Marc Finks - Writing About Child Trafficking

Marc Finks - Writing About Child Trafficking
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Marc Finks is a second-grade teacher in Bangkok, Thailand. When he first learned about how children were being sold as slaves, he vowed to do what he could to help make others aware of the problem. The result was the two-part series, Boys for Sale.

Please give us a short introduction to what Boys for Sale is about.

When his parents agree to send Tavi off to a special school in the city that promises wealth and success, they have no idea that they are handing their son over to real-life human traffickers.

Tavi's excitement soon turns into horror as he learns what kind of life he has been forced into and the things that are expected of him. As his world comes crashing down around him, he struggles to stay true to himself in the midst of the darkness.

This is a story about Tavi, a boy who has been sold into human trafficking, and the man who is responsible for Tavi's fate.

What inspired you to write about child trafficking?

I attended a speech given by David Batstone, and I was so moved and shocked by the stories that he told that I felt like I had to do something. I'm not really a good public speaker, but I thought that maybe I could write and help let people know about this issue...one that I had definitely not been aware of.

Tell us more about Tavi. What makes him tick?

Tavi is an intelligent boy, one who will defend his friends against any injustice. When he is first sold into human trafficking, he loses his way for a while and forgets how special he is and the talents he has that enabled him to escape his village in the first place. Later on, he realizes that just trying to save himself isn't enough. He needs to try and save everyone - if he can - and give them a life worth living.

How much research did this novel require from you, and what was the most interesting aspect of this research?

I actually visited a couple of shelters in Thailand where rescued children live and study and try to become kids again. There were some children there who were as young as five years old, while others were in their late teens. I got permission from the church that was taking care of them to interview them, and a lot of their stories ended up being the stories of Tavi and his friend. The thing that surprised me the most was how hopeful and positive these children were, and the idea that even after such horrible experiences that these children could still be saved and have a life worth living is something that I tried to get across in the books.

Some of the scenes in this book are quite graphic and shocking. Why did you write it this way?

If people knew how hard it was for me to write several scenes..how disgusted and sad I felt to be writing them...then they would hopefully understand better that I did not get pleasure from writing a lot of the things in the first book. Terrible things happen to Tavi, but I tried to show it from his perspective and to show that - no matter what the clients think - it's not enjoyable for the children. It's pain. It's torture. It's rape. There was one scene where - as I was typing it - a voice in my mind whispered, "I'm sorry, Tavi." At that moment, he was so real for me and I almost couldn't type the things that he had to go through or that he had to feel. But...I think people need to understand how truly horrible these children's lives are and realize that we need to do anything we can to try and save them and prevent this from happening.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Well...I just became a father about 8 months ago. I can turn anything into a song that is guaranteed to make my baby smile...about 40% of the time.

inspiration
My inspiration to write better.

What do you hope your readers will take away from this book?

I want them to know that these things are happening right now to two million children throughout the world. When I was writing this and I spent time with my nieces who were 4 to 7 years old then, I could not imagine how anyone could hurt children of that age or do those kinds of things to them. They could be our younger brothers or sisters or our children. What would you do if it was someone you knew? Try to help spread awareness. Find organizations in your area that are trying to make a difference. Figure out which talent you have that can maybe help make a difference for these children.

Is there an underlying message you wish to relay about basic human nature through your characters?

I try to show through several characters' actions and thoughts that no one is all good or all bad. One of the main characters is horrible when seen through the eyes of Tavi, but when seen through the eyes of his own children and wife, he's a generous, loving man. Do the people who sell children like this see them as the same as the children that they have in their own lives?

In the second book of this series, the theme is about redemption. If we have a change of heart and try to become a better person, does that make up for all of the bad things that we may have done in the past? Should we forgive someone if they ask for forgiveness? I leave that up to Tavi and the other boys to decide.

Readers say they found it hard to read this book, but it was also hard to put down. How did you pull this off?

I tried to make the graphic scenes as short as possible, and then the rest of the book is about trying to bring hope to a hopeless situation. I think that, as people read this, they could sense that there was a chance for Tavi to be saved if he - and they - just stayed with it and didn't give up.

In this book you’re dealing with so many difficult themes – as a writer, do you feel a sense of responsibility? If so, how do you deal with this?

I have received a number of emails from people who thanked me for opening their eyes about this situation, and even a few people who had been trafficked as children and they all thanked me for writing this book. But then, they ask me - What can I do to help?, and that's where I feel most responsible and I feel like I'm letting them down because I don't have an answer for most people. It depends on where they live or what they can do, but I feel a huge responsibility sometimes for inspiring people who want to help and make a difference, but then not knowing how to help them take that next step.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like?

I find that I can only really write if I have no distractions around, and usually, that means visiting Koh Jum in Thailand, and staying in a bungalow with no internet or television. And then, on those days where all I do is read, lay by the beach, and write, I can write 18-20 pages in a day. It can frazzle my brain for a few hours after writing that much in one session, but most of what I write during those times is quite good. It's almost like I'm in story and living it and I just write everything I'm seeing and experiencing.

What are you working on right now?

I watched an interview with a man who escaped from a North Korean prison camp. He had been born there and had never known that there was an outside world until several people from China had been arrested and sent there and talked about what they had seen in 'real life'. It inspired me to take everything that he had talked about and turn it into a story. It could read a post-apocalyptic story where these people believe that Camp 7 is the last surviving place on Earth, or it could be a story about growing up in a North Korean prison camp. I'm still not sure how to label it. But my beta readers have almost finished with it and they love it. It was my first time writing from a first-person perspective and the character's voice and thoughts from growing up in an isolated camp are...unique.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

Right now, the best way to find my work is on Amazon. If they want to contact me, [email protected] is the best place to get directly in touch with me.

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