And it happens right here.

I have a few research ideas.

I could research the actors. Their lives have probably been drastically changed since the movie's release. I saw a youtube video of the main actors at the Oscars a few weeks ago- what an experience for them!

I could try to compare the movie to real life. What is real life like for the people living in the slums of India? Is it as terrible as the movie portrays? What is being done about it?

One of the scenes that stood out to me was when several kids were tricked into following a "nice" man where they become subject to him and forced to beg in the streets. The man in charge took out their eyes or handed them sickly babies to hold so that they would earn more money for him. I wonder if this type of slavery happens frequently.  I could research forced begging, or the begging business in third world countries.

Another scene is after Latika grows up a few years. She has moved on from begging to belly dancing and is headed towards prostitution. I have learned recently of the huge sex industry in the United States. Just the other day, I read an article about a 14-year-old who was kidnapped right from her drive way and beaten and tortured, gang raped and forced to be with over 50 men within her 40 days in captivity. She is one of at least 100,000 women and girls in the sex business in the United States. Numbers could be up to 300,000. I have chosen to research this because of its surprising magnitude in a country that is seemingly "put-together." Girls- sometimes willingly, though often forced- are available online and several places around the country to buy for a night of sex. Before reading in more detail, I knew there was some underground prostitution in the U.S., but I never realized its enormity. Rather than always focusing on the poor, third-world countries that struggle with such things, I will look at a shameful issue that is right here, in the U.S. dealing with people of my own age and situation. I hope through my project to at least raise some awareness. Many Americans have no idea it is even happening.