The end of the Cold War brought unthinkable consequences to the countries of the former Soviet Union; as soon as people were able to leave, they did, devastating the communities that were left behind. Photojournalist Mimi Chakarova was one of the people to leave: moving from Bulgaria to the United States. She went back to Eastern Europe some time later to begin documenting the second crisis to befall this region: the widespread trafficking of its young women into prostitution , women who just thought that they were moving to another country for a job and a decent wage.
Chakarova has spent the best part of the last ten years building relationships with and interviewing the women who have managed to survive their ordeal and are attempting to rebuild their lives. The Price of Sex details her research efforts: visiting numerous different locations, including Turkey, Greece and Dubai, using risky undercover filming to show the plight of these women. The undercover footage paints a very unflattering picture of institutions welcoming the trade and their host countries’ apparent acceptance of this dehumanising treatment of women. It is estimated that over one million women have been trafficked into the sex trade worldwide. Most women trafficked from Eastern Europe are brought to Turkey, where prostitution has been legalised.
This feature-length documentary is shocking but compelling viewing: no heart-string pulling, no gory details, just the true and engaging narration of these shadowy dealings, the women involved and their struggle to get past the abuse and shame. The women being interviewed are not victims and would not identify themselves as such: they were just young women who had their heads turned by the thought of having some money instead of living in poverty. This trade in human beings is shocking in so many ways but the most shocking thing is how low-key the issue is considering how many people are involved. Many of the trafficked women don’t even tell their parents what happened to them.
If there were any myths surrounding this horrific sex-trade, The Price of Sex explodes them entirely. The women are usually recruited by other women in their community, they can be sold several times and they are the ones persecuted by jail time and deportation if their brothel gets raided – the pimps can just go away and start over with a freshly trafficked group of women. Sex trafficking is a global problem, as Chakarova said;”wherever you’re from, wherever you live, it happens there”. There is even evidence to show that the countries which have legalised prostitution also suffer from trafficking activity (legalisation is often seen as a solution to such activity).
Chakarova spent years looking for pimps or clients who would concede to an interview on this issue. She finally found willing participants from an unlikely source: once you watch the film you won’t be in the least bit surprised who they are. In 2000, the Palermo protocol was established, which recognised sex trafficking, women being bought and sold into sexual slavery, as a global problem. It was not implemented until 2003 and there is still a struggle to find any sort of solution. The people organising this trade are very adaptable, much more adaptable than the law enforcement teams in their host countries.
Mimi Chakarova has been taking this high-quality film all around the world for the last year, gradually spreading the word about these women and their silent struggle. It premiered in the UK during the Human Rights Watch Film Festival last week, followed by a Q & A with Chakarova herself. The inevitable question came at the end: what can we do? Her answer was simple: “leave this place and tell people what you have learned”.
You can find out more about this issue and the award-winning documentary at www.priceofsex.org
Maryann awarded The Price of Sex four Torches of Truth
