raise enough money to buy a ticket to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, where they are placed in refugee camps that are notoriously unsuitable for living. I am beginning to regret choosing human rights as the focus of my blog posts. These articles are incredibly unsettling. I feel guilty and helpless about things that are completely out of my control. If nothing else, these articles will continue to raise my awareness of injustices in the world at large, while making me thankful to live in America as a straight middle class white male.