Humans as a commodity

[BC]

Given Russia's persecution complex against the West, the authorities would probably react with a vengeance if there was a way they could strike a propaganda blow by blaming the exploitation of these women on Western men.

but... groovlstk... isn't that part of a 'trickle down economy'?

Just think of all those guys flying to RU to chase women, buy cosmetics, buy clothes, buy airfare, buy socials at hotels and other entertainment establishments.. whatever..  - as long as the money is flowing in, nobody will complain.

[Sculpto]

You know.. this topic got me doing a lot of research, especially about Moscow since I am going there next week.  What I have learned suprised me a lot.  I guess I should not be suprised.. I should know and expect this stuff by now.  Maybe I am just naive, or want to be naive, about it all.  But, what I have realized is given the proliferation of sex work that is going on it is really just a natural extension of the social corruption at all levels that would have marriage agencies involved in the sex business also.  But still, it breaks my heart sometimes to think about the depravity the humans force upon each other.

[groovlstk]

but... groovlstk... isn't that part of a 'trickle down economy'?

Just think of all those guys flying to RU to chase women, buy cosmetics, buy clothes, buy airfare, buy socials at hotels and other entertainment establishments.. whatever..  - as long as the money is flowing in, nobody will complain.

The agencies don't complain, the girls who are supposedly being exploited don't complain, and I'd guess the vast majority of Western men don't complain either, except for the odd duck who is foolish enough to marry an ex-prostitute. 

[BC]

  But still, it breaks my heart sometimes to think about the depravity the humans force upon each other.

force is one thing, accept another.

I remember early years selling insurance to folks that really could not afford it.  I felt rather bad about it and quit.. it did create a reasonable income for a while, and still wonder who the 'victim' was.

I think you will find 'victims' often willing so is probably quite ok to take things at face value and not dig too deep.

[BC]

The agencies don't complain, the girls who are supposedly being exploited don't complain, and I'd guess the vast majority of Western men don't complain either, except for the odd duck who is foolish enough to marry an ex-prostitute. 

I wonder who is worse off... the man that knew, or does not know..

[Jack]

the social corruption at all levels that would have marriage agencies involved in the sex business also. 

Sculpto, I would like to point out, in my opinion only of course, that the percentage of marriage agencies who are also involved with the porn industry is a very small percent.  I only know of one marriage agency  (mostly caters to Russian women but also Latin and Asian women) that has owners also involved with the porn industry. 








 

[Diplomacy]

I would say the man that does not know.  Ignorance is bliss.  As for the woman, it depends on the toll the profession took on her.  Both mentally and physically.  Let us not forget that aids is at growing at a exponential rate.  

I had one report that when some US doctors flew into the Ukraine 7 years ago.  They wanted proof that they did not have HIV.  When they questioned the passport control agent, the answer was due to concern that they would contaminate the water and infect people.

At a cost of $10,000 a year per case for Ukraine to treat.  You would think they would be getting more proactive.  

Be careful boys!

http://img.thebody.com/unaids/pdfs/ea_europe.pdf

[Sculpto]

Jack,
Once I put the word "escort" in front of the word Russia and clicked "search" on Google I had my eyes opened.  Besides, the Site we have determined is in the sex business is supplied by affiliate agencies that also work with all the other major sites.  The cross over is massive.  It puts a rotten smell on the whole thing.
Eric

[Mishenka]

Jack,
Once I put the word "escort" in front of the word Russia and clicked "search" on Google I had my eyes opened.  Besides, the Site we have determined is in the sex business is supplied by affiliate agencies that also work with all the other major sites.  The cross over is massive.  It puts a rotten smell on the whole thing.
Eric

Eric,
I don't know where to begin.  I think in this case if you are serious, you need to fight fire with fire on their turf.  Hire a cleaver hacker, and I mean ultra cleaver not a wanna be hacker.  I used to do a lot of programming, building web sites, building computers during the early years of 2000. I would test bank web sites and see if they were secure, most are not. It takes 10 - 15 minutes for an amateur to hack into most e commerce sites.  Anyway, long story short,  Hack and sack them. It's not so difficult.  This is what was done during the first few days of the Georgian conflict, the web servers were shut down so there was no communitaction via internet for a period of time in parts of Russia, Georgia and Central Asia.  You flood their servers with millions of requests and they overload and shut down. I was thinking as I read this thread, if you launch a web site exposing them for who they are, it would come up in search engines each time someone Googled a dating site. Then on second thought, they will will just hack you off your server, so be ready for warfare. It is easier to shut their servers down so they can't operate. They will never know who it is and they will loose that income each day on how ever many sites and mirrors they are running from. In some cases you can go through the back door of these sites and erase their files from the server and hard drives and they will loose everything.  Of course you need some software to do this,  a compiler to shut them off line, and take over their computer, then be able to bounce a few million pings in circles around the globe to various addresses that never reach a destination, this will keep their guys on the other end crazy for a while trying to trace your IP. Anyway, it would be a full time job for someone. all they have to do is launch their site again with their backup drives, but you would be starting a war with the 12 mafioso families that run the business. It's much larger than you might think, I don't even want to estimate the income from all sources. It would make last weeks bail out look small in comparison.  Really its easy to get in way over your head. Your enemy has unlimited amounts of cash that they will use to fight you, so unless you are independently wealthy,,,, its a lost cause.

Udachi,
Mishenka

[Sculpto]

Sounds like a job for the Pakistani intelligence service.  LOL.  I kind of realized how lost a cause it is last night when I googled.  I mean its not that I have anything against an "honest" escort business.  They call it the oldest profession for a reason.  What I do have a problem with is marriage sites that are a front for something else.

Back in the day I knew how to do all that stuff, DDOS and backdoors.. but I was laid off work at the time and had too much time on my hands to get into mischief. 

I think I am also bugged by the fact that the legislation that was set up to regulate the MOB industry and protect women from "bad men" has probably had the reverse affect and allows corrupt sites and affiliate agencies to get away with bloody murder.  I seriously doubt there is the will or finances to lobby for amendments to IMBRA that would actually put an end to the abuses.   

[BC]

Sculpto, I would like to point out, in my opinion only of course, that the percentage of marriage agencies who are also involved with the porn industry is a very small percent.  I only know of one marriage agency  (mostly caters to Russian women but also Latin and Asian women) that has owners also involved with the porn industry. 
 

Insert 'directly involved' instead of 'also involved' and I would agree, but it seems women working in the adult industry may also find most MOB agencies interesting places to 'hang out'.

http://www.floriani.it/sitirussi/doppiogioco-eng.htm

Considering their desirable 'common attributes' with sisters that don't perform professionally (sexy, young, walk & talk), could be motivation for some that feel left behind (the 99% that don't find a WMate).  Surely MOB agencies are fertile 'hunting grounds' for the adult industry.

[BillyB]

Sandro has a thread here called "Double dealer" where he discovered photos of women in both the marriage and prostitution business.

Sculpto, I've seen many of the websites you're seeing but if they are not breaking the law here or there, then there's nothing that can be done to stop them. Prostitutes do have the right to get married if they choose so they aren't breaking the law either and a Russian prostitute may have more family values than an American prostitute so it's a matter of opinion on which type of woman is more family oriented so can't sue them for false advertising.

I once read an article describing 200,000 eastern Europe/FSU women going to Western Europe every year against their will to be used as sex slaves. That's seems a bit high IMO but many do go their willingly. In Germany a guy could walk down certain parts of town and women would be sitting at their windows for you to look at and for you to hire. It's legal.  I remember Germany needed an additional 40,000 prostitutes to meet the demand of fans of the last World cup they hosted.

Prostitutes have the right to get married and marriage agencies have the right to list them. All a guy can do is get wise and use his big head to do the thinking. I never participated in commercial sex nor do I want to marry a prostitute. Although prostitutes will be good in bed or fake it as if they're inexperienced, they will most likely be domestically clumsy when it come to doing such things as cooking. Kind of like the guy who parties all the time and never learned how to change a spark plug on his car. There's many other things to look for when figuring out your lady. It's a bad sign if she doesn't have close ties with her parents and other members of her family. Much less chance for a woman to be a prostitute if she's from a supporting, caring, educated, and loving family.

[Sculpto]

Billy, as I have stated perviously in the thread I don't have anything against prostitutes, or them seeking marriage.  I just wish the MOB industry would make the distinction when there is one to be made.

Having looked at many of the Russian language dating sites.. flirt and so on.. I have noticed there is usually a place for the ladies to specify the kind of relationship they are looking for.  If they seek a sponsor they are able to state so clearly.  If they are offering sex for pay their profile is a different color.  Why would MOB sites be afraid to provide the same information about a lady?  Alot fewer people would likely get hurt or be disappointed if the site owners and agencies would just be honest about things and men would be able to make more informed decisions.  That is all I am really asking for.

[Misha]

Although prostitutes will be good in bed or fake it as if they're inexperienced, they will most likely be domestically clumsy when it come to doing such things as cooking. Kind of like the guy who parties all the time and never learned how to change a spark plug on his car.

Well, I don't really see the connection. I am sure there are great many capable mechanics who spends their nights and weekends partying, and I can't see why culinary skills and prostitution are necessarily incompatible.

[Ade]

Well, I don't really see the connection. I am sure there are great many capable mechanics who spends their nights and weekends partying, and I can't see why culinary skills and prostitution are necessarily incompatible.

It's just another bizarre sweeping generalization that's very common on these forums.

[Shadow]

Billy, as I have stated perviously in the thread I don't have anything against prostitutes, or them seeking marriage.  I just wish the MOB industry would make the distinction when there is one to be made.

Having looked at many of the Russian language dating sites.. flirt and so on.. I have noticed there is usually a place for the ladies to specify the kind of relationship they are looking for.  If they seek a sponsor they are able to state so clearly.  If they are offering sex for pay their profile is a different color.  Why would MOB sites be afraid to provide the same information about a lady?  Alot fewer people would likely get hurt or be disappointed if the site owners and agencies would just be honest about things and men would be able to make more informed decisions.  That is all I am really asking for.

would you react on a profile that says 'I just want $2000 for ticket that I will never buy' ? 

[Mishenka]

By Jason Lee Miller - Thu, 03/13/2008 - 7:15am.

A Girlfriend Experience Is Just A Click Away~
The controversy surrounding New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has shed light (a red light) on a number of underground activities. Besides government corruption and the sex trade in general, Spitzer's use of the Internet to connect with prostitutes is exposing a huge industry with which people may not be familiar or even know exists.

The online escort/call girl/"model"/prostitute scene isn't so hard to find, though. Just use Google. If the organic results don't fit what you're looking for, AdWords can help, too.

The truth is, investigating this scene is much like investigating the adult entertainment scene. The breadth, depth, and scope of prostitution available via online booking is staggering, indicating that just like the online porn industry, sex trade is not just a huge industry, but one that employs cutting edge marketing techniques, and one that apparently is thriving.Just Google It

It's unclear at this point exactly how Governor Spitzer was referred to the Emperor's Club website. But if he's a self-starter, he could have used a search engine like Google. A search for [new york call girls] for example brings up a host of relevant organic links, most of which seem to be news article related.

The sponsored links, though, are another story. Sponsored results for these keywords brought back websites like BadGurlModels (screen shots will be provided but no links), HourGirl, and a site advertising "full service" $50 half-hours and $100 hours. Full-service is, according to research, code for you-know-what.

Similar results came back for [full service escorts] and [ny gfe]. "GFE" is another code meaning "girlfriend experience," which means the escort is open to certain things like kissing and other "girlfriend"-type activities. [ny gfe] brought 491,000 results in Google, along with their very own targeted ads.

Not all incarnations of the word "prostitute" work, by the way. A search for "whore," for example, brings back a myriad other results. Apparently the connotation of that word has changed a bit.

An Open Sex Market

It would be impossible to explore every website offering some kind of escort service, and many of them seem to have shut down since the revelation about Governor Eliot, including the Emperor's Club website he used. But perusing some of them reveals details that would be mundane if talking about any other business.

When people think of prostitution, they generally think of street-walkers with cash-only policies. The 21st Century, though, brings change to the world's oldest profession, too. Visitations can be booked with cash or credit. There is often a registration process for potential clients, or a requirement that the client participate in a screening process. One escort requested that clients specify ethnicity when booking.Some have model-recruitment programs, and offer $250 per referral, payable after the "model's" third successful appointment. Some offer discounts for daytime appointments. Others have senior citizen discounts.

Though some are pretty up-front about what they offer, the more cautious ones provide a legal disclaimer, that usually is worded something like this:Payment is for companionship only. Anything outside this is a matter between two or more consenting adults. This is not an offer of prostitution. Regardless, that "companionship" and anything a client can talk her into usually has a flat-pricing model, with hourly rates ranging from $150 to $3,600. Just like in the brick-and-mortar world, some places of business are more of the Wal-Mart variety, while others cater to a more, well, selective clientele.

Some of the more expensive ones put some of that money toward very high-tech, 007-type surveillance equipment that allows them to watch whomever might be watching them.

A Virtual Smorgasbord~ Governor Spitzer obviously had a certain taste: prostitutes he could take to Washington on important visits that didn't look like a prostitute and could provide him confidence that she would exercise her right to remain silent. There are more expensive women than $4,300 for two hours, but he is a government employee at the end of the day.

If money is no object, a fat-walleted client can choose from a menu of women on sites similar to the Emperor's Club, some with the same diamond-rating system. A seven-diamond lady, if paying by credit card, will run about $3,600 per hour. If paying by cash, a client can get a $600 per hour discount. If he wants to weed out the less expensive, less exclusive women, he can run a more specific search for [high class call girls] or [high class escorts] and Google will bring him back what he is looking for, thanks to some good SEO and SEM.

With the Internet, though, choices aren't limited to the New York area (NYC though is some kind of high-class call girl mecca) or to one type, or even to just two genders. Options are available anywhere one might travel: Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta, Chicago, or Las Vegas. Admittedly, given the legal status of prostitution in Nevada, Las Vegas is a degree less shocking.

Flying to London, France, Italy, Romania, or Czech Republic? No problem. Thailand or the Philippines? The Internet has John covered.

Approaches are notably different in the southern United States than in New York. Websites devoted to southern escorts appear to be more up-front with what is offered via easily-deciphered code language. Thanks goes out to UrbanDictionary.com for help with the decoding. Many of their websites, though, are no longer online. Southern escorts don't have "rates," by the way, but they do accept donations, and are happy to post the types of gifts they enjoy.

One, for example, expressed a liking for World War II memorabilia.

All of these options too Anglo? Again, no problem. There are websites devoted to every ethnicity. One Asian escort website promised "new girls every two weeks" as though they had regular shipments of "product."

Prostitution 2.0

If all of this isn't surprising enough, some of the thousands of websites are well ahead of the online marketing game and employ just about every avenue at their disposal. The sites are very well designed, some very expensive looking. The more expensive ones employ the right blend of Flash and text.

Many have blogs and interactive calendars. Some are portals. Many are set up like social networks where clients are treated as "friends" who refer other "friends." In fact, many are reference-based only, which makes one wonder if Spitzer was referred by someone, or if his name-recognition got him a free (and perhaps nerve-wracking) pass. Then again, he's been reportedly participating for ten years, before these sites became so sophisticated. Maybe he was a usenet guy.

One site was set up exactly like a traditional dating site, an eHarmony for hookers. It boasted 2,800 direct phone numbers for registered members.

And then there are the niche-industry players, the support-industry. Some websites specialize in escort web-design, and judging by the quality of some of the sites, there's a decent market for it. Some of these offered free websites for escorts, as though part of an affiliate marketing program.

The websites are heavily SEO'ed to make them appear in the top ten results for certain queries, which makes one wonder how involved the SEO business is with the online escort scene, especially when the branding efforts are sophisticated enough to include paid search result complements.

They also haven't forgotten to make use of local search engines and mapping services. Just for one example, you can check out prostitute blogger College CallGirl's guide to New York City sex hotels on GridSkipper.

 What Now?

Well, one thing we know: As long as there are clients willing to pay and entrepreneurs willing to provide, this industry isn't going away. So the industry itself is probably not in trouble.

Spitzer probably wishes the same could be said for him, since he has resigned. As for orchestrated online marketing campaigns for the sex trade, or activities that could be construed as the sex trade, it is unknowable at this point if a crackdown would be likely, possible, or fruitful.

It could be, maybe, at least temporarily, until they pop up again "under new management." One other thing we know: Other "underground" heavily marketed products, like pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, etc., are not quite so sophisticated or up-to-date in their online campaigns. Some illegal markets are pretty heavily masked and much more clandestine and difficult to find.

The sites we found, not all of which claim directly to be prostitution sites, are not so careful, and in fact are very much designed for anyone to find them. We found via search. They have put a lot of effort and money into online marketing and seem to have mastered every element from site design, to search marketing, to social media, to vertical search and mapping. And that's, well, pretty blatant.

[Shadow]

I would guess that if you would take the top 50 internet money makers, a large percentage of them would be from the sex industry.
They have been the most profitable internet industry for a long time, and survived th first bubble easily.

Which is quite interesting as it seems not many admitting visiting them .

[Mishenka]

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/russia.htm

Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation- Russia

Trafficking

Trafficking in women from the Soviet Union has exploded since 1989, with their percentage in the international sex market matching or overtaking previous sources of supply in Asia and Latin America," (Global Survival Network, Christina Ling "Rights Activists Rap Ex-Soviet States on Sex-Trade," Reuters, 6 November 1997)

Criminal groups make an estimated $7 billion annually by trafficking in women from Russian and other former Soviet Republics (Gillian Caldwell, Global Survival Network, Reuters, 6 November 1997)

Eastern European women are sold like slaves in Israel among Russian mafia operators for £6,000 (US$10,000) to £9,000 (US$15,000). (Detective Toni Haddad of Haifa vice squad, Kevin Connolly "How Russia’s mafia is taking over Israel’s underworld." BBC, 3 April 1998)

In 1989, 378 women from the former Soviet Union entered Japan on entertainment visas. In 1995, 4,763 Russian women entered Japan on entertainer's visas. (Gillian Caldwell, Global Survival Network, Christina Ling "Rights Activists Rap Ex-Soviet States on Sex-Trade," Reuters, 6 November 1997)

Eight women from Russia between the ages of 18 and 33 have been arrested in Kota-Kinibalu, on the island of Borneo, Malaysia. Local police said the women had been detained on charges of prostitution. They were taken to custody after a raid conducted at a hotel. Three men from Malaysia suspected of hiring the women have also been arrested. Other Russian women incriminated in prostitution have been expelled from the country. ("Eight prostitutes from Russia arrested in Malaysia," ITAR/TASS, 16 August 1998)

4,500 women and children were detained at the Russian border for trying to leave illegally in 1996. Trafficking represents a threat to Russian national security because there is currently a negative birth rate amongst Russians. (Victor Ilukhin, Chairman of the State Security Committee of the Russian Duma, Parliamentary Hearings, Russian State Duma, 9-10 October 1997, Personal Communication with Kristen Hansen, CEELI attorney in Russia)

Posing as employment and travel agencies, criminal gangs promise women jobs as waitresses and barmaids overseas, but then treat them as slaves, forcing them to work as prostitutes to pay off thousand-dollar debts for their travel. Victims, typically aged between 16 and 35, are often raped and beaten, have their passports confiscated and are threatened with harm to themselves and their families if they try to break their "contracts" or seek help. (Christina Ling, "Rights Activists Rap Ex-Soviet States on Sex-Trade" Reuters, 6 November 1997)

Russian recruiters, thought to be associated with the mafia, trafficked pregnant Russian women into the United States to adoption agencies who paid the recruiters US$15,000 for each woman. One such agency, the Special Delivery, placed 9 Russian babies with families last year. ("INS Probes Adoption Agencies Bringing Pregnant Russians to US," Associated Press, 16 April 1998)

Russian criminals are operating hundreds of brothels and striptease bars in Europe and Asia and are expanding. Bar and casino operators offer young Russian, Ukrainan and Baltic women high salaries to work in their clubs, but the women end up in near-slavery, unable to return home. Criminal groups are getting stronger and using Russia as a base for global ventures, including prostitution, drugs, currency exchange, and stealing World Bank and IMF loans. (Barbara Starr, "Former Soviet Union a playground for organized crime: A gangster’s paradise," ABC News, 14 September 1998)

25 distinct Russian organized crime groups are operating in the United States in the areas of prostitution, fraud, money laundering, murder, extortion and drug trafficking and the Federal Bureau of Investigation has approximately 250 pending investigations targeting Russian gangs in 27 states. (Barbara Starr, "Former Soviet Union a playground for organized crime: A gangster’s paradise," ABC News, 14 September 1998)

Russian and Ukranian women are the most valuable commodities in the sex trade. (Michael Specter, "Traffickers’ New Cargo: Naive Slavic Women," New York Times, 11 January 1998)

Case

An 18-year-old woman, who thought she was going to pick oranges, was trafficked to Cyprus, then Turkey where she was put in a brothel, raped, drugged and prostituted. She was forced to undergo two abortions, which left her unable to have children. (Vladmir Isachenkov,"Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes," Associated Press, 6 November 1997)

One woman’s story:

Lyubov, 17, arrived in Israel from a Russian coal mining city only to be sold into prostitution. Now she sits in a prison cell awaiting expulsion as an illegal worker. Six months ago, a man in Lyubov's hometown told the young woman he could get her a plane ticket, a visa and a job abroad. She entered Israel with a tour group and was met by a hotel owner who befriended her and gave her a job as a cleaner in exchange for a room. The hotel owner introduced her to friends, showed her around and taught her some Hebrew until one day he told her to get out of his car and into another. Then he drove away. "At first I didn't know I had been sold. Then my owner told me he had bought me for $9,000," Lyubov said in an interview in a prison office. Her new "owner," as she calls him, told her she would work as a call girl.

It was the beginning of a stint as an unpaid prostitute -- part of an international crime phenomenon which women's groups see as a modern slave trade. Lyubov's "owner" kept her and eight other women in two apartments. He never paid any of them but instead said they were indebted to him for their plane tickets and every expense incurred, from doctors' visits to haircuts. Transported to clients by drivers and often under guard, Lyubov had sex with an average of six men a day for about $75 an hour. All she could keep were tips. She worked round the clock, seven days a week, with no holidays except for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. "You have to have very strong nerves to do this kind of work," she said.

Life in Russia was very difficult. "There were days when I had nothing to eat," Lyubov said. She weighed 50 kg (110 pounds) when she left Russia, and gained 20 kg (45 pounds) after arriving in Israel. She said circumstances had made it hard for her to quit (leave her "owner"). "I came into this circle and then it was very hard to get out. My papers were fake, I had no money, I had no acquaintances and I was in an enclosed place," she said. The nearest police station was across the road from the apartment where Lyubov was kept but she never went there, inhibited, like many others, by the double bind of fear of her owner and fear of deportation. "I kept hoping some day I would earn some money. But when they actually caught me, I was relieved," she said. (Elisabeth Eaves, "Israel not the promised land for Russian sex slaves," Reuters, 23 August 1998)

Prostitution

A recent study showed that prostitution is high on the list of "professions" that modern Russian schoolgirls dream of pursuing. With no other options for survival, women increasingly resort to prostitution. Nadia, a Siberian woman was divorced, and with no other economic opportunities resorted to prostitution. She said it was humiliating, but she didn’t have a choice. (Helen Womack, "Street life - I’m a prostitute. I have no choice so I lose no self respect," The Independent, 7 July 1998)

Approximately 500 prostitutes, called "night-time butterflies, were are on Tverskaya Street, in Moscow each night. (Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov, Maura Reynolds, "Moscow Plans Prostitute Zone," Associated Press, 13 June 1997)

There are more than 80 escort services operating in Saratov, Russia. (Alessandra Stanley, "Russian Cities Weigh Legalization of Prostitution," 3 March 1998)

Methods and Techniques of Pimps

Pimps are doubling as doormen at hotels in Moscow to keep control of their business and the women. (Judith Matloff, Christian Science Monitor, 18 February 1998)

Health and Well-being

Russia has seen a dramatic increase in sexually transmitted diseases since 1993, with syphilis rising between 10 and 40 times in some areas. ("AIDS cases jump in former Soviet Union," United Press International, 21 April 1998)

90% of those arrested for prostitution or drug-related crimes in Kaliningrad Oblast are infected with HIV. This region has the most recorded cases of AIDS in Russia. (Interior Ministry, RFE/RL Newsline Vol 1, No. 119, Part I, 17 September 1997)

Hundreds of women - teachers, nurses, single mothers and even school girls have been driven into prostitution to survive the economic crises in Volga, Russia. Diseases such as syphilis, tuberculosis, and AIDS have increased. Syphilis rates are four times higher in 1998 than they were in 1995. (Alessandra Stanley, "Russian Cities Weigh Legalization of Prostitution," 3 March 1998)

Case

A 12-year-old girl, found on the street in Saratov by police, said she was in prostitution to raise enough money to buy a Barbie doll. (Lt. Andrei Demikhov, Alessandra Stanley, "Russian Cities Weigh Legalization of Prostitution," 3 March 1998)

Policy and Law

St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Saratov are considering the legalization of prostitution. Prostitution has risen sharply in recent years. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Communist party are strongly against legalization. So are many local residents. The maximum penalty for prostitution related offense is US$14. (Alessandra Stanley, "Russian Cities Weigh Legalization of Prostitution," 3 March 1998)

In January 1998, the governor and the local legislature of Saratov, Russia banned escort services from advertising in local newspapers. Prostitution continued unabated, as escort services distributed business cards and leaflets. (Lt. Andrei Demikhov, Alessandra Stanley, "Russian Cities Weigh Legalization of Prostitution," 3 March 1998)

Governor Dimitry Ayatskov has proposed legalizing prostitution in the Saratov region to bring in tax money into the regional treasury. Police estimate the monthly illegal income from prostitution exceeds US$417,000. Prostitution has greatly increased in that region, syphillis rates have quadrupuled in the last three years. ("Russians May Legalize Prostitution," Associated Press, 21 February 1998)

Official Response and Action

Kaliningrad Oblast Governor Leonid Gorbenko advocates legalizing prostitution as a way to combat the spread of AIDS. (RFE/RL Newsline Vol 1, No. 119, Part I, 17 September 1997)

Official Corruption and Collaboration

In 1996 in Moscow an entire police precinct was disbanded because officers had been running a prostitution ring along Tverskaya Street in Moscow. (Associated Press, 1997)

The Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been implicated as being complicitous with traffickers. (Gillian Caldwell, Co-director, Global Survival Network, Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes," Associated Press, 6 November 1997)

Organized and Institutionalized Sexual Exploitation and Violence

The republic of Ingushetia has appealed to President Yeltsin to stop federal officials investigating the common but illegal practice of "wifenapping." The Caucasus tradition of young men kidnapping and marrying village girls is making a comeback, along with Islamic customs, in this mountain region. "We recently requested the President to order federal authorities to stop interfering in our customs," said Rustam Chabiyev, a representative of the Ingush Government in Moscow. (Richard Beeson, "Tiny republic in Caucus calls on Yeltsin to let ‘wifenaps’ continue," Times of London, 19 March 1998)

The economic decline in formerly communist Eastern Europe has hit women especially hard. World Bank figures show women in Russia earn only 70% of men's wages for the same work and make up 70% of the official unemployed. (Elisabeth Eaves, "Israel not the promised land for Russian sex slaves," Reuters, 23 August 1998)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Factbook Table of Contents            CATW Homepage

Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation
Donna M. Hughes, Laura Joy Sporcic, Nadine Z. Mendelsohn and Vanessa Chirgwin

[BC]

Mishenka,

You might want to post just the links to such articles instead of the full text.

I believe the original is here http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/03/12/spitzer-scandal-sheds-light-on-web-prostitution

There is a copyright notice at the bottom of the page.

Just want to keep Dan out of trouble and the subject of copyrights have come up several times.

[Shadow]

Also remember that the situation of 10 years ago is hard to compare with that of today, although probably women can still be tricked by a combination of naievity and greed.

[BC]

Also remember that the situation of 10 years ago is hard to compare with that of today, although probably women can still be tricked by a combination of naievity and greed.

yes.. I read:

The republic of Ingushetia has appealed to President Yeltsin...

Rather dated I assume.

[Sculpto]

The posting about the sex rade is dated in many ways but remains relevant according to the more current research I did over the last couple of weeks.  The main change is Russian girls and FSU girls are not being shipped overseas like before.  Now, Moscow has become a destination though the same tricks are used to get girls from the provinces to come to Moscow where their internal passports are often confiscated and a lot of the money they earn is used to pay off cops, migration officials and babushkas that house the girls illegally according to the residency registration laws.  There also appers be a fairly large market in African women who are brought in also under false pretenses, often by relatives.  A quick review of Moscow based escort sites reveals numerous african woman available for "dates".

[Mishenka]

Mishenka,

You might want to post just the links to such articles instead of the full text.

I believe the original is here http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/03/12/spitzer-scandal-sheds-light-on-web-prostitution

There is a copyright notice at the bottom of the page.

Just want to keep Dan out of trouble and the subject of copyrights have come up several times.

Sorry about that, I didnt realize it would be an issue on a 10 year old article.  I ran across it searching, like the rest of us and founf it interesting. Much has changed since the internet in FSU is so much more available 10 years later, I can only imagine the "explosion" is larger.

[Mishenka]

Also remember that the situation of 10 years ago is hard to compare with that of today, although probably women can still be tricked by a combination of naievity and greed.

It's doubtful this has changed much in 10 years, as I travel I see people are as naive and greedy as ever. Because of the internet, it continues on a grand scale. I don't even think we can measure it accurately.  Many of us forget that people living outside large cities live by different values, not much different than they did 18 years ago in USSR. Central Asia for example is very much the same as it was 20 years ago, with the exception of more import products on the shelves and working harder and have less to show for it. (new laws are in place for Uzbkistan for example minimum wage at $23 per month) Whoohooo, For many FSU outside Russian Federation, or Moscow specifically, life was better under USSR than it is today.  This is what I hear from older friends who live there, but hardly can believe it, having studied to the situation from the 90's on. It's mostly baby boomers complaining about the high prices, which are a shock to all of us over 40 or 50 who remember the days when gas was .23 cents a gallon and bread was .23 a loaf. Life wasnt' so bad in the late 60's and early 70's even earning $1.45 an hour we somehow made ends meet. Now I'm really dating myself.
Mishenka