NEFARIOUS
Merchant of souls
Director Benjamin Nolot
Authentic Media. 96 min. £9.67
ISBN 506 0 256 820 963
Wilberforce would be proud!
Benjamin Nolot takes us on a haunting journey into the world of sex traffic and prostitution. It touches down in 19 countries, in which we hear the voices of survivors, former prostitutes and traffickers, international humanitarian experts and, perhaps most poignantly, Benjamin’s own reflections as he tries to make sense of it all.
Nefarious exposes a pernicious global sex traffic industry, with a concentration on female prostitution. Routes into this horrifying world include kidnapping/slavery and the role of organised crime (Eastern Europe); recruitment via offers of respectable work such as ‘modelling’; pimp as ‘lover’; pimp as parent; under-age prostitution (Thailand); and prostitution as ‘glam’ career choice (North America).
Background contributory factors include poverty, physical and psychological vulnerabilities and child abuse (‘I can get paid doing what I did to my uncle for free!’).
Transformed by God
Though there were some failures, the documentary ended on a high note, with an emphasis on the transforming power of God, which changed ravaged victims into beautiful, empowered women on a mission to help others like themselves.
The viewer is encouraged to respond in three ways: prayer, awareness-raising, and financial support of groups working to expose this industry and help its victims.
As a sex historian (my doctoral work explored the work of Josephine Butler, a Christian sex reformer in the Victorian era), I was struck by the uncanny similarities between Josephine’s time and ours, especially the physical and economic vulnerabilities and an almost naïve innocence which would set up ‘good’ working-class girls for total disaster in the hands of lying pimps and brothel keepers.
One arena which could have been more helpfully explored was that of the profound psychological damage done by prostitution, and how young girls are groomed for it via family breakdown. That so few manage to leave this life without a miraculous encounter with God (apparently) was also worthy of additional comment.
However, for a high-quality, beautifully-crafted and visually-rich introduction into a sordid world which may be closer than you realise, I highly recommend Nefarious.
