From the headlines today:

"A Canadian court was to hear a tape recording Tuesday of a former immigration judge who is alleged to have sought sex from a South Korean woman in exchange for granting her asylum, court officials said."

"...Prosecutors allege Ellis told Ji-Hye Kim he would deny her refugee claim in September 2006 unless the then 25-year-old slept with him."

The above sentences could be a lead-in to many a rant. But essentially, this is an example of exploitation at it's finest.

• young woman & older man? check
• language & cultural issues? check
• major power differential? check
• asylum seeker who would have a lot to lose if she was to be sent back? check
• agressor who is well known and widely respected in the community? check

So, who is going to believe the young asylum seeker who, theoretically, would have nothing to lose by pulling out all the stops to stay in Canada?  

"...At the start of the trial on Monday, the prosecution read excerpts of their conversation, which was secretly recorded by Kim and her boyfriend. The audio and video recordings were to be played for the court on Tuesday, said court officials."

What if she hadn't taped the conversation? Really, who would have believed her?

The Implications...

Technology isn't always the mean "big brother" we tend to fear and whine about. Maybe we should consider that it may just be more like an older brother that will be there to intervene ...if anyone decides to mess with his little sister.

And this, my friends, can be a very good thing.

Here's to our society's increasing ability to be better able to catch aggressors in the act - be they school yard bullies, thieves, or immigration judges.