Tag Archives: people trafficking

Book Review – Trafficked: The Diary Of A Sex Slave By Sybil Hodge

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I recently read Trafficked: The Diary Of A sex Slave by Sybil Hodge. Below is my review of Hodge’s (fictional) account of people trafficking,

 

“A gripping account of a young woman tricked into becoming a prostitute by a person previously regarded as a friend. The victim is trafficked first to Italy

then, on attempting to escape is moved to the UK where she is forced to have sex with wealthy men in a luxury apartment. I won’t spoil the ending but would

recommend Hodge’s book”.

(for the original review on Amazon please visit the following link, http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R22AQIBFX62W5O/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B005GAC5VQ).

Ring Around Rosie By Emily Pattullo Book Review

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It isn’t often that I read a book in one day but, in the case of Ring Around Rosie by Emily Pattullo, this is what I did, all 299 pages!

Ring Around Rosie deals with the issue of child trafficking and is aimed at the young adult market, however Pattullo’s novel can be read by all ages (12-13 upwards). Rosie, a rebellious 14-year-old leaves London with her parents and brother Ted to escape the temptations of the capital. Following a group of men she finds they are engaged in criminal activity but before Rosie can slip away she is captured and finds herself on the way to London in a truck full of children.

Rosie is drawn into a world of child prostitution, one in which “respectable” men pay for sex with trafficked children in their homes or in exclusive member’s only clubs. Pattullo deals sensitively with rape. The reader is aware that abuse of children is taking place, however the writing isn’t graphic, many abuse scenes being hinted at (not described in graphic detail) which makes the book suitable for the young adult market.

Pattullo shows how victims can become dependent on their captors and even bond with them in a perverse manner.

Rosie’s brother Ted is distraught at the plight of his sister and goes to London to rescue her. Will he succeed before Rosie is lost to him and their parents forever? The ending is not what the reader is expecting.

Ring Around Rosie can be purchased as a Kindle download for £1.99 at Amazon, http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009T5W4TC/ref=pe_364691_36330161_M1T1DP

Have You Ever Interviewed One Of Your Characters (Interview With Samantha)

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On 14 February I interviewed Barry O’Connor, the pimp in my story, Samantha who is responsible for forcing Sam into prostitution, http://newauthoronline.com/2014/02/14/have-you-ever-interviewed-one-of-your-characters/. Today I am interviewing Samantha.

 

Interview

 

Me: “What are your feelings towards Barry O’Connor, the man who forced you into prostitution?”

 

Samantha: “He is the devil incarnate. I never hated anyone until I met Barry. I disliked people, of course I did but I’ve never felt such intense loathing and fear. Barry’s a monster, he doesn’t possess a single redeeming feature. Scum that is what he is, pure scum”.

 

Me: “How do you feel when having sex with clients?”

 

Samantha: “I try not to feel. I mean I shut down. Of course I am aware that I’m being pawed and screwed by punters but I go to another place. I try to think about Peter, the man I love or about daddy and the lovely walks we took around the estate. When its all over I spend ages in the shower but however long I take washing myself I never feel clean. Barry calls me “a dirty whore” and that is how I feel, like a dirty whore”, (Sam breaks down sobbing quietly and the interview is suspended).

 

The Interview Recommences

 

Me: “Are you OK?”

 

Sam: “No I’m not OK but I think its important for people to know what I and other ladies have gone through (and are still enduring) so please go on with the interview”.

 

Me: “Thank you Sam. What do you think of the men you are forced to have sex with?”

 

Sam: “Sometimes I hate them. I think they are sad losers who can’t find a partner, they have no life so resort to seeing working girls. At other times I feel like a hypocrite condemning punters because I, also have no life. I’m a sex machine servicing men. I sometimes wonder whether the men I see know that I am not working of my own free will. Some of the clients are kind and, if they new that I was being forced they would be horrified. Many others wouldn’t care, they are only interested in having sex, I’m just a sex object to them. Of course I prefer to see men who are kind but all punters, whether they are kind or otherwise want the same thing, sex. I’m not a sex object, I hate my job (if you can call it that)”.

 

Me; “Thank you so much for talking to me Sam”.

TWO 4 STAR REVIEWS OF SAMANTHA WHICH IS CURRENTLY FREE IN THE KINDLE STORE

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My book, Samantha is currently available free from Amazon. A reviewer of Samantha writes on amazon.co.uk as follows:

“This is an exciting story, well written with some good Liverpool background. The main characters are well brought to life. Samantha, the student from a

good background, drugged and date-raped by a pimp, seems credible.

 

Some of the strands haven’t been tied up at the end and maybe that’s just what the author intended.

 

The book is quite short and you can read it in one sitting. Because it is so readable you may want to do just that.

 

I recommend it.”

 

PS One or two pages seem to have got out of order but I’ve had this trouble before with Kindle”.

To see the review and download Samantha free from amazon.co.uk please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samantha-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI.

On checking Samantha’s page today I came across the following review of my story on amazon.com:

“This is a well-written, enjoyable short story, with an ending that leaves something to the

imagination. Suspenseful, realistic and fairly easy to believe. The course of true love

certainly does not run straight….”.

To see the review on amazon.com or to download Samantha please visit http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B00BL3CNHI/ref=cm_cr_dp_syn_footer?k=Samantha&showViewpoints=1.

An Act of Madness Part 2

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Below is part 2 of my story, An Act of Madness. For part 1 please visit http://newauthoronline.com/2013/06/01/an-act-of-madness-part-1/.

 

Ian knew that he had a problem. For a long time he had convinced himself that he could control the fantasies. There was after all no harm in fantasising Ian told himself. Indeed if everyone was locked up due to what went on in the darkest recesses of their brain then half the population, perhaps three quarters would be behind bars.

Ian had for so long as he could recollect felt an attraction to young girls. This did not present a problem when, as a boy of 16 he fantasised about girls a year or so younger than him. However, as he grew older the fantasising intensified. As a man of 25 he found himself making excuses for taking public transport at times when he knew that the buses would be full of teenage girls on their way to or from school. He would sit on the bus pretending to read the paper while allowing his eyes to take in the school girls as they sat giggling with their friends. On reaching home he would dash into the toilet or his bedroom and masturbate while the images of the teenage girls remained fresh in his mind. After he had obtained his release the temporary feeling of elation would soon give way to one of utter self loathing.

“You fucking pervert, you should be locked up” he told himself.

For a while he managed to stop. At the times when he knew that the school buses would be full of young girls he stayed at home and attempted to read the paper or a book. It was no good, the words on the page made no sense, his mind was far away on the bus watching teen girls giggling with their friends or flirting with boys of their own age.

At first he saw the internet as a way of safely indulging his fantasies.

“I’m not harming anyone, they are only pictures. I’d never, ever, ever touch a child!” he reassured himself.

Initially he searched for “teen girls” and found mild stimulation in the pictures of nubile 18 and 19-year-olds in various states of undress or engaged in sexual activity. However bordom soon set in. “Teen girls” was soon replaced with “barely legal teens” and “underage sex”.

Every time he turned on the computer he felt his heart start to thump. The sense of breaking a taboo, of kicking against convention caused excitement to course through his body. Still, he reassured himself he was only looking. He would never harm a child. It was pure fantasy, where was the harm in that?

Then it happened. He was looking at a site displaying teens many of whom where clearly under 18-years-old when a pop-up advert directing him to a teen contact website appeared on screen.  Ian’s heart began to thump so loudly that he fancied that the people in the neighbouring flat could hear it. With sweating palms he clicked on the pop-up and was directed to a poorly designed webpage with a line of text

“For teen fun call –“.

There where no pictures, just the single line of text. Ian could feel his manhood stir.

“No this is so, so wrong, close the site, forget you ever saw it” the voice of conscience and common sense whispered.

Another voice chipped in

“What harm is there in calling? It will be an advert for 18 or 19-year-old hookers. Maybe you can have some safe legal fun with a teen girl. You can indulge your fantasies and scratch that itch once and for all”.

Ian reached for his mobile. Several times he started to dial only to delete the number and replace the phone in his pocket. Eventually he dialled and pressed the call button. The phone rang. On the second ring a man answered

“Yeah man?”

“I saw the advert and …” Ian trailed off not sure how to continue.

“You want some fun with a young girl?”

“Yeah, so long as she is legal”.

The man at the other end of the line snorted with laughter

“Sure man you and me both no the score. I’ve got a real cutie, very young with blue eyes and blond hair. Slim”.

“What do I need to do? I’ve never done this before” Ian said through his constricted throat.

“Its £400 for the girl. Wana come over?”

“Yeah” Ian managed to whisper. His mouth felt like sandpaper.

“Is this your number?”

“Yes”

“OK, I’ll text you the address”, with that the line went dead.

Choice in prostitution?

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In February 2012 I published Samantha which tells the story of a young girl forced into prostitution in the English city of Liverpool by her brutal pimp Barry (see http://newauthoronline.com/my-books/). Samantha is subjected to horrific psychological and physical abuse. It is touch and go as to whether she will survive or end her days in the murky waters of Liverpool’s Albert Docks.

Given my writing of Samantha, I was interested to read that Rachel Moran, a former prostitute has written a book recounting her experiences as a prostitute (see http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Former-Irish-prostitute-calls-on-men-who-buy-sex-to-be-named-and-shamed-in-new-book-203827051.html?page=2). As a homeless 15-year-old living in Ireland Rachel entered prostitution seeing it as a means of survival. She exited sex work at the age of 22 and is full of anger regarding her experiences. The author calls for those who purchase sex to be named and shamed as happens under the Swedish Law on Prostitution.

Not everyone shares Moran’s view that criminalising the purchasers of sex is the answer. It has been argued by opponents of the Swedish model that criminalising sex buyers means that clients who come across a person who is underage or who has been trafficked will be less likely to report the matter to the authorities than is presently the case. (In the UK it is not currently illegal to pay for sex but anyone who purchases services from someone who has been compelled into prostitution is guilty of a crime irrespective of whether he new that the prostitute was being coerced). Were the law to be further tightened buyers would according to this perspective be less inclined than at present to report their suspicions owing to fears of arrest due to paying for sex, potentially leading to more (not less) exploitation.

Another argument advanced against criminalising people who buy sex is that not all sex workers are forced into prostitution. In my story, The First Time we meet Becky a young graduate who enters the world’s oldest profession in order to clear her credit card debts. She fears being made homeless as a consequence of not being able to meet her bills and turns to escorting as a means of making money easily and quickly. Becky feels compelled by circumstances to become a sex worker however there is no brutal pimp, as in Samantha coercing her into sex work. Would it be right to punish men (and women) who purchase sex from escorts like Becky who have entered prostitution voluntarily? In response to that question proponents of the Swedish approach will respond that no one truly chooses to enter prostitution, they feel compelled to do so by circumstances which are often beyond their control. It is in other words a choice in theory only. Others will reply that not all who face the financial difficulties of Becky in The First Time choose to go down the route of selling their body, consequently Becky does, in the final analysis make a decision of her own free will to enter sex work.

The Lives of Sex Workers

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My book, Samantha has now entered it’s third day of it’s free promotion in the Amazon Kindle store. Sales have been steady (47 copies downloaded when I last checked approximately 10 minutes ago). If you have or are intending to download Samantha I would appreciate it if you would please consider leaving a review in the Kindle store or, alternatively by commenting on this post.

Samantha tells the story of a young girl forced into prostitution in the city of Liverpool. Can Sam escape the world of mental and physical abuse  which constitutes her daily existence or will she end up floating in the freezing waters of Liverpool’s Albert Docks? For Samantha please visit the following link http://www.amazon.com/Samantha-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI. You may also be interested in The First Time, in which we meet Becky, a young graduate who enters the world of escorting as a professional escort in order to pay off her debts. For The First Time please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-First-Time-ebook/dp/B00AIK0DD6.