Books:
Three Essential Reads
1. Sold. Patricia McCormick.
If you read nothing else about sex slavery, read this fictional account of a young girl sold into sex slavery in India. It reads quickly (two or three hours will get you through the whole book), it's based upon scores of interviews with actual sex slaves, it was written for young adults, and it was a finalist for the National Book Award. This beautiful book will move you. You can pick up a copy on the shelves at Barnes & Noble in Macon.
2. Sex Trafficking: the Global Market in Women and Children. Kathryn Farr.
If you want the primer on sex trafficking, this is THE resource. Every member of law enforcement, every councilperson, every concerned citizen should try to read the first three chapters of this extensively researched book. The last chapter, "Tackling Sex Trafficking," is also a great resource.
3. Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. Kevin Bales.
Kevin Bales is considered the among the world's foremost authorities on new world slavery, and this is his best book. The first chapter provides an excellent primer on human trafficking. The second chapter is a shocking portrait of sex-trafficking among women and children in Thailand.
Other helpful reads:
Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It. David Batstone.
The Sacred Bath: An American Teen's Story of Modern Day Slavery. Teresa L. Flores.
The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade. Victor Malerek.
Movies:
There are a number of films and documentaries available that offer very realistic depictions of sex trafficking, the victims, the traffickers, and the anti-trafficking activists. Due to the brutal nature of the crime, almost all are extremely graphic and terribly upsetting. Please be prepared.
Feature Films
Trade (2007)
Directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner
Human Trafficking (2005)
Directed by Christian Duguay
Holly (2006)
Directed by Guy Moshe
Documentaries
Cargo: Innocence Lost (2008)
Directed by Michael Cory Davis
Not for Sale (2006)
Directed by Robert Marcarelli
Sacrifice (1999)
Directed by Ellen Bruno
Svetlana's Journey (2004)
Directed by Michael Cory Davis
The Virgin Trade: Sex, Lies, and Trafficking (2006)
Directed by Stuart Kershaw