The illegal sex trade in Europe
Are the EU interested?
Article 24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 24 and the above extract from Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are part of the only two Articles directly related to the rights of the worker. Both relate to the protection of people when they are in one of their most vulnerable states. That is, under the authority of their employer. Of course, most employers would on moral grounds never ignore these rulings, but there are always those who seek to gain most by exploiting those who can’t fight back.
This may be considered a backwards, out of date problem, but it is still very much present all over the developed world. The problem lies in poverty. If someone is without money, and has limited means of getting it, be it because of their education, gender, race, or any number of other factors, they are at possibly their most vulnerable. And there are always plenty of people willing to take advantage of this.
It may come as a surprise to some, but the disregarding of these rights is still a major problem in the EU itself. It comes in many shapes and forms, but forced prostitution is probably the largest embodiment of such disregard. Every year hundreds of girls aged as low as 16 from Eastern Europe are passed from pimps who tell them they can secure them jobs in more prosperous nations, to brothels and other pimps for large sums of money. The victims walk into the hands of their captors because of the promise of a better life, and a way out of their own already harsh circumstances.
This trade is a problem everywhere from Singapore to South Africa, but Europe is one place that has consistently blown its horn about the problem and yet failed to even slightly resolve it. Every year the trade gets more prolific, and every year ineffectual “progress” solves the problem for only weeks before traders find new secure means to carry out their business.
In 2001, a huge part of this industry was uncovered in Greece. The nation was “shocked” by this revelation, the BBC said at the time. Over 100,000 women had been lured over to Greece from former Soviet Bloc countries with the promise of work as babysitters, waitresses etc. and then they were forced into the sex industry. Yes, they did uncover it, and yes, they cracked down. But think about it this way: this network was operating for long enough to force one hundred thousand women into the country! If this could happen in Greece, what is there to say it isn’t happening in such a large way all over less developed Europe?
Of course it’s happening, everyone knows it is. Whether we choose to use our “Strength Through Unity” to do something about it is another question altogether. Does the EU’s lack of action constitute the keeping of a promise to enforce and support the UNDHR? The problem needs to be put in the public eye and spotlighted as the gross disregard for human rights it is, but moreover the EU needs to recognize this importance and revise its means accordingly. Otherwise, it’ll just get worse.
By: nocarsgo212
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