It's difficult to know the scale of Human Trafficking, but most charities and organisations agree it's the third largest source of illegal revenue in the world - after drugs and arms.
What we do know is that Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, is one of the main source countries where people, predominantly women, are taken from and then forced into prostitution all across Europe. Eighty percent of the countries 4.5 million population lives below the poverty line and the mainstay of Moldova's economy is agriculture. Women are lured with false adverts in papers and false promises from friends, family, and neighbours that if they go abroad they will find a better life and better money. However, thousands of Moldovans will arrive in a foreign country to be sold to a pimp, have their passport taken from them, driven to a flat or hotel, beaten and brutally raped until they give in and agree to serve up to 30 men a night. It may seem unbelieveable to trust that somebody you've never met will give you a safe job in a foreign country, but a quarter of all working-age Moldovans do go abroad to find work and try escape poverty.
I am setting up this blog to help raise awareness and support about a 30 minute radio documentary I am making as part of my Masters project and for the charity we recently established, Cross Border Initiatives. As part of the work we are doing in Moldova, later on this year we are helping to publish a youth magazine that will be going out to young people across the country warning them of the realities and false promises they could be facing.
There have been a number of journalists and programme makers who have covered the issue of Human Trafficking, but (according to a number of officials I have spoken to!) this is the first radio documentary to be made on Sex Trafficking in Moldova. The documentary is being supported by a number of organisations, including Stop The Traffik, Artists United For Social Justice, United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre and the Ministry of Justice have contributed - either by being interviewed or by putting up the documentary on their websites.
Myself, and the lovely Anna Dodridge, are going out to Moldova from August 4th until August 7th to meet the victims and people who are helping them recover from experiences we can't, and wouldn't want to, imagine. While we are away and throughout the recording/editing process I will post little updates on how we are getting on, so do send up a few prayers - if you don't believe...just do me a favour and send up a quick one!
If you have any questions about CBI, the documentary, or would like a copy of it once it's finished, please feel free to email me on mhorner@bournemouth.ac.uk.
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