The Natashas, by Victor Malarek is a disturbing and compelling book that details the tragic lives of
women and children trafficked
into the sex trade each year. The sex trade is the third largest and most profitable commodity, after drugs and illegal weapons. Malarek goes into great detail as he describes how these
young women are lured by the promise of jobs overseas; millions of women leave their homes, hoping to reduce the poverty in which their families live or simply to escape political oppression. When they apply for these generally nonexistent jobs, they are kidnapped by traffickers, smuggled across borders, and sold into sexual slavery. They are kept enslaved in cellar-like rooms with little food or water to sustain them and those who resist are usually maimed, raped, and sometimes even killed. In Israel, all of these women are called “Natashas”, whether they’re actually from Russia, Romania, Moldova, or Ukraine, and no matter what their real names may be.
In his account of the book, Malarek examines through firsthand interviews and encounters with pimps and mobsters how
exactly these young women are trafficked into other countries. However, one notorious Israeli mobster by the name of Ludwig Fainber, interviewed by Malarek during one of his encounters, said: “How stupid do you have to be that you are going to a different country to work as a waitress or dancer in a club? I think ten percent of these young women don’t know what they’re getting into. Ninety percent know exactly what their going to do. What they may not know exactly is the conditions or how much money they will get” (Malarek, 2003: 56).
Moreover, the reader will get an in depth look at the massive corruption in the form of cops, judges and complacent government officials, who leave these women with the impression that there is no one to turn to for help. Malarek further argues that legal framework is often there, but enforcement is weak or non-existent and too often the laws are designed to punish the victim, while the perpetrators such as pimps and traffickers, are left untouched. He harshly criticizes the UN peacekeepers that, although aid in rescuing women held against their will, most of them are guilty of using the services of sex slaves. Finally he condemns the West for not doing enough to halt the trafficking of women.