The “Natasha” Trade: The Transnational Shadow Market of Trafficking in Women

Donna M. Hughes ©2000
Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 53, No. 2, Spring 2000, pp. 625-651

“Can people really buy and sell women and get away with it? Sometimes I sit here and ask myself if that really happened to me, if it can really happen at all.” - A Ukrainian woman who was trafficked, beaten, raped and used in the sex industry in Israel. After a police raid, she was put in prison, awaiting deportation.

Introduction
Trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation is a multi-billion dollar shadow market. Women are trafficked to, from, and through every region in the world using methods that have become new forms of slavery. The value of the global trade in women as commodities for sex industries is estimated to be between seven and twelve billion dollars annually. This trade in women is a highly profitable enterprise with relatively low risk compared to trades in drugs or arms. The moneymakers are transnational networks of traffickers and pimps that prey on the dreams of women seeking employment and opportunities for the future. The activities of these networks threaten the well being and status of women as well as the social, political and economic well being and stability of nations where they operate.

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