Kara, Siddharth. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery

Abstract

Kara was en route to a promising career as an investment banker when memories of the summer he spent as a volunteer in a refugee camp in Slovenia changed his path. That summer, he heard firsthand the devastating stories of young Muslim Bosnian women who were sold into the European sex industry. Several years later, he decided to devote himself to telling the story of these, and many other women worldwide, and embarked on a prolonged research expedition that spanned 12 countries in four continents. Sex Trafficking is the result of that decision. The book’s subtitle alludes to its unique contribution in the growing body of literature on the topic: Kara’s economic analysis of sexual slavery. Kara introduces the topic by addressing the ongoing discussion over the definition of trafficking, makes the case for the use of the word slavery instead of the more legalistic trafficking, and ends up using them interchangeably. Trying to understand the concepts underlying semantics, Kara distinguishes in his analysis between the slave trade, i.e., the process by which individuals loose personal freedom and become slaves, and the ongoing exploitation of individuals already in slavery. Discussing the root causes of the current trends of trafficking, Kara focuses his criticism on the macroeconomic measures imposed by global financial institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund, on poor countries. These policies, he argues, exacerbate extreme poverty and social inequality, thereby increasing social Hum Rights Rev (2011) 12:401–403 DOI 10.1007/s12142-011-0192-0