Half the Sky (Part 1)

Even though I haven't gotten far into this book, yet - because I will definitely read the entire thing- I have already read some disturbing statements and facts just in the first few pages. Sex trafficking is a vicious cycle as described in Half the Sky by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. If you don't willingly go into the business, and I say this rather lightly because according to the authors in some third world countries sex is the only thing available commercially, you are born into it. And those who are enslaved into it often just accept their fate and begin to willingly participate because they know of no other alternative or they are too stigmatized by society to choose another route (5).

However, the statement that really confuses me and is borderline outrageous is that in countries that are more religious and sexually conservative - Iran, Pakistan, and India - there are disproportionately large number of forced prostitution than anywhere else in the world (6). According to authors, the logic here is, "upper class girls will keep their virtue, while young men will find satisfaction in the brothels" (6). As long as the girls and women in the brothels are uneducated and from peasant families, society will turn a blind eye to this illegal and disgusting practice of sex trafficking.

Not only are girls and women being sexually abused and exploited in the brothels, they are also physically beaten. There is no justice system when it comes to brothels and no one to protect the girls and women, since police were regular visitors of the brothels themselves and were often offered free services.

Growing up across the world, you don't realize prostitution, in some countries, is forced and is not used opportunistically and freely by choice if the circumstances call for such a thing. In these countries, described above, women are forced into prostitution and made to have sex with men for no profit - this, as the authors grimly state, is an example of slavery. They even estimate that there are 3 million women worldwide that are enslaved in the sex trade, and even that is a conservative number (10). Reading these facts is terrifying, being a woman myself, to think about and try and empathize with.

As I continue reading I look forward to hearing more stories of different women and girls and what they have done to change their perceived fate or what others have done to help them. There must be a general solution to this disaster, and action must be taken immediately to stop this. Hopefully, this book will point out some common actions or solutions that may be taken to help.