Trafficked: Children as Sexual Slaves 2005
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 202-808-4980
Produced by Luigi Acquisto
Directed by Luigi Acquisto
VHS, color, 52 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Asian Studies, Sociology, Human Rights, Multicultural Studies, Law, Crime
Date Entered: 09/06/2006
Reviewed by Kristin M. Jacobi, J. Eugene Smith Library, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CTThis film follows retired Australian Federal Police Sergeant Chris Payne as he tries to right a wrong and somehow make sense out of the international ‘child as sex slave’ world. It is 1997, and he has been haunted by the memory of one such girl, Nikkie, who was caught in a 1995 Immigration Department raid on a brothel in Sydney. He is outraged that Nikkie, a 14-year old, was sold into the international sex slave market. She typifies all the others; alone and in a foreign country without a passport, visa, or any type of identity card with which to leave. Most of the girls will live on the fringes of an alien society, not being able to go back to their homeland.
Fast forward to 2005. Ex-Sgt. Payne, now a private investigator, teams up with the film’s director, Luigi Acquisto, to take on the impossible: to find out what has happened to Nikkie even though the leads on this case are ten years old.
The clues take the pair to Bangkok, Thailand, where they hire an interpreter. They find out that her real name is Ning, and locate her address and family home. They develop a trust and rapport with Ning’s sister who acts as an intermediary and advocate for them. The story of Ning life is ultimately revealed. The familial economic crisis that lead to Ning’s father believing in the false promise of work and well paying jobs abroad for his daughter in order to support the family.
In the end, this individual story is multiplied by the thousands for all the young girls who are sold, recruited, or abducted and then transported across international boundaries and forced into a life of prostitution or sex services. It is imperative that every international government and its agencies be willing and able to assist and protect these victims and stop the exploitation of children.
The filming and editing of this video is excellent. The pace is matter of fact with bits of information about the prevalence and tragedy of the global sex slave market. A linear story has been created, and it resembles a police procedural. It includes the simple, daily scenes of Thailand life and its inhabitants which are in marked contrast with the views of bustling Sydney. The conversations are audible, and subtitles are used as needed. The music is appropriate and well placed.
Highly recommended for viewers from high school to adult and for the libraries who serve them.