True Stories Of Women Trafficking In The Middle East

When I was seven years old, every time my sister Sonia and I went out on the street, our mother warned us to stay away from the child-snatcher, an old woman, well known in our neighborhood, who stole girls. She would entice girls by offering them candy and then she would kidnap them and sell them off to strangers. Of course, the word kidnapper refers to the snatching of people of all ages, not just children. Forty years later, I discovered that the lesson of my childhood, which could have been taken from Charles Dickens, has now become one of the most serious problems of the twenty-first century. Society in general tends to consider trafficking in women and children as a throwback to a time when the white slave trade was a small-time business run by pirates who kidnapped women to sell them to brothels in faraway countries. We thought that modernization and strong global markets would eradicate this type of slavery and that the abuse of children in the darkest corners of the underdeveloped world would simply disappear through contact with Western laws and market economies. My research for this book shows the exact opposite. There is a world-wide explosion in organized-crime syndicates that kidnap, buy, and enslave women and children; the same forces that were supposed to eradicate slavery have strengthened it on an unprecedented scale. All over the planet, we are witnessing a culture that considers the kidnapping, disappearance, trade and corruption of young girls and adolescents as normal. They become sexual objects for rent and sale, and our global culture celebrates this objectification as an act of freedom and progress. In a dehumanizing market economy, millions of people assume that prostitution is a minor evil. They choose to ignore the fact that what underlies prostitution is exploitation, abuse, and the tremendous power of organized crime, exercised on a small and large scale around the world.

Sana Afouaiz has travelled across the Middle East and North Africa, meeting with women and listening to their stories. Delving inside their diverse realities and cultural complexities, her journey gives voice to the silent, the suffering, the brave, the resistant and the oppressed. Sorrowful, yet at times uplifting, this book provides a courageous look at life beneath the veil of mystery that shrouds this region, a land where the truth casts light into even the darkest of spaces. With themes of honour, virginity, sex, hijab, prostitution, religion, freedom and oppression,

ITS ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN EAST AFRICA AND THE MISERY IN MIDDLE EAST

The images of human trafficking are all too often reduced to media tales of helpless young women taken by heavily accented, dark-skinned captors—but the reality is a far cry from this stereotype. In the Middle East, Dubai has been accused of being a hotbed of trafficking. Pardis Mahdavi, however, draws a more complicated and more personal picture of this city filled with migrants. Not all migrant workers are trapped, tricked, and abused. Like anyone else, they make choices to better their lives, though the risk of ending up in bad situations is high. Legislators hoping to combat human trafficking focus heavily on women and sex work, but there is real potential for abuse of both male and female migrants in a variety of areas of employment—whether on the street, in a field, at a restaurant, or at someone's house. Gridlock explores how migrants' actual experiences in Dubai contrast with the typical discussions—and global moral panic—about human trafficking. Mahdavi powerfully contrasts migrants' own stories with interviews with U.S. policy makers, revealing the gaping disconnect between policies on human trafficking and the realities of forced labor and migration in the Persian Gulf. To work toward solving this global problem, we need to be honest about what trafficking is—and is not—and to finally get past the stereotypes about trafficked persons so we can really understand the challenges migrant workers are living through every day.

An unexpected encounter changes the lives of two women—both immigrants searching for purpose and a better life. Through their interwoven journey, both will question and embrace their faith. When one is asked to be the Arabic translator for a Moroccan woman newly arrived at a Spanish safe house, she has no idea of the journey upon which she is embarking. Born into privilege, she will come face to face with the ugly, dark side of the world, the suffering so many endure. She will also discover the joy and heartbreak of loving broken women, joining forces with them, fighting back to survive and thrive. Faith will guide their way, faltering at times, returning stronger. Journey along with them in this sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes soaring memoir of discovery, disappointment, and redemption. Partial proceeds of the book will go to Habiba and the safe house work in Spain. “M.F. Renée is a poet, and this is a beautiful, powerful story. Her passion for the subject and her friend drips off every page. I’m never going to look at strawberries the same way again.” —Lorraine Thomas "A haunting story to remind us of the horrors some live through in this life . . . but also a beautiful story to remind us there is hope and redemption." —Kat Caldwell "While the subject matter is difficult, the story is not. It is a lovely tale of friendship, faith, and the difference even one person can make in the world. Read it, and share it." —Madison Michael

PRETTY MAIDS, her second novel, is a story set in the Middle East and based on the plight of thousands of young women lured into a life of slavery throughout the world and provides an insightful look at modern Islamic culture. It is a tale of crime and raw passion that explores the contradictions of modern society still living in the past professing emancipation of women when in reality the truth is quite the opposite. "It is my hope that this story will raise public awareness of this under reported crime and bring an end to this despicable practice." Much research was conducted to expose the true horrors of human trafficking and in particular the groups controlled by the Russian Mafia and the smuggling of women across the border with Egypt into Israeli through a network of elaborate tunnels. The women find themselves enslaved in the brothels of Tel Aviv where some of their best customers are government officials and the police. With no identification or money, they frequently treat victims as criminals. Her next novel, RETRIBUTION, to be released in 2012, is a sequel to PRETTY MAIDS.

Virtually all countries in the world are affected by the scourge of human trafficking, either as a source, transit, or destination country, or combination thereof. While countries have long focused on international trafficking, internal movement and exploitation within countries may be even more prevalent than trans-border trafficking. Patterns of trafficking vary across countries and regions and are in a constant state of flux. Countries have long focused on trafficking solely for the purpose of sexual exploitation, yet exploitation in agriculture, construction, fishing, manufacturing, and the domestic and food service industries are prevalent in many countries. Here, Aronowitz takes a global perspective in examining the nefarious underworld of human trafficking, revealing the nature and extent of the harm caused by this hideous criminal practice. Virtually all countries in the world are affected by the scourge of human trafficking, either as a source, transit, or destination country, or combination thereof. While countries have long focused on international trafficking, internal movement and exploitation within countries may be even more prevalent than trans-border trafficking. Patterns of trafficking vary across countries and regions and are in a constant state of flux. Countries have long focused on trafficking solely for the purpose of sexual exploitation, yet exploitation in agriculture, construction, fishing, manufacturing, and the domestic and food service industries are prevalent in many countries. Here, Aronowitz takes a global perspective in examining the nefarious underworld of human trafficking, revealing the nature and extent of the harm caused by this hideous criminal practice. Taking a victims-oriented approach, this book examines the criminals and criminal organizations that traffic and exploit their victims. The author also focuses on the different groups of victims as well as the various forms of and markets for trafficking, many of which have been overlooked due to an emphasis on sex trafficking. She also explores less frequently discussed forms of trafficking - in organs, child soldiers, mail-order brides, and adoption, as well as the use of Internet in trafficking. Drawing on her own field experiences in various parts of the world, the author offers real-life context throughout the book through descriptions of a number of cases with which she was involved or learned about in her travels. Together with insightful analysis, these stories uncover the true nature of human trafficking and illustrate the extent of its reach and harm.

Learn how the seclusion of women can be used as a feminist defense against exploitation—and as an empowering force Internationally acclaimed author Ann Chamberlin’s book, A History of Women’s Seclusion in the Middle East: The Veil in the Looking Glass is a critical interdisciplinary examination of the practice of seclusion of women throughout the Middle East from its beginnings. This challenging exploration discusses the reasons that seclusion may not be as oppressive as is presently generally accepted, and, in fact, may be an empowering force for women in both the West and East. Readers are taken on a controversial, belief-bending journey deep into the surprising origins and diverse aspects of female seclusion to find solid evidence of its surprising use as a defense against monolithic cultural exploitation. The author uses her extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern culture, language, and even archeology to provide a convincing assertion challenging the Western view that seclusion was and is a result of women’s oppression. A History of Women’s Seclusion in the Middle East goes beyond standard feminist rhetoric to put forth shocking notions on the real reasons behind women’s seclusion and how it has been used to counteract cultural exploitation. The book reviews written evidence, domestic and sacred architecture, evolution, biology, the clan, the environment for seclusion, trade, capital and land, slavery, honor, and various other aspects in a powerful feminist argument that seclusion is actually a valuable empowering force of protection from the influence of today’s society. The text includes thirty black and white figures with useful descriptions to illustrate and enhance reader understanding of concepts. A History of Women’s Seclusion in the Middle East discusses at length: prehistoric evidence of seclusion the sense of honor in the Middle East a balanced look at the Islamic religion the true nature of the harem the reasons for the oppression by the Taliban the positive aspects of ’veiling’ seclusion as a defense against capitalist exploitation and other challenging perspectives! A History of Women’s Seclusion in the Middle East is thought-provoking, insightful reading for all interested in women’s history, feminism, and the history and culture of the Middle East.