the traffic in sex slaves

[threeplusfire]

NY Times article on the traffic in sex slaves in America

How many articles in major newspapers does it take? How many TV news exposes does it take?

The above is a great article because it deals with this issue, but there are some things wrong with it. The assumption that the internet has created this problem is patently ridiculous. People wanted to have sex with underage girls long before we had net porn.

Quote: Donna M. Hughes, a professor of women's studies at the University of Rhode Island and an expert on sex trafficking, says that prostitution barely existed 12 years ago in the Soviet Union. ''It was suppressed by political structures. All the women had jobs.''

The above is untrue. Prostitution was a problem in the USSR, but it was officially denied by the government because under the perfect structure of communism things like communism couldn't possibly exist. Prostitution was declared a byproduct of capitalism and therefore impossible. This is a documented issue, and frankly I'm weirded out that a university professor could make a statement like that.

Comments

[lawnrrd]

One ought never underestimate the ability of a western (especially American!) academic to ignore inconvenient facts, especially when they pertain to socialism.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Jesus Christ. There aren't any words.

[ekatarina.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it but,...as long as men will buy, and men will trade, and men will believe they can make a profit, and men believe they can get away with it, as long as men believe they can,....

it will continue.

Katja, who treasures her fabulous male fiends and doesn't hold it against them at all.

[ekatarina.livejournal.com]

Ack, male friends, male FRIENDS!

Sigh.

Ekatarina, "Go to bed"

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

While the problem is largely dominated by the desires of men, an interesting point of this article is that woman are frequently involved in running the trade.

In my city last month, a Mexican woman was convicted for sex trafficking and holding a dozen young girls hostage in a home not all that far from where I live. She organized a mid size trading ring, helping illegal immigrants into the country and putting many into prostitution.

[serpina.livejournal.com]

Hey, I don't know if there's any way you could get away from work to come to this event tomorrow, but it seems right up your alley in terms of your knowledge and interest in this subject: http://reenic.utexas.edu/creees/archive/events_archive/2004/boak_powell013004.pdf

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Neat. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll try to get up early and see if I cna make it down there.