Prostitution. Some people might refer to it as the oldest job in the world, given that we can trace its activity as far back as Ancient Greece. In any case, one thing that’s for sure is that the image of the prostitute has forged how we represent women today. Indeed, there’s only so much a woman can be, and when reflecting upon it, it often comes down to one of three things: a virgin, a mother, or a whore. In this holy trinity, the prostitute represents the “necessary evil”. Historically, while virgins and wives were considered respectable women, prostitutes were unworthy objects meant to please, and therefore unworthy of respect. Now, in the dawn of the 21st century, it would seem not that much as changed on how we perceive sex work and prostitution.
In the general population’s imagination, prostitutes can be found lurking in the shadows, in a corner of a dark street, probably wearing net tights and thigh high boots because “duh have you not seen Pretty Woman?”. They probably do it to pay for rent because “nobody, given a choice, would ever do something like that for a living”, which is saddening but doesn’t make anyone treat them any better.
But what do you really know about prostitution? Where can it be found? And exactly how much of it is done willingly ?
Is resorting to prostitution really a marginal phenomenon?
In 1940s Europe, 70% of adult males reported having paid for sex at least once in their lives. Today, the number has dropped to approximately 19%, an average encompassing countries like Spain or Italy in which figures go up to 39% and 45% respectively. High demand requires high supply, and in Europe, an estimated 693,000 to 730,000 sex workers were active in 2008.
Sadly, reality fails to reach the romanticised depiction that is made of prostitution in movies, and the 730 000 sex workers in Europe are anything but 730 000 Julia Roberts'. A great deal of them won’t be found walking the streets either, and at least one in seven of these sex workers is a human trafficking victim, a high figure that is most likely an underestimation. In 2010, at least 140 000 people fell victim to human trafficking for sexual exploitation purposes in Europe, accounting for 84% of human trafficking victims in West and Central Europe.
Carga (2018), a much needed movie on the depths of human trafficking
[TRIGGER WARNING: Be mindful that this movie contains explicit scenes of rape and violence]
Carga initially came out in 2018. It is a Portuguese drama directed by Bruno Gascon and produced by Joana Domingues. It stars actors with various European backgrounds, from the internationally renowned Portuguese model Sara Sampaio (Anna) to Polish actress Michalina Olszańska (Viktoryia). A cast diversity which accounts for a very accurate representation of the reality the movie portrays.
Carga (Portuguese word for cargo) sheds light on the dark depths of the vile topic that is human trafficking, and accurately hits all the right points. It follows the tragic story of Viktoriya (Michalina Olszańska), a Polish young woman who, like many others, is desperately trying to leave her home country and start a new life for her and her family in a country with more opportunities. Like so many before her, she is promised transportation across the border and employment at the destination country. Upon arrival, one realises the reality awaiting her is very different. Her passport is confiscated, her husband is killed, and worst of all, the little child travelling with her is taken away, most likely, one realises, to be inserted into a child trafficking network. Then, the verdict comes: she is going to have to pay for the very high cost of transport. In a matter of hours, Viktoryia, along with the spectator, is injected into a network of prostitution, in which she is brutally raped for what feels like an eternity. A torment to watch, and even worse to live through.
Michalina Olszańska as Viktoryia, in Carga (2018)
In recent years, the majority of human trafficking victims detected in western and central Europe have come from the Balkans and countries from the former Soviet Union (Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine…), these are countries who suffer severely economically, in which wages are incredibly low and in which a lot of rural areas lack access to essential services such as healthcare. This poses a standard that is crucial in the nourishing and survival of trafficking groups, as they often prey on people facing tremendous social-economical difficulties, with promises of employment. In a way, trafficking crimes prove to be exceptional examples of how social inequalities lead to different degrees of vulnerability, and how intersectionality proves to be a relevant reading grid of exposure. While women are all subject to a certain degree of violence (women and girls account for 90% of trafficking victims for sexual exploitations), all women are not equally exposed to this type of crime, even within EU borders.
Trafficking networks and shades of domination: cycles of violence and submission
Upon arrival, victims of trafficking are isolated and coerced into sexual exploitation. Thus, violence is frequently used as a tool to control victims. Techniques vary. Often, before being presented to clients, women are raped by the traffickers themselves, in order to initiate the cycle of abuse and degradation. Some are drugged, to prevent them from escaping. All of them are scarred for life. Very few of them will ever be able to leave the system, often becoming traffickers themselves.
While most convicted traffickers are male, female offending rates are higher for human trafficking than for other crimes. This is, in part, a result of the importance of trust between the victim and the perpetrator, and recruitment of women by other women creates a feeling of identification. Thus in some markets, victims may become exploiters over time, and this might be the only way for them to escape further exploitation.
This mechanism is yet another aspect of the trafficking realities that Carga brilliantly displays. In the movie, it is incarnated by the relationship between Sveta (Ana Cristina de Oliveira) and Anna (Sara Sampaio).
Sveta (to Anna): "Do you know why you're here? Do you know... what's going to happen to you? (...) We're going to give you to these ugly, fat, disgusting smelly guys, where they're going to fuck you. And, you have to pretend like you love it. (...) But each time you sleep with them, you want to die, you wish you will die each time you lay down with them. But we're not going to let that happen to you, you know why? Because you need to pay us. Or we're going to kill your family. (...) You know I barely remember my family."
Sara Sampaio as Anna, in Carga (2018)
An even more disturbing reality of sex trafficking is that victims are often recruited by their own acquaintances, friends and even family, as studies in Ukraine even show that 11% of victims were trafficked with the active cooperation of their husbands.
The banality of evil: intermediates, truckers, and exploitation
One interesting aspect Gascon chose to explore with his movie, is the balance of cooperation in which a trafficking network depends upon. It doesn't just come down to exploiters and victims. It also depends on the guards, on the recruiters, and even on the truckers who take the victims from one place to another. Through the character of António (Vítor Norte), a morally torn trucker struggling financially, Carga evidently displays how he too had a part to play in the fate of the victims. How he could have prevented it from happening. How he too was coerced into the system. A character reminiscent of Hannah Arendt's "banality of evil" essay.
Vítor Norte as António, in Carga (2018)
Often tucked away in underground brothels lie at least 140 000 sex trafficking victims, a reality one either overlooks or is unaware of when considering sex work and prostitution. While the depths of these networks are still widely unexplored, and are being boosted by the inexhaustible use of technology, it is important that we raise awareness to these realities. Prostitution is still widely illegal and perceived with suspicion, making it even harder for victims to seek help and be taken seriously. So it is up to us to educate ourselves and those around us to the realities of prostitution, because whilst Pretty Women might make a lighthearted Friday night watch, not everyone's story can end in a happily ever after.
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