A sex slave is someone who is forced into sexual exploitation. This can include the commercial sexual exploitation of adults and child prostitution. It can also include institutionalised prostitution such as the 200,000 women recruited into Japan’s brothels during World War II, known as “comfort women”.
New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi joins us from Northern Iraq to discuss ISIS’s brutal, ritualistic sex slavery trade with thousands of Yazidi women and girls, members of a persecuted religious minority.
Definition
A sex slave is any person who is enslaved for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This can be either in the form of forced prostitution or sex for hire, but it can also include people being used as domestic slaves or in any other type of slavery that includes sexual exploitation.
Sex slavery is generally considered to be a crime because it violates the peremptory rule of slavery, which prohibits the enslavement of people for the purpose of sexual exploitation. However, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between sex slavery and other types of enslavement because they are often connected. For instance, there have been many cases of women and girls being forced into sex slavery by military forces in the form of forced temporary “marriages” to soldiers, or even being used as child soldiers.
There have also been instances of sex slavery in countries with legalized prostitution and where people are trafficked from other parts of the world to work there. It is estimated that sex slavery makes up a large percentage of human trafficking.
Rukmini Callimachi is an award-winning New York Times journalist and the author of the book “The Slaves of Syria and Iraq.” She joins Judy Woodruff to discuss her reporting on the sex slave trade that has been imposed by Islamic State militants on thousands of women and girls who belong to the Yazidi sect, which is a persecuted religious minority in northern Iraq.
Origin
Many victims of sex slavery are trafficked from poor countries, where poverty and lack of education contribute to their vulnerability. Women and girls are particularly at risk, since traffickers know that they are attractive and easy to sell to men who are willing to pay for their services. Often, this sex slavery takes place in brothels or other venues that allow for sexual exploitation.
Some sex slaves are kept in bondage specifically for sexual exploitation, while others experience sex slavery along with other forms of slavery such as forced labor or debt bondage. Some of the most notorious examples of sex slavery are the “comfort women,” a term that refers to women recruited to work in Japanese army brothels during World War II.
While some sex slaves are paid for their services, it is important to note that most of the time these payments are minimal or nonexistent. This makes the distinction between a prostitute and sex slave important, as the latter is not paid for her work and may be subject to physical and emotional abuse.
It is also worth noting that sex slavery can occur in a wide variety of settings, from Asian massage parlors and Mexican cantina bars to residential brothels and street-based pimp-controlled prostitution. The victims of sex slavery vary in age, gender and background, but they are often impoverished and are more likely to be minorities or the poorest of the poor.
Significance
A sex slave is a victim of sexual exploitation and abuse. Most victims of sexual trafficking are women and children. Most often, these victims are trafficked from poor countries to wealthy countries where they can be sold as sexual slaves. Sexual exploitation is the fastest growing form of human trafficking, although it is not the only type of human trafficking.
Slavery is a serious problem in many parts of the world, and it is important to raise awareness about this issue. It is also important to educate people about the difference between sex slavery and prostitution, as there is a tendency to confuse the two. Prostitution is a legal form of employment, while sex slavery is illegal and involves forced sex for financial gain.
Sex slavery is also a serious problem in the United States. The recent TV series “Sex Slaves” has brought this issue to the forefront of public consciousness. The show followed the story of Kika Cerpa, a woman who survived years as a virtual sex slave.
In fiction, sex slavery is often used as an allegory for sexual abuse and exploitation. The sex slave is often seen as a Damsel in Distress for the hero to rescue. In the darker genres of Dystopia and Fetish-Fuel Future, sex slaves are sometimes used as a plot device to demonstrate the horrors of modern society.
Examples
A person who is a sex slave is someone who is forced into sexual exploitation, often for commercial purposes. Often this is done in the form of prostitution but also includes sexual assault and rape, as well as other forms of human trafficking. Sex slavery can involve men, women and children and is generally found in countries that have historically had a large slave trade. It is estimated that there are currently 4.9 million people in modern-day sex slavery.
In some cases, a person who is a sex slave may be kept in bondage for a specific purpose, such as ritual sexual slavery, in which a young girl is sold to an older man to atone for the sins of family members. This type of slavery is generally considered to be a significant violation of human rights and should be abolished.
Other examples of sex slavery are forced prostitution, which is an extremely prevalent problem today, and child sex trafficking, in which a child is used for sexual exploitation. Both of these types of sex slavery can occur in a variety of settings, including residential brothels, escort services, fake massage businesses, and street prostitution.
In fictional works, a sex slave is sometimes used as a symbol of oppression and inequality. It is most commonly seen in dystopian novels, though it can also be found in fantasy and romance. In these genres, the sex slave is often a Damsel in Distress for the hero to rescue, or she may simply exist as a way to show that the world is a No Woman’s Land.
See Also:
