Hello hubris
I was glad to research this interesting topic for you but ended up
really depressed by the situation for the young women from these
countries. Their dreams of escaping poverty lead them to experience
violence, serious health problems and, in many cases, virtual slavery.
Since the political and social upheavals associated with the
disappearance of the highly ordered communist regime, prostitution has
become a career decision for some women while others travel west in
the belief they are heading for a 'real' job.
There is prostitution within Moldavia (also known as Moldova), the
Ukraine and Russia but although it's clear that there are many people
working in the trade, exact figures are hard to come by.
Possibly more serious and certainly better documented is the
cross-border trafficking in women. Many Ukrainian and Moldavian women
end up as prostitutes in Eastern Europe or pass through Eastern Europe
on their way to other countries.
Firstly, a look at the situation within the countries.
"Throughout the former Soviet states, prostitution has become the
industry of last resort in face of economic collapse and unemployment.
For some in Moscow and Odessa, Tbilisi, Novosibirsk and Irkutsk, it
means survival. For others it has become big business. "
http://www.aegis.com/news/ips/1998/IP980504.html
UKRAINE
"About 2,000 girls work as prostitutes in Odessa in the winter,
according to psychologist Valeri Kiunov, who has investigated the sex
trade for UNAIDS and Odessa State University. But in the summer, the
prostitute population more than doubles.
Kiunov has identified six categories of prostitutes. The youngest
girls [are] aged 11 to 17....
A second group, averaging 26 years of age, works through female pimps
and tends to have steady customers. Kiunov says two-thirds of these
women have had at least one STD in the past three years."
This information comes from a report on STD's in the former Soviet
Union (as the previous quote did):
http://www.aegis.com/news/ips/1998/IP980504.html
An article on a book presentation by a team of researchers from the
Ukrainian Institute for Social Research says "There are no reliable
prostitution statistics" but "Prostitution is widespread mainly in
major cities and recreational zones."
http://www.calguard.ca.gov/ia/cultural/Ukraine-Prostitution%20study.htm
You'll find more facts at:
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/ukraine.htm
MOLDAVIA/MOLDOVA
"Prostitution in Moldova is a very well organized crime," according to
Morals Police captain Vladimir Istrati, and "there is a precise
structure of operation which includes secretary, office and owner."
This article on prostitution mentions up to 250 people arrested each
year plus huge health problems. See:
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:khSeCe_jKr4C:www.welcome-moldova.com/archive/03_20028
The author suggest that some young girls are "fooled" by "blockbuster
romanticism" into seeing prostitution as a glamorous way of life.
There's a well-written article on the problems in Moldavia at:
http://www.motherbird.com/women.html
And a human interest story on a Moldavian girl
http://www.msnbc.com/news/744312.asp?cp1=1
RUSSIA
You'll find facts on Russia at:
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/russia.htm
This details the familiar story of few other economic options being
open to women and a dramatic increase over the last decade of sexually
transmitted diseases.
And you'll find an article on both Russia and a Moldovan girl at:
http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2001/05/23052001122001.asp
...................................................................
Now for trafficking in women, i.e. smuggling them across borders to
work in prostitution.
The United States Agency for International Development is very
involved in trying to stop this trade and they offer good information
on the overall situation and their programs in the area. This is their
introduction to the issues:
"For many women and young girls in Central Europe and the former
Soviet Union the promise of a job as a waitress, dancer, model, au
pair, or maid in a foreign country is difficult to resist in the face
of diminished economic opportunities at home. Syndicates of
traffickers often disguise themselves as employment agencies to entrap
women and girls in an elaborate web of prostitution rings throughout
the world. Women are persuaded to sign official-looking contracts.
Often these contracts are in languages that the women do not
understand. Once
victims have traveled outside their countries, their passports are
confiscated. They find themselves abroad, alone, and forced to work
either as prostitutes or domestic servants in order to repay their
travel expenses. Once the 'debt' is paid, the woman may be sold to yet
another trafficker, who reinstates a new debt, continuing the cycle.
The problem is especially severe in economically stagnant countries
where women have the strongest incentives to go abroad in search of
work. One study in 1998 estimated that in Ukraine alone as many as
400,000 women had either left the country or been trafficked since the
collapse
of communism."
http://www.usaid.gov/wid/pubs/trw01e.htm
UKRAINE
In the Ukraine USAID runs 8 trafficking prevention centers which offer
job skills and education for those who might otherwise go west. They
also give psychological and medical support to those returning from
other countries. 15-19 year old girls are specially targeted.
There is even a tv docudrama for rural girls beyond reach of other
programs.
There's a report on objectives and financing here:
http://www.usaid.gov/country/ee/ua/121-0420.html
and many other reports on USAID activity in the Ukraine here:
http://search.info.usaid.gov/query.html?qt=Ukraine+trafficking&x=17&y=1
They also have many services for young women at risk in Russia.
MOLDAVIA/MOLDOVA
As the poorest country in Europe, this seems to be a major source of
young women who are transported to other countries for prostitution.
Moldavians are mentioned over and over agains in reports of
prostitutes imported into other countries, for instance this Jan 2001
UN report on Kosovo:
"Traffickers and criminal elements are the main protagonists
recruiting young women from Moldavia, Ukraine, Albania and Bulgaria
for forced prostitution, and various forms of abuse, including control
of personal documents and passports, physical and psychological
coercion."
http://www.unmikonline.org/pub/features/fr007.html
Or a Feb 2002 report on Romania:
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:g1t1nG_SI4IC:missions.itu.int/~romania/strategies/progress_human_traffic.doc+prostitution+ukraine+moldavia&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
You can hear it from a French viewpoint at:
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:5IDNizl2FQgC:mondediplo.com/2001/12/11natasha+prostitution+ukraine+moldavia&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
FORMER SOVIET UNION IN GENERAL
If you want a lot of hard facts on ex-Soviet women passing through
Eastern Europe check out these articles at the Balkan Human Rights
site:
://www.google.com/custom?cof=LW%3A600%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.greekhelsinki.gr%2Fbhr%2Fenglish%2Fimages%2Ftop_title.jpg%3BLH%3A100%3BAH%3Aleft%3BGL%3A0%3BAWFID%3A4a31ac77760f06a3%3B
&domains=www.greekhelsinki.gr&sitesearch=www.greekhelsinki.gr&q=prostitution&sa=Go
The Israelis have to deal with these issues too. One newspaper
introduces an article with:
"SELLING SEX IN ISRAEL: They come to Israel from the Ukraine, Russia,
and Moldovia looking for freedom. Instead they are sold as sex slaves.
And you thought Israel was holy."
http://www.jewsweek.com/israel/091.htm
So the overall picture builds up: deep-rooted poverty and social
problems leading to an international trade in young women.
I hope this is helpful. Feel free to ask for clarification if
necessary.
Thank-you for the question as I did find it interesting to research,
but not exactly fun.
Regards - Leli
search strategy was to combine the prostitution/trafficking words with
names of the countries and "former Soviet", remembering that Moldovia
is known as Moldova too. |
