by Alyssa Amasol
October 25, 2011
The screening of “The Price of Sex” at the Hawaii International Film Festival opened many eyes to the horrendous industry of sex trafficking within Eastern Europe. Photojournalist Mimi Chakarova produced this documentary to expose the intimate stories of young women trapped in sex trafficking. Through outstanding access and undercover footage, Chakarova uncovers the horrible world of sex trafficking that thrives in many countries.
The women interviewed in this documentary lived in the poorest villages in Eastern Europe. The promise of a job, passport and free plane ticket easily persuaded them to move to Western European countries where they believed they would be working as maids or seamstresses. Contrary to popular belief, these women were not deceived by agencies but by friends, acquaintances and other women who offered them jobs abroad.
“Because of one wrong move, you suffer for the rest of your life,” Chakarova said after the screening.
Chakarova grew up in Bulgaria, a country in which many young women are exported from. In her village, hardly any young people are present, leaving their parents and grandparents believing that they are living a better life in another country. Though some do obtain legitimate jobs, there are those who have been deceived or have turned to prostitution as a way out of poverty.
In the culture of Eastern Europe, where many countries suffer in poverty, moving away is a successful step for women. The stigma is that once these young women leave poverty behind, life could not get worse. When daughters are offered an opportunity to leave, few parents ask questions. Often these young women lie to their families because they don’t want them to think their life has worsened.
Many young girls in Eastern Europe are very trusting making them ideal prey, especially in a land where homemade wine rules and many of the parents are alcoholics. Girls are not a priority in these cultures and many parents are ignorant.
With no money, once these girls are taken from their homes and deceived, they have no way of escaping nor do they have anyone to turn to. Because of the corrupt government in many Eastern European countries, pimps are rarely charged for sex trafficking, but the women are put in prison and deported back to their country. They have nothing and are eventually taken and resold. The cycle continues.
This is not a new story. Many women in these countries know that sex trafficking exists. When Chakarova asked women how they got into these predicaments, they responded, “I knew about it, I just didn’t think it would happen to me.”
“The Price of Sex” won many awards, one of which is a Nestor Almendros Award for Courage in Filmmaking at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. On her way to New York to accept this award for courage, Chakarova felt guilt and that she didn’t deserve an award for courage. She had been in the same type of environment and conditions these women were in.
“I took one path while others took another,” she said. “This movie is my contribution to them. It is ending the silence for women by showing their faces.”
Similar films share stories of women, but the audience never gets to see their face. They choose to remain nameless and faceless with no identity, as they are treated in the brothels.
“I’m hoping people walk away from this thinking of these women in different ways,” said Chakarova.
Exposing the nightmare of sex trafficking through film is just the start for Chakarova.
“I challenge people — put me, or someone with my experience, anywhere in the world, give me three days and I’ll find you trafficked women,” she said. “It’s a localized story but this is a global issue.”
Locally, a Honolulu-based advocacy group for survivors of human trafficking, Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery, will be helping to reach out to workers on the street during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation next month, according to the Associated Press. With approximately 20,000 business and political leaders expected to come from many countries, some in which trafficking is viewed as ordinary, Honolulu police are bracing for an influx of traffickers.
In June the state passed three house bills — HB 44, HB 240 and HB 141 — in an attempt to solve the problem of prostitution here. These new laws give prostitution cases a higher priority, increase the grade of offense and expand the offenses to cover patrons of prostitution and those who habitually patronize prostitutes. It also assigns greater penalties to those who promote prostitution and provide witness protection for sex workers. With the support of lawmakers, police and law enforcement are better equipped to fight prostitution.
Even with the newly implemented laws, prostitution continues to be a problem in Hawaii and worldwide.
“Look at the U.S. anti-smoking campaign. It took about 50 years to raise public awareness,” Chakarova said. “It shows that it is possible to change the mentality; the challenge is that it’s not just one country but globally.”
The screening of “The Price of Sex” at the Hawaii International Film Festival opened many eyes to the horrendous industry of sex trafficking within Eastern Europe. Photojournalist Mimi Chakarova produced this documentary to expose the intimate stories of young women trapped in sex trafficking. Through outstanding access and undercover footage, Chakarova uncovers the horrible world of sex trafficking that thrives in many countries.
The women interviewed in this documentary lived in the poorest villages in Eastern Europe. The promise of a job, passport and free plane ticket easily persuaded them to move to Western European countries where they believed they would be working as maids or seamstresses. Contrary to popular belief, these women were not deceived by agencies but by friends, acquaintances and other women who offered them jobs abroad.
“Because of one wrong move, you suffer for the rest of your life,” Chakarova said after the screening.
Chakarova grew up in Bulgaria, a country in which many young women are exported from. In her village, hardly any young people are present, leaving their parents and grandparents believing that they are living a better life in another country. Though some do obtain legitimate jobs, there are those who have been deceived or have turned to prostitution as a way out of poverty.
In the culture of Eastern Europe, where many countries suffer in poverty, moving away is a successful step for women. The stigma is that once these young women leave poverty behind, life could not get worse. When daughters are offered an opportunity to leave, few parents ask questions. Often these young women lie to their families because they don’t want them to think their life has worsened.
Many young girls in Eastern Europe are very trusting making them ideal prey, especially in a land where homemade wine rules and many of the parents are alcoholics. Girls are not a priority in these cultures and many parents are ignorant.
With no money, once these girls are taken from their homes and deceived, they have no way of escaping nor do they have anyone to turn to. Because of the corrupt government in many Eastern European countries, pimps are rarely charged for sex trafficking, but the women are put in prison and deported back to their country. They have nothing and are eventually taken and resold. The cycle continues.
This is not a new story. Many women in these countries know that sex trafficking exists. When Chakarova asked women how they got into these predicaments, they responded, “I knew about it, I just didn’t think it would happen to me.”
“The Price of Sex” won many awards, one of which is a Nestor Almendros Award for Courage in Filmmaking at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. On her way to New York to accept this award for courage, Chakarova felt guilt and that she didn’t deserve an award for courage. She had been in the same type of environment and conditions these women were in.
“I took one path while others took another,” she said. “This movie is my contribution to them. It is ending the silence for women by showing their faces.”
Similar films share stories of women, but the audience never gets to see their face. They choose to remain nameless and faceless with no identity, as they are treated in the brothels.
“I’m hoping people walk away from this thinking of these women in different ways,” said Chakarova.
Exposing the nightmare of sex trafficking through film is just the start for Chakarova.
“I challenge people — put me, or someone with my experience, anywhere in the world, give me three days and I’ll find you trafficked women,” she said. “It’s a localized story but this is a global issue.”
Locally, a Honolulu-based advocacy group for survivors of human trafficking, Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery, will be helping to reach out to workers on the street during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation next month, according to the Associated Press. With approximately 20,000 business and political leaders expected to come from many countries, some in which trafficking is viewed as ordinary, Honolulu police are bracing for an influx of traffickers.
In June the state passed three house bills — HB 44, HB 240 and HB 141 — in an attempt to solve the problem of prostitution here. These new laws give prostitution cases a higher priority, increase the grade of offense and expand the offenses to cover patrons of prostitution and those who habitually patronize prostitutes. It also assigns greater penalties to those who promote prostitution and provide witness protection for sex workers. With the support of lawmakers, police and law enforcement are better equipped to fight prostitution.
Even with the newly implemented laws, prostitution continues to be a problem in Hawaii and worldwide.
“Look at the U.S. anti-smoking campaign. It took about 50 years to raise public awareness,” Chakarova said. “It shows that it is possible to change the mentality; the challenge is that it’s not just one country but globally.”
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