The Sex Trade: Prostitutes, Pimps & Johns: Inside the Industry 2015
Distributed by First Run Features, 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036; 212-243-0600
Produced by Nicole Hubert, Sylvie Van Brabant, Nathalie Cloutier
Directed by Eve Lamont
DVD , color, 76 min., French and English, with English subtitles
General Adult
Sociology, Women, Social Work, Criminal Justice
Date Entered: 02/07/2017
Reviewed by Rodney Birch, Reference Librarian, George Fox University“We have a culture that says it’s ok to lie to someone’s daughter - that it’s ok to sell her body” encapsulates this “behind-the-scenes” look at the sex trade industry—a modern form of slavery—In Canada. Yet, this is not just an issue isolated to Canada, it is a global one. Girls as young as 12 are “recruited” to offer various “services.” One of the “workers” interviewed indicated that she felt more demoralized in working a minimum wage job with 10-minute breaks than she does in this line of work. Others indicated that they could choose other jobs, but chose this line of work. For some it’s not as much about personal morality as it is about power: they have something that men want, and men will pay for it. This industry has commercialized prostitution, most if not all of the money going back to the pimp. Yet, some of the women feel hopeless and unable to change their course because it’s difficult to escape the reach of the pimp. One interesting development mentioned at the beginning of the film was a piece of legislation effected in Canada which extended more protections to sex workers. However, there was no further mention of this legislation or its effects. The personal narratives of young adults who have been involved in unhealthy relationships provide insight as to effective means for dealing with and overcoming unhealthy relationships.