NCJ Number
171305
Date Published
1995
Length
191 pages
Annotation
This book exposes how women are hired in their country of origin; transported; left without money, passports, or permits; and become trapped into prostitution or domestic slavery.
Abstract
In addition to interviews with 20 women who had in the past been victimized by the slave trade in women, this book obtained data from brochures and publications by women's groups that fight trafficking. Newspapers and television were also important sources of information. The vast body of documentation at the Dutch Foundation Against Traffic in Women and court cases in the Netherlands were also important sources of information. The first chapter describes trafficking and some of its characteristics. It notes that to traffic in women means "to work upon their desire or need to migrate, by bringing them into prostitution under conditions that make them totally dependent on their recruiters in ways which also impair their rights." Such trafficking exists where poverty has forced women to seek various methods of survival for themselves and their families. It takes various forms for the women involved, including not only prostitution but also domestic slavery or mail-order marriage. After looking at the history of such trafficking and its international context in the next two chapters, the author considers the Dutch scene in trafficking. Seven chapters are more specific and are based on the author's interviews. They reconstruct traffickers' methods and routes from specific cases. They also contain some international information, for instance on South America, which is not included in another chapter. Two chapters consider the plight of mail-order brides and domestic workers. The concluding chapter discusses measures that could be taken to prevent trafficking. A list of organizations mentioned in the book is included, along with their addresses. Chapter notes and a 147- item bibliography