Filmmaker Mimi Chakarova’s documentary “The Price of Sex” premieres today (April 11) on the Documentary Channel. Chakarova, who grew up in Bulgaria, has spent the past seven years working on the documentary, photographing and interviewing women who were sold into sex work in eastern and western Europe. Chakarova even went so far as to allow a pimp to price her for prostitution. The documentary poses questions about human trafficking, and attempts to provide answers to human trafficking’s success and what is standing in the way of our attempt to end the practice. All of the stories are heartbreaking. A short article on her documentary can be found here: http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/23/undercover-filmmaker-trafficker-priced-me-up/ and her website is http://priceofsex.org.
Having spent the past eight months researching human trafficking and violence against women for a law review article of my own, this documentary caught my eye last week as well. In European countries, there is an overwhelming divide as to how the governments should effectively address trafficking in women. Some countries have legalized, or continue to tolerate, prostitution and trafficking in women, as it breeds a different kind of tourism to their countries: sex tourism. Unfortunately, this issue is not one that can be solved on its surface – the issue runs deep into a human rights question and a persistent degradation of women, who are socially and economically vulnerable in these particular regions. From faulty and lacking legislation to the tolerance of prostitution and sex trades, European countries lack a cohesive voice in addressing this issue, thus prolonging its vitality.