Taking on an exploiter - three angry women!
“One afternoon, me and two of my co-workers, all women, were having lunch together in our company cafeteria.
At the next table, Brian, one of the young sales reps, was bragging to his friends that he had sex with three different teenage prostitutes in Bangkok on a recent holiday trip. In a loud voice, he said, ‘It’s like being back in high school again. They are so young and beautiful. For forty bucks you can have a girl for an hour.’ The other men hung on to every one of his words.
We all looked at each other with sheer disgust.
After his friends left, the three of us walked over to Brian’s table and sat down with him. What he said was so offensive, we had to say something. Brian appeared shocked to be facing three angry middle-aged mothers. There was a long pause.
Susan, the alpha of our group, said to him with a measured rage in her voice, ‘We couldn’t help but overhear what you said about being with teenage girls in Thailand.’
He squirmed in his chair. He was busted.
‘Brian, do you have any sisters?’ she asked. He nodded yes. ‘Do you remember when she was sixteen?’ He didn’t respond. ‘Would it be right for her at 16 to be with a 25-year-old man?’ He remained silent.
‘What you did is not only morally repugnant but also illegal. Having sex with a minor is a criminal offense. It doesn’t matter if it happens here or there. Do you understand what I’m saying?’ Brian continued to look terrified.
‘Would it be okay for us to share your holiday stories with everyone in the company? You seemed so proud of it a few minutes ago. Can we help you get the word out?’
He shook his head no.
‘If we had proof that you did these things, we would have gone to your supervisor. But since you could just be a stupid man bragging for the sake of bragging, we won’t. But if we hear this mentioned again, we are going to make sure that everyone in the company learns about your crimes. And if we hear you’re going to travel to a foreign country again for any reason, we are going to find you. You hear me?’
His head remained lowered. He knew what he did was wrong. We could all feel his shame and embarrassment.”
I heard this story from a woman who worked for a retail company in the midwest U.S. One summer, they asked me to present on modern slavery for their 560 employees.
“One afternoon, me and two of my co-workers, all women, were having lunch together in our company cafeteria.
At the next table, Brian, one of the young sales reps, was bragging to his friends that he had sex with three different teenage prostitutes in Bangkok on a recent holiday trip. In a loud voice, he said, ‘It’s like being back in high school again. They are so young and beautiful. For forty bucks you can have a girl for an hour.’ The other men hung on to every one of his words.
We all looked at each other with sheer disgust.
After his friends left, the three of us walked over to Brian’s table and sat down with him. What he said was so offensive, we had to say something. Brian appeared shocked to be facing three angry middle-aged mothers. There was a long pause.
Susan, the alpha of our group, said to him with a measured rage in her voice, ‘We couldn’t help but overhear what you said about being with teenage girls in Thailand.’
He squirmed in his chair. He was busted.
‘Brian, do you have any sisters?’ she asked. He nodded yes. ‘Do you remember when she was sixteen?’ He didn’t respond. ‘Would it be right for her at 16 to be with a 25-year-old man?’ He remained silent.
‘What you did is not only morally repugnant but also illegal. Having sex with a minor is a criminal offense. It doesn’t matter if it happens here or there. Do you understand what I’m saying?’ Brian continued to look terrified.
‘Would it be okay for us to share your holiday stories with everyone in the company? You seemed so proud of it a few minutes ago. Can we help you get the word out?’
He shook his head no.
‘If we had proof that you did these things, we would have gone to your supervisor. But since you could just be a stupid man bragging for the sake of bragging, we won’t. But if we hear this mentioned again, we are going to make sure that everyone in the company learns about your crimes. And if we hear you’re going to travel to a foreign country again for any reason, we are going to find you. You hear me?’
His head remained lowered. He knew what he did was wrong. We could all feel his shame and embarrassment.”
I heard this story from a woman who worked for a retail company in the midwest U.S. One summer, they asked me to present on modern slavery for their 560 employees.
I asked if she thought their stern lecture would make a difference in Brian’s life. She paused for a moment. She said, “I don’t know for sure. We felt so angry and had to call him out. But you know something, there are few things in life scarier than three angry women.’
“There’s a moment where you have to choose whether to be silent or to stand up.” – Malala Yousafzai
