A year ago in May, my husband Jay and I met a new friend in the backseat of a Guatemalan bus. On the 7 hour ride along dusty roads, mountain passes, and pine forests, we discovered that this girl from Greece was a Harvard grad and had a passion for helping women in conflict zones.

At the time of our meeting, Roxanne was affiliated with the UN, designing and implementing intervention-based projects in conflict and post-conflict zones for the reintegration of women in peaceful communities.  She joked that she had all the wrong stamps in her passport to get through U.S. customs “ having lived, travelled, or worked in India, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Uganda, Sudan, Israel, the West Bank, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala.”

Though we only spent 48 hours together, we’ve since become good friends with Roxanne.  At the beginning of our online friendship I realized that she is a reader, and recently I came across these words scribbled into my journal: “Must read Half the Sky.” A recommendation from Roxanne.

Considering that she probably knows more about women’s issues on the ground than anyone I know, I decided to take Roxanne up on her offer and have spent the last few weeks grappling with the content of this well-written, powerful book.  I hope the following review leads you to pick up Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide.

Back cover synopsis:

“From two of our most fiercely moral voices, a passionate call to arms against our era’s most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world. With Pulizer Prize winners Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, we undertake an odyssey through Africa and Asia to meet the extraordinary women struggling there, among them a Cambodian teenager sold into sex slavery and an Ethiopian woman who suffered devastating injuries in childbirth.  Drawing on the breadth of experience, Kristof and WuDunn depict our world with anger, sadness, clarity, and, ultimately, hope.”

Feelings I experienced reading this book:

• Deeply troubled
• Nauseous
• Frustrated that the issues are so complex
• Inspired by people who use their power to empower, not exploit.
• Moved by women’s courage and wondering I would be so brave in their shoes.
• Determined to show people dignity and to not withhold good from others when it is in my power to act.

A third of the book is on sex trafficking and forced prostitution, while the other sections focus on honour killings, mass rape, and maternal morality. Reading this book helped me see that these issues are interconnected, and that in order to understand the nature of sex trafficking we must understand women’s plight as a whole.

It’s not about women’s rights, but human rights for women.  The authors write:

“In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery.  In the twentieth century, it was the battle against totalitarianism.  We believe that this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender equality around the world.”

The term “gender equality” gets a bad rep.  To be honest, the first thing I picture when I hear the term is a bunch of whiny women in business suits and high heels.  I do not wish to downplay the struggles women face in the North American workplace and admire those who are breaking through the glass ceiling and shattering stereotypes.  But for those of you who get similar images in your head when you think about gender equality and are turned off before even reading a book like this, I’d like to remind you that the majority of the world’s women are oppressed and discriminated against on a whole other level.

Malnourished Ethiopian girls filling emergency feeding centres while brothers in the same family are perfectly nourished at home, hundreds of women a year in Pakistan’s twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi being doused in kerosene and set alight or burned with acid for perceived disobedience, and girls being kidnapped and sold into brothels in Cambodia are just a few examples of why gender equality is so important in the developing world.

Three things I appreciate about this book:

• Not only is it story-based, but the stories are told with excellence, clarity, and compassion.
• It is real.  Kristof and WuDunn don’t shy away from the complexities of the issues, but include details that break the mold of our expectations.
• It challenges cultural and religious norms without being disrespectful.

Three women in the book whose stories captured my heart: Momm, Neth, and Mahabouba.  I hope you read the book so you can meet them too!

A word about the authors: Nicholas and Sheryl are the first married couple to win a Pulitzer prize in journalism.  I love that they write books together.  I can only imagine how close two people can get working as a team on such important projects.

In summary: This book is a must-read, and now on my top 5 favourite books list.  Women, pick up this book and learn about what your sisters around the world are going through.  Men (especially those of you who are wary of feminists and women’s rights), I challenge you to read this book and let me know if it helps you think about gender issues differently.  Borrow it from your local library or buy it here.

What an opportunity we have to turn oppression into opportunity for women worldwide!

Michelle Brock

***Photographers, send in your photos on this theme for a chance to win a copy of Invisible Chains by Benjamin Perrin!

I just finished reading the riveting true story of Kathryn Bolkovac, author of The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Woman’s Fight for Justice. Here is an excerpt from the back cover:

When Nebraska police officer and divorced mother of three Kathryn Bolkovac saw a recruiting announcement for private military contractor DynCorp International, she applied and was hired. Good money, world travel, and the chance to help rebuild a war-torn country sounded like the perfect job.

Bolkovac was shipped out to Bosnia, where DynCorp had been contracted to support the UN peacekeeping mission. She was assigned as a human rights investigator, heading the gender affairs unit. The lack of proper training provided sounded the first alarm bell, but once she arrived in Sarajevo, she found out that things were a lot worse. At great risk to her personal safety, she began to unravel the ugly truth about officers involved in human trafficking and forced prostitution and their connections to private mercenary contractors, the UN, and the U.S. State Department.

Fiction author Steven King says that readers expect fiction to be believable and non-fiction to be unbelievable.  Based on the fact that several times I caught myself collecting my jaw off the floor while reading this book, it is safe to say the Whistleblower falls into the latter category.  The book confirms what I wrote in a previous post about how some DynCorp (America’s largest military contractor) and UN peacekeepers exploit the vulnerability of women in war-torn countries.

Here are a few things that stood out to me as I was reading:

Dive in. The book gets to an exciting start and reads like a story, making it easy to follow while weaving important factual information into the plot.

Shocking discovery.  DynCorp background checks for the people they hire are poor or non-existent, and training for the field is minimal. Considering that these people are going to be working within different cultures, political climates, and economic landscapes, thorough training is absolutely essential if they are to affect positive change.

Bolkovac tells of how many of her co-workers simply wanted to blow things up and show locals how to use force. This reminded me of a U.S. soldier I met on a plane who boasted to me about shooting whatever he wanted overseas because he could.  Hooligans should not be permitted to serve in a place where war, death, and pain still hang heavily in the air.

First alert. Bolkovac’s first exposure to peacekeepers creating demand for sex trafficking victims was hearing a co-worker boast about where to find “really nice twelve to fifteen year-olds.”

Breeding Ground. The book does a good job explaining why conflict zones are especially attractive to human traffickers:

Bosnia fit the bill for a healthy breeding ground.  Human trafficking follows a predictable path of infestation: it seeks out environments that are warm with tumult, such as the aftermath of war or the fall of communism.  Then it preys on desperate victims who are brought in over porous borders and past bribable guards. Strategically, it breeds near a region teeming with internationals, because they are the ones who have the money to feed it (p.85).

Irony: How is it that those who are supposed to be spreading peace in the world are in fact fueling and participating in the flesh trade?  The sheer number of colleagues that Bolkovac found guilty of this crime, combined with the ‘sweep under the rug’ attitude of those in leadership, makes us all long for justice.

Evidence gathered. I struggled reading about how Bolkovac was mistreated by her superiors due to her discoveries, but was fascinated by her ability to collect evidence against her co-workers.  She was demoted and later fired, and escaped Bosnia because of threats to her own safety –  from the very company that she had worked for!

Admiration. Bolkovac took DynCorp to court and made headlines.  How many people are courageous enough to take on a corporate giant with government ties?  Since then, DynCorp has changed their legal jurisdiction to Dubai, where it is virtually impossible for new lawsuits to be brought against them effectively.

Out of Your Pocket. To bring it closer to home, those of you who live in the U.S. are paying for DynCorp’s operations with your tax money.  Is this kind of behaviour what you want your money to support?

There is so much more I want to write about this book, but will leave the rest for you to read yourself. You can buy the book here.  And for those of you who don’t like to read, you will be happy to know that a movie is being made about Bolkovac’s experience!  I will keep you posted.

Has anyone else read this book?  What do you think of international peace keepers buying and selling women and children?  Do you have an experience with DynCorp you’d like to share?  Would love to hear your comments below.

Michelle Brock

In the fall of 2010 Benjamin Perrin released his new book, Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking.  Mine is underlined, highlighted, and bookmarked, indicating how much I learned and want to remember.  Here are ten reasons why you should buy it today!

• The book is written buy a Canadian, about Canada, for Canadians (though I would recommend it to everyone despite their country of origin!)  So many statistics are U.S.-based, and it is refreshing to get a Canadian perspective on the issue.   It is truly the first book of its kind.

• Part of the proceeds are going towards helping trafficking victims rebuild their lives.

• Invisible Chains is a mixture of stories and statistics, allowing the reader to learn facts while being introduced to real-life people who have been affected by this crime.  It is an easy read for those who do not know very much about trafficking, but goes into enough detail that those of us who have studied it for years learn a lot as well.

• The book shatters some of our myths about trafficking:

Myth: Individuals who did not seize opportunities to escape are not trafficking victims.

Reality: Victims are often under threats that make escape impossible or are under control similar to that experienced by victims of domestic abuse. (p65)

• Perrin gives dignity to victims whose names or stories would never have been told.  I can only imagine how much it means to victims and their families to be remembered.

• Important information is given about the Palermo Protocol, Canadian convictions to date, and how temporary resident permits work in the context of trafficking.  This would specifically be helpful to students who need legal context for their papers.

• Perrin helps us to see trafficking for what it is: modern day slavery.  In one section he compares the old and new slave trade:

Old Slavery owners paid high costs to acquire their slaves and earned relatively low profits from their labour.  in contrast, New Slavery owners avoid legal ownership but earn high profits from slaves whose cost is often minimal.

Despite these distinctions…some fundamental similarities remain: the targeting of disadvantaged individuals to reap ill-gotten financial rewards, the resistance of profiteers to exposing these systems of exploitation, the complicity of governments either through corruption or inaction, and the crucial role of individuals and civil society in championing its abolition. (p7)

• The book includes notes on methodology, demonstrating the importance Perrin places on good research.  I like that he does not claim to know all the numbers, as organized crime is difficult to measure.

• At the end there is a list of abolitionist organizations who you can get involved with and support in the fight against trafficking.

• The title of the book is perfect. I will let you read the book to figure out why.

If you are looking for a gift for someone who is passionate about social justice issues or want to learn more yourself about human trafficking, you can buy the book from Amazon, Chapters, or the Penguin Group.  Get an E-book version here.  I have also seen the book in several book stores across the country.

For more reading, check out my coverage of Benjamin Perrin’s book tour, and don’t forget to check out his website.  Happy reading!

Michelle Brock

This month I finally jumped on the bandwagon and read Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Played With Fire.  It is part two in the Swedish crime thriller Millenium trilogy, in which sex trafficking is an underlying theme.  The back of the book invites readers to step into an engaging storyline:

Part blistering espionage, part riveting police procedural, and part piercing expose on social injustice, The Girl Who Played with Fire is a masterful, endlessly satisfying novel.  Mikael Blomkvist, crusading publisher of the magazine Millenium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation.  On the eve of its publication, two people are brutally murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend, Lisbeth Salander.  Blomkvist, convinced of Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation.  Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past.

Stieg Larsson’s website says that Lisbeth Salander, the feisty heroine in the novel, was modeled after “a grown-up version of Pippi Longstocking,” who is dysfunctional and has a hard time finding her place in society.  She is certainly one of the most unique characters I have ever encountered in a novel. The storyline is quite captivating, and is one of those books that makes me want to develop some serious combat fighting skills!  I can see why this series has become a bestseller all over the world this summer.

There are a few points I would like to make however:

First of all, this book is meant to be read as part of the series.  I did not read the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which made it a bit more difficult to keep track of all the characters and their back stories.  When I reached the end of the book I realized that to find out how the story finishes I have to read the next book in the series, The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  If you are wanting to read this book, I would recommend reading the whole series.

Second, I picked up this book because sex trafficking is a significant part of the plot.  In this regard I was a little disappointed. Sex trafficking is mentioned but not really explained. I kept waiting for the big revelation about the operation and its intricacies but that never came.   The average person who does not know a lot about sex trafficking would not learn very much about it from this book.   However, I have yet to read the sequel so maybe more will be revealed a bit later.  In my opinion, a book like Priceless by Tom Davis would be a better choice for those who want to read a novel that explains what trafficking is and how it operates.

Third, I was quite disturbed by the unnecessary sex scenes in this book.  I found it odd that in a book about sex trafficking the heroine seduces a 16-year-old boy.  In addition to this, I think that Larsson’s description of Lisbeth’s bisexual encounters were more for his benefit than the reader’s, as they really did not play a significant part in the plot.  Fortunately these scenes take place in the first half of the novel, leaving the second half to be a much more enjoyable and interesting read.

Would I recommend this book?  Maybe. If you’re looking for a series full of political thrill and criminal investigation, go for it.  If you are only reading it in order to learn about sex trafficking, I wouldn’t recommend this book in particular.  I am pleased though that trafficking is increasingly a theme in literature and movies, and am now committed to finishing this series because I simply must find out how the story ends!

Michelle Brock

I just finished reading Priceless by Tom Davis, a novel about sex trafficking in Russia.  American photojournalist Stuart Daniels is the main character, whose job is to educate people about social injustice taking place around the world.  The following is an excerpt from the back cover:

Daniels’ next assignment carries him back overseas and into the heart of Russia, where an old friend persuades him to help save two girls from a desperate situation involving the Russian mafia.  Soon, he becomes a key player in a dangerous campaign to rescue helpless girls trapped in the sex-slave industry.  What Daniels encounters during his journey will shake his faith, test his courage, and even threaten his life.  Yet as Daniels travels deeper and the stakes become higher, he discovers that hope can be found in the darkest of places.

When I bought the book, the first thing that caught my attention was the title.  Victims of trafficking are bought and sold like product, and traffickers determine each girl’s monetary value.  This makes the title absolutely perfect.  Human beings cannot be assigned monetary value, and the girls entrapped in the trade are indeed priceless.

Davis weaves Russian culture, history, and language into the pages of this book.  It is obvious that he loves Russia and is passionate about helping its orphans.  The story is easy to follow and is ideal for people who don’t know a whole lot about trafficking and how it works.  In an interview at the end of the book, Davis explains that about 80% of what takes place in the book is based on true events.  At the beginning of the book, the main character finds himself in a situation that Davis himself experienced on a trip to Russia.  Here is a clip of the author telling that story:

I would definitely recommend this book.  It made me ask the following questions:

• How do we rescue girls without just buying them, which merely feeds the criminal industry?
• What types aftercare programs have the most long-term success?
• How can we stop girls from being openly offered for sex in Russian hotels?

For more reviews you can check out those by Nora St.Laurent, Deborah, and Carole Turner.  You can also check out the official Priceless website, an interview with Tom Davis, and Children’s Hope Chest for more on the book and on sex trafficking.

Happy reading!

Michelle Brock