Youth must scrutinise offers for jobs overseas

AM afraid I am inclined to believe the version as related by Imogan Adams as far as finding herself expected to “entertain” men in Turkey is concerned (“I danced into hell, says teen following sex slave scam”, The Star, February 17).

I am 72 years old. For some 30 years, I lived in a certain part of Europe.

Among many campaigns I was involved in, one was to rescue African women and girls who found themselves in similar situations. Many were lured into Europe with promises of jobs in modelling, and studying various courses to improve their situations at home.

Instead many found that they had been lured into working as prostitutes and making money for their “keepers”, so to speak.

Many lost the control of their passports and work visas would be taken away. They were forced,

Itherefore, to be in the total control of their keepers. Traffickers in various European countries were involved in this sordid use and abuse of women from the so-called Third World. Many such abused women came from parts of Africa, Central America, South America, and various parts of Asia.

Lately, since the 1990s, women from parts of Eastern Europe have joined the list of those abused in similar manner.

Countries such as Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Greece et al had cases where women were held in various seedy places earning a living for their abusers who came from various parts of Africa such as Nigeria, and Eastern Europe.

Through various benevolent bodies for women, we made the relevant governments aware of such practices in their countries and some governments, such as in Britain, made serious attempts to put a stop to such things happening in their countries.

Yes, trafficking of women and children for the sex industry does occur and continues to happen despite attempts to stop it.

Yes, we do have to be very careful when our daughters, sisters, granddaughters et al are recruited to perform in various foreign places as to how safe they are as far as sex trafficking is concerned.

Yes, many a life has been turned into slavery through believing that one has a golden opportunity to better themselves.

Even relatives have been known to sell their own sisters to this sort of thing.

Add being used as mules in drug trafficking and you know that women are not respected in this world.

Mahikeng, North West