The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade

This book brings to light yet another sordid episode in the dark annals of human history. Young women and teenagers from across the former Eastern Bloc have been/are being kidnapped, coerced or tricked with fake promises of jobs, and forced into prostitution. I.e. slavery still exists in this world. These women are then trafficked not only to other areas in Europe (including the Balkans) but to every corner of the earth from the Americas to the Middle East and Far East. Actual and threats of violence against these women are perpetrated by their captors to keep them in line and to prevent escape, in numerous cases ending in death of the women. These captors are well-connected, well-organised syndicates which not infrequently have global connections. This book highlights the high likelihood of complicity of world body(s), and various organisations in either turning a blind eye to this sexual slavery or whose representatives even being directly involved in it or taking advantage of the enslaved women. There is much rhetoric by the world bodies and countries concerned, but minimal effort seems to have been made to stop this atrocity. There are also heroes, men of outstanding character who risked their own safety to rescue the women and have the brothels shut down. The book brings us up to some developments in 2004 and the author did not sound too optimistic. My view is that perhaps the situation has today, somewhat improved in certain countries such as the Czech Republic and Poland but really hasn't changed that much in many of the others. A compelling but sobering read that will make you convinced that certain segments of "humanity" do not deserve to exist.

The Natashas is Victor Malarek's expose of the "Fourth Wave" of trafficking of women for the global sex trade. It is as much, however, an expose of the depths of depravity and evil and the darkness of the human heart. Malarek details the newest manifestation of this particularly pernicious form of modern day slavery in which organized crime syndicates prey on orphans and other at risk women in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics, exporting them into hopeless lives of sexual bondage in countries literally around the world. This is important material, until recently not publicized or understood. The idea that a majority of sex workers around the world have not chosen "the oldest profession", but rather are violently held against their will with no effective opportunity to escape is entirely jarring and counterintuitive. Malarek describes the conditions in the devastation of the former Soviet Republics that have given rise to this booming business, which, according to Europol, amounts to something in excess of 12 billion Euros per annum. The intersection of economic collapse and lack of infrastructure, corruption at the highest levels of government, lawlessness and hopelessness creates a perfect storm. The discussion also addresses the demand side of the trade in Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Thailand, Israel, and many other countries around the world. It is interesting to see how technology, and the internet in particular, have facilitated the connection of international supply and demand and have led to the burgeoning growth of this living nightmare. The author conveys all this information in a compelling manner, with many gripping accounts of the lives of the victims. It's hard to imagine the reader who won't be profoundly affected by this on an emotional level (though the consumers of the sex trade clearly won't welcome it). Important reading for the dark age in which we live.

The Natasha's by Victor Malarek was different than any other book i've ever read on human trafficking. Whereas Kevin Bales and Benjamin Skinner focus on personal stories of human trafficking and global slavery, with the edges tinged with outrage over a lack of government intervention, Malarek through a few personal stories of his travels throughout the world directly implicates government officials for their contributions direct or indirect to the global problem of Human Trafficking. His rage burns through the pages as he explores the topic from the perspective of law enforcement, NGO's, government officials, and then as a human being. Though smaller in number than Bales or Skinner, Malarek has several stories of trafficked women, how they are lured into the trafficking often because of their own desperate situations back home on the promise or idea of a better life, then they are broken of spirit and will to resist, how the women are controlled often through some element of organized crime and then how some of them are rescued or escape. Malarek sugar coats nothing, even describing in minimalist shadowy detail the execution style murder of a young Natasha named Natalie. This book is a quick, but disgusting read and should make one burn with indignation at the lack of a will within the governments of the world to save our most precious resource.

This book is very compelling and horrifying in an interesting way; however, the author gets very repetitive in his story telling such that at the end of the book you get bored and start to want to put it down. Also the facts are getting a little bit dated - most information is from the early 2000's.

Great book. It scratches the tip of the iceberg of the issue, but it’s good start to get knowledge of the human trafficking issue in Europe. Everything in this book is common knowledge in Europe, really, but it’s also a bit taboo to talk about, because the truth is ugly. But I’m very grateful to the writer, Mr. Malarek, for speaking up, and for writing this book to raise awareness of the issue outside the old continent. Great speedy shipment by the seller too. Thank you.

Victor Malarek is a Canadian investigative journalist who has won three awards for `meritorious public service journalism'. It is estimated that trafficking of people across international borders may be the world's third largest illegal money-making enterprise, after running arms and drugs - the UN estimates it could be worth $12 billion a year. A 2003 estimate was that nearly one million people were being trafficked every year, possibly 175,000 a year from Russia and Eastern Europe's countries. Free movement of labour assists all types of traffickers. As Malarek writes, "Once the traffickers and their victims are inside the European Union, all member nations are fair game and movement for organised crime becomes relatively unfettered." Malarek exposes the corruption, complicity and complacency of government officials, police, border guards, court officials, UN peacekeepers and international `aid' bodies. Organised crime runs Bosnia. The US firm Dynocorp hires US police officers to serve there in the UN's International Police Task Force, which connives at the sex slave trade. The UN Kosovo Force (KFOR) is complicit in sex trafficking in Kosovo. The US government likes to present itself as the world's sheriff, and it issues `Trafficking in Persons' reports. The 2004 report cleared all the USA's allies, including the EU states, and pointed the finger at its usual enemies, Cuba and North Korea, without, of course, providing any proof. Legalising prostitution increases the demand and therefore the supply, increasing the trafficking. The Netherlands legalised prostitution in 2000, Germany in 2001 (75 per cent of Germany's prostitutes are foreign). 80 per cent of London's prostitutes are trafficked. It is worth noting that most of the world's `sex tourists' are from the USA. Of course, the phrase `sex tourists', like the words `clients' and `johns', prettify the criminal reality. `Sex tourists' are rapists. Their women and children victims are not freely consenting.

Victor Malarek is a Canadian journalist dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking. He mainly focuses on girls from Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Russia, etc.) and describes how they are cruelly and viciously taken from their families and homes by manipulation, force, or are sold by their families like property and transported to destination countries such as Israel. Malarek does an excellent job portraying victims of the sex industry in a way that allows the reader to feel empathy for the women and children. Some parts of the book are extremely heartbreaking and graphic, however, they are necessary to include to give the reader a proper understanding of the horrors that human trafficking and prostitution involve. Buy this book, read it, and spread the word.

O autor consegue trazer a sua mensagem às claras. Como ele mesmo diz, prostituição só perde para o contrabando de armas e trafico de drogas. E o problema não está somente em quem entra nesse mundo, mas o pior são aqueles que financiam.

Le livre date un peu donc sûrement plus très à jour mais les informations y sont intéressantes. Livre reçu rapidement et en bon état de la part du vendeur

Very well researched, I always liked Victor Malarek, he explores the topic very well. I would recommend this book...