"I can get you a nice job as a secretary in the West," or "I'll pay for a good education abroad" or more bluntly girls are simply kidnapped and shoved into a van. These are a few of the methods with which sex slave traffickers get their prey. Victims of the practices have little to no clue of the life of physical and psychological abuse that awaits them.
Recent statistics show that four million people around the world are victims of people trafficking, this figure includes 300 000 women from Eastern Europe. Women trafficking is a lucrative business with an estimated turnover of at least 15 billion US dollars on a yearly basis. Trafficking of women and girls for the sex industry is not a new phenomenon, but it has increased enormously in Bulgaria since the fall of communism. Women and girls from rural areas, small cities and orphanages are particularly vulnerable to these practises as their poor prospects make job offers and studies abroad too attractive to turn down.
Face to Face is a non-governmental organisation committed to educating the vulnerable groups in Bulgarian society on sex trafficking, as well as to show young people how to achieve their dreams, and where and how to get help in achieving their goals. Face to Face initiated an idea to make one victim's story into a film which will help to educate people on sex slavery and trafficking. Another aim of the film is to show society that victims of forced prostitution are not to blame for their destiny. Many of the statistics show that most young girls in the sex industry have been kidnapped, abducted at gunpoint or completely misled. With the financial support of mobile phone operator M-tel and under the supervision of American actor Michael Cory Davis who was the scriptwriter and director for this project, Svetlana's Journey is now a fact.
Svetlana's Journey
The film, Svetlana's Journey, is about a girl who was abandoned by her mother when she was very little. At the age of thirteen a family wanted to adopt her. It was a dream come true for Svetlana. But little did she know that her brand new so-called adoptive family's sole concern was to sell her into the sex trade. Soon after her adoption Svetlana was sold for 10 000 euro, trafficked out of the country, and finally ended up in Amsterdam where she was beaten and raped every single day. She was offered to rich old men and was forced to have sex at least 15 times a day. She was deprived of all her dignity, hopes and dreams. Svetlana tried to escape a number of times, but didn't succeed.
After six months of torture she decided that there was no other way to free herself other than to commit suicide. She jumped from a window of the building she had been locked in. She survived the fall and was taken to hospital and after that to the police. A short investigation held by the authorities resulted in nothing, since neither the pimps, nor the so-called adoptive family were found. Svetlana was brought back to Bulgaria and is now, at the tender age of 14, trying to overcome the traumatic experiences of forced prostitution with the help of a non-governmental organisation.
The film premieres on December 7th.
The cycle of abuse
The first aim of the pimps and sex slave traffickers is to put the victim in extreme survival conditions. The psychological defence mechanism is under attack. In the same way a fuse blows in order to prevent the whole installation from burning, in a life or death situation a person "switches off" and concentrates only on survival. They pay a high price for this in terms of psychological trauma. The perpetrators use this to force women to obey them absolutely, and to become prostitutes. The second phase is physical exhaustion. The system of manipulations includes not giving the victim any opportunity to rest - no possibility to remain alone by herself and to be able to think, to consider, to recover even partly and to start planning to defend herself. A 20-hour working day brings big profits, but it also serves the purpose of "bending" the woman's psyche. The third phase is total control and isolation. The victim is isolated from the outside world, she is forbidden to communicate with other people except for the perpetrator and she is strictly observed. The women usually live and work in the same place. One cannot suppress the need for communication, but having communication only with the perpetrator, the woman starts to perceive twisted information about the world and about herself. The message is only one - the life of the woman is of no value, because she "owes money," she has been bought and she has to "buy herself back". Of course she can never do that and is sold again to another pimp.
With special thanks to Face to Face, M-Tel and Animus Association Foundation
A note from M-tel executive director Michael Foley
"One might ask why a company like M-tel would involve itself with a project against women trafficking. Our view is: What's the point in having a powerful brand if you can't invest it in something that's useful. That's why we wanted to be part of making Svetlana's Journey. Seeing is a stronger tool than hearing. When children see the horrors that victims of the forced sex trade encounter, this film becomes a very important tool for prevention. At M-tel we are not only committed to this particular project but we plan to work closely with Face to Face on a number of prevention programmes in the future, because we believe that the corporate sector has a measure of responsibility in helping create a better society."
Recent statistics show that four million people around the world are victims of people trafficking, this figure includes 300 000 women from Eastern Europe. Women trafficking is a lucrative business with an estimated turnover of at least 15 billion US dollars on a yearly basis. Trafficking of women and girls for the sex industry is not a new phenomenon, but it has increased enormously in Bulgaria since the fall of communism. Women and girls from rural areas, small cities and orphanages are particularly vulnerable to these practises as their poor prospects make job offers and studies abroad too attractive to turn down.
Face to Face is a non-governmental organisation committed to educating the vulnerable groups in Bulgarian society on sex trafficking, as well as to show young people how to achieve their dreams, and where and how to get help in achieving their goals. Face to Face initiated an idea to make one victim's story into a film which will help to educate people on sex slavery and trafficking. Another aim of the film is to show society that victims of forced prostitution are not to blame for their destiny. Many of the statistics show that most young girls in the sex industry have been kidnapped, abducted at gunpoint or completely misled. With the financial support of mobile phone operator M-tel and under the supervision of American actor Michael Cory Davis who was the scriptwriter and director for this project, Svetlana's Journey is now a fact.
Svetlana's Journey
The film, Svetlana's Journey, is about a girl who was abandoned by her mother when she was very little. At the age of thirteen a family wanted to adopt her. It was a dream come true for Svetlana. But little did she know that her brand new so-called adoptive family's sole concern was to sell her into the sex trade. Soon after her adoption Svetlana was sold for 10 000 euro, trafficked out of the country, and finally ended up in Amsterdam where she was beaten and raped every single day. She was offered to rich old men and was forced to have sex at least 15 times a day. She was deprived of all her dignity, hopes and dreams. Svetlana tried to escape a number of times, but didn't succeed.
After six months of torture she decided that there was no other way to free herself other than to commit suicide. She jumped from a window of the building she had been locked in. She survived the fall and was taken to hospital and after that to the police. A short investigation held by the authorities resulted in nothing, since neither the pimps, nor the so-called adoptive family were found. Svetlana was brought back to Bulgaria and is now, at the tender age of 14, trying to overcome the traumatic experiences of forced prostitution with the help of a non-governmental organisation.
The film premieres on December 7th.
The cycle of abuse
The first aim of the pimps and sex slave traffickers is to put the victim in extreme survival conditions. The psychological defence mechanism is under attack. In the same way a fuse blows in order to prevent the whole installation from burning, in a life or death situation a person "switches off" and concentrates only on survival. They pay a high price for this in terms of psychological trauma. The perpetrators use this to force women to obey them absolutely, and to become prostitutes. The second phase is physical exhaustion. The system of manipulations includes not giving the victim any opportunity to rest - no possibility to remain alone by herself and to be able to think, to consider, to recover even partly and to start planning to defend herself. A 20-hour working day brings big profits, but it also serves the purpose of "bending" the woman's psyche. The third phase is total control and isolation. The victim is isolated from the outside world, she is forbidden to communicate with other people except for the perpetrator and she is strictly observed. The women usually live and work in the same place. One cannot suppress the need for communication, but having communication only with the perpetrator, the woman starts to perceive twisted information about the world and about herself. The message is only one - the life of the woman is of no value, because she "owes money," she has been bought and she has to "buy herself back". Of course she can never do that and is sold again to another pimp.
With special thanks to Face to Face, M-Tel and Animus Association Foundation
A note from M-tel executive director Michael Foley
"One might ask why a company like M-tel would involve itself with a project against women trafficking. Our view is: What's the point in having a powerful brand if you can't invest it in something that's useful. That's why we wanted to be part of making Svetlana's Journey. Seeing is a stronger tool than hearing. When children see the horrors that victims of the forced sex trade encounter, this film becomes a very important tool for prevention. At M-tel we are not only committed to this particular project but we plan to work closely with Face to Face on a number of prevention programmes in the future, because we believe that the corporate sector has a measure of responsibility in helping create a better society."
