Tag Archives: social issues

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).

Inner City

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A cold space, vast, aisles stretching seemingly forever. Musak plays,with occasional monotone interruptions regarding offers which one simply can not afford to miss.

Outside, an icey wind blows newspapers along streets lined with discount stores. Young men unable to articulate beyond “yeah” wander down urban pavements where “the decent” fear to tread. The inner city. Cold, desolate, dead.

I Am

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I am the shadow which follows hard on your heels late at night, hood covered face, feral eyes gleaming under the street lamps.

I am the teenager aimlessly hanging around decrepit shops, their windows plastered with ads for “massage”.

I am the 14-year-old child who asks you to buy cigarettes or alcohol on my behalf. You pretend not to hear as you hurry on by.

I am the single mother, yelling at my kids,my once pretty face lined with care.

I am the drug addled thief, householder’s beware.

I am the one the press like to blame, “Those feckless people, have they no shame?”

You fear or placate me. I am your shame. Stubborn, immovable the underclass is my name.

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

By Command Of The Lord Chancellor

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“By command of the Lord Chancellor, help the homeless”. The man stands there, in the train compartment bellowing out his command. Noone responds. “Help the homeless”, again the Scottish voice booms out on this London commuter train. Once more there is no response from the passengers on the way home to their warm apartments or, like me going to meet friends for a slap up meal, with a nice bottle of red wine in my favourite Indian restaurant.

The same journey, an earlier time.

“Ladies and gentlemen. I am sorry to disturb you but me and my friends need money to buy “The Big Issue” to sell. I wouldn’t usually ask but can anyone spare some change”. The same man, with the Scottish accent asking for money. On this (earlier) occasion there is the jingling of change as one or two commuters give money.

I am not the only person who has observed this gentleman on numerous occasions as he begs for money on the train as it wends it’s way from Victoria towards Crystal Palace. Noone believes his story about needing money for “The Big Issue”, we have seen and heard him before. However a sense of compassion has, hitherto moved some of us to give but, on this latest occasion the gentleman’s threatening manner illicits no charitable outpouring.

I wonder what this man’s story is? There but for the grace of god, chance or however one cares to frame it go you or I.

Enjo Kosai

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I am in the midst of researching my next story which will explore the world of Enjo Kosai (compensated dating). In Enjo Kosai, which originated in Japan but has spread to other countries including Hong Kong, South Korea and the USA, men pay ladies for companionship. The practice is highly contentious as many of the girls who participate in Enjo Kosai are underage and (if sexual activity takes place) the adult partner is guilty of child rape or molestation. Controversy also exists regarding to what extent the practice of compensated dating entails sex. It can, in some instances entail ladies accompanying men to caroke bars, having a meal etc, while other instances do involve sex.

Enjo Kosai is viewed by some as arising from the desire of girls and women to participate in consumer society. In return for company and/or sex participants are furnished with money or gifts which are considered desirable by the recipients. Others point to poor parenting and an abusive childhood as the key factors leading ladies to embrace Enjo Kosai.

This is a fascinating subject so watch this space. For an overview of the practice of Enjo Kosai please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enjo_k%C5%8Dsai

“To want to abolish prostitution seems to me as dumb as wanting to abolish rain.”

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Today’s Daily Telegraph carries an article entitled “343 French Sign Don’t Touch My Whore Petition”. The petition was prompted by a proposal, due to be debated by the French parliament which, if passed would impose heavy fines on those who pay for sex. Opposition to the proposal is summed up by one signatory of the petition who said

“To want to abolish prostitution seems to me as dumb as wanting to abolish rain.”

French feminists are strong supporters of the proposal to criminalise those who pay for sex and have expressed their outrage at the petition. According to some (but not all feminists) prostitution always constitutes the exploitation of women by men. Men have no right to “purchase” ladies and those who do so ought to be criminalised in order to deter others from exploiting women. This perspective underpins the Swedish Law on Prostitution which imposes a fine and/or imprisonment on those who pay for sex in Sweden. Sex workers are not criminalised on the basis that they are the exploited party and one assumes that proponents of the French legislation wish to criminalise clients rather than sex workers.

Opponents of the Swedish legislation and similar laws contend that consenting adults ought not to be criminalised merely because two or more adults decide to enter into a voluntary arrangement for the provision of sexual services. Prostitution is, according to this view a free choice for many adults who enter into the profession. It may not constitute most women’s first choice of career. It is for all that a choice freely entered into by the majority of adults engaged in the sex industry. Proponents of this view argue that the state should concentrate it’s resources on tackling forced prostitution rather than interfering in the lives of consenting adults.

To supporters of the criminalisation of those who pay for sex there is no such thing as choice in prostitution. People enter prostitution out of desperation (frequently after having suffered sexual abuse as children). Consequently those who pay for sex are perpetuating that abuse and should be fined or imprisoned for exploiting vunnerable individuals.

In my story, The First Time we meet Becky, a young graduate who enters the world of prostitution as a professional escort in order to clear her debts and avoid the threat of homelessness. There is no brutal pimp compelling Becky to enter prostitution so on one level it can be argued that she becomes a sex worker of her own free will. On the other hand the fear of losing the roof over her head acts as a powerful incentive for Becky to become a prostitute so although she is not subject to physical or verbal compulsion Becky is, it might be argued compelled by the dire financial situation in which she finds herself to enter the sex industry. She is, in effect left with Hobsons Choice which is, in reality no choice at all. Against this it can be contended that many people faced with severe financial difficulties do not go down the route taken by Becky. Therefore Becky does, in the final analysis still make a choice, she is not a mere victim of economic circumstance. For the Telegraph’s article please visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10415267/343-French-sign-Dont-Touch-My-Whore-petition.html. For my Amazon author page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

 

“To want to abolish prostitution seems to me as dumb as wanting to abolish rain.”

Bemused

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The title of a book provides a clue to it’s contents. It is designed to arouse the curiosity of the book buyer. When choosing the title for my collection of short stories, “The First Time” I picked the first story in my collection entitled, appropriately enough “The First Time” as the title of my anthology.

“The First Time” derives it’s title from the fact that the main actor in the story (Becky a young graduate with a first class degree in english literature) encounters her first client as a professional escort (prostitute), hence the title, “The First Time”.

The title aptly sums up the plot of the story (I.E. the effects of Becky’s first act of prostitution on her psychological and physical wellbeing). “The First Time” is not, in any manner intended to be erotic, however on looking at my book’s page on Amazon I see that many of the people who purchased “The First Time” also bought books which are clearly erotic in nature. To give just two examples purchasers of “The First Time” also purchased “Fifty Shades of BDSM” and “Jessica’s Seduction”. I must confess to being somewhat puzzled by these results as my book description does not so far as I can ascertain give the impression that “The First Time” is in any way erotic. I quote:

“In this collection of short stories the author explores why young women enter the world of prostitution while other stories look at what happens when the

worlds of sex and technology collide.

In “The First Time”, the first story in this collection, we meet Becky a young graduate who enters the world of prostitution in order to clear her debts.

The story looks at the effects of prostitution on Becky and her fellow escort and friend Julie. In “The Pain Behind the Smile” Issie presents her friend,

Peter with a birthday cake, however things are not what they seem.

In “Lucy” the acquaintances of a crusty old bachelor speculate how he could attract and retain the affections of a beautiful young woman. As with “The

Pain Behind the Smile” things are far from what they seem.

“Hemlock” explores what happens when machines attain the capacity to appreciate high culture. The story is both humorous and deeply serious.”

 

I am delighted that during the free promotion of “The First Time” my book was downloaded a total of 110 times. I still remained puzzled though as to why many of those who downloaded my book also downloaded avowedly erotic works. There is nothing wrong with erotic literature but I still remain somewhat bemused regarding the company my little collection keeps.

(For “The First Time” please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-First-Time-ebook/dp/B00FJGKY7Y/ref=la_B00CEECWHY_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381576128&sr=1-1).