Book Review: Sex Slaves: The Trafficking of Women in Asia by Louise Brown

Louise Brown states that Japan forcefully recruited 100, 000 girls and women during World War II, as sex slaves. Most of them were Korean women (p. 8). She argues that prostitution is not just about poverty. It is a business founded upon all sorts of inequalities (p. 60). The author stresses that the sex slaves do not have a choice. They cannot resign because of poor working conditions and the unreasonable conduct of their employees and clients (p. 96). 

Writing about the whole sex business in Asia, the author writes that psychological conditioning is every bit as brutal as the physical coercion of girls and women into the trade. Sex workers are stripped of their previous identities and women who refuse are beaten, tortured and sometimes killed (p. 122). Companies in Japan treated their employees to annual sex tours to Korea, Thailand or the Philippines (p. 82). The author also establishes a link between the boom in the Cambodian sex industry and the 22,000 UN peace-keeping forces in the country during 1991-93 (p. 138).

Writing about the trends in South Asia, the author states Pakistan the internal trafficking of girls for prostitution is far more common than the trafficking of Bangladeshi, Indian and Afghani women (p. 63). The author mentions that the Japanese maybe the biggest spenders in the sex market but the Pakistanis are the biggest hypocrites (p. 152). Further in the book the author writes about the dominant mother complex, sadism in Japanese society, corruption in the Japanese immigration department, and the Japanese people (who consider themselves as the 'whites' of Asia).

As per the author, the Kandupatti brothel in Central Dhaka housed five hundred women and girls. It was established by the British during the colonial period (p. 166). The author also critiques the Sharia and considers it misogynist. Brown says that 'the institution of prostitution, the people who profit from it, and the men who enjoy it who deserve our unreserved condemnation (p. 246). In addition to that at another place the author stresses that 'prostitution has to be damned for the dehumanizing, woman-hating activity that it is (p. 255). She concludes that sex slaves are the intrinsic product of male-dominated Asian societies (p. 255). Both prostitution and traditional marriage can be interpreted as a continuation of a primitive form of human transaction whereby women exchange sex for food and protection (p. 129).

This book covers many stories from India, Pakistan, Burma, Japan, Nepal, China, Malaysia and Thailand. The author does not provide any detailed account of the connection between the institution of prostitution, colonized lands and the colonizers.

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Book Review: Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo, Ann Leonori (Translator)

Iqbal is a fictional account about a person named Iqbal Masih who wanted to liberate bonded laborers in Pakistan. The narrator of this book is Fatima, a girl who was inspired by Iqbal’s courage and determination.

As a sign of resistance Iqbal cut his master’s carpet with a knife. His master Hussain Khan punishes him. There are also other children who were taken away from their families and enslaved by Hussain Khan. Once Iqbal tries to escape, but the local policemen brings him back to Khan, after taking bribe. For his rebellion he is severely punished by his master. After that incident he tries to escape again. This time he is successful. He contacts the Bonded Labor Liberation Front of Pakistan and helps in the liberation of other kids enslaved by Hussain Khan.

Iqbal had sown the seeds of hope in all the children. Sadly, he was murdered on Easter Sunday in 1995 in Muridke, a village near Lahore. This novel gives us an insight into Iqbal’s struggle. After reading this book, I wonder how many other Iqbals are still working and enslaved by the carpet mafia.

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Book Review: Dawood's Mentor by S. Hussain Zaidi

 

The author believes that Khalid Khan Pehelwan played a very important role in making Dawood the mafia mobster of India. He also states that Dawood owed his life and power to this man. Khalid’s ancestors migrated from Batkhela in the present day Malakand Agency of Pakistan.

In the book, Zaidi covers the rise of Dawood Ibrahim in the crime world. He also traces how Dawood befriends Khalid. From school Dawood and his elder brother were notorious. Their father was in the police force. Khalid was Dawood’s inspiration. Dawood wanted to be like Khalid. Khalid had later established contacts with the Galadaris of Dubai. Galadaris were among the elite Arab families of Iranian origin in Dubai.

There is a saying in the Mumbai mafia: ‘Beimani ke saare dhande imaandaari se hote hain (All dishonest businesses are executed with the utmost honesty).’ Dawood drew inspiration for power play and money, clothes and style from other places. The first major crime that Dawood committed was a bank robbery on 4 December 1974. The author states that in February 1981 Dawood’s elder brother Sabir was killed. 28 bullets were pumped into his body. Khalid had great contacts in Dubai and knew the logistics of the business so well that he was involved in the movement of gold from coast to coast. He played a very important role in making Dawood a millionaire.

Between 1982 and 1985, the mafia became bolder and more violent. After Sabir’s murder, Dawood learned the importance of having access to power. Khalid managed to persuade a few big fishermen with trawlers to venture out into the open seas and cross the territorial waters. The territorial waters had a four-tier security patrol of the Indian agencies. Khalid’s men would get their speedboats close to the trawlers. In a few minutes the gold consignment was transferred into the fishing boats, some 30-40 km into the high seas.

Khalid and Dawood did not do business together as Dawood had asked Khalid to manage their businesses separately. Initially, Khalid was reluctant but he understood later. Khalid had a different way of doing business. The author states that Khalid and Dawood are still friends. For Dawood's the idea was simple. Break everyone either through money or threats. Dawood deceives his own business partners to make profit. Zaidi narrates the story on page 128 in the book.

After reading this book, now I am more curious to read Zaidi’s other work titled ‘Dongri to Dubai.’

 

 

 

 

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