SM: What have been some of the more crushing moments?

Lisa Ling: It’s always difficult to see children suffering. For me, it is so difficult to see helpless children being forced against their will, abused, and having to become adults at such early ages.

SM: How do you cope?

Lisa Ling: My hope is that people in America and the rest of the world respond and are compelled to act. What’s been exciting to me is that after so many of the stories that I do, there is a reaction, particularly the stories that I’ve done for Oprah.

SM: Do you find that American women are "reacting" enough?

Lisa Ling: As soon as [American] women hear these stories, particularly stories about what’s happening to children, so many women react. Unfortunately, our media is so busy [covering] Anna Nicole Smith that we don’t get the opportunity to know what’s going on around the world.

SM: Is there anything you feel women in the US should be more appreciative of after spending so much time with women in other countries?