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Letter: Prostitution is not a choice

An article on the indictment of a former Bureau of Immigration (BOI) clerk for assisting a human trafficking ring in bringing Chinese women into Taiwan to work as prostitutes ("Ex-BOI clerk indicted for role in prostitution ring," March 1, page 4) reveals a regrettable lack of understanding of the true nature of these "snakehead" operations.

The article -- and apparently the indictment -- state that the women in question "tended to pose as brides of Taiwanese men before turning to prostitution." The use of the phrase "turning to prostitution" implies it was a choice the women made of their own free will.

The reality of human trafficking is that women are often victims of deception. Lured with promises of high-paying jobs, upon arrival to a new country these women discover that they will be held in debt bondage and forced to work in brothels for no pay until their debts are cleared. Their travel documents are seized and they are kept in check with threats of physical violence against themselves and their families. That is the face of modern slavery and not quite the kind of life someone "turns to."

Your article states that the clerk colluded with the trafficking ring to smuggle in "Chinese prostitutes." Were they prostitutes before they arrived in Taiwan, or were they forced into the trade afterwards?

This is the question that should be asked by both the CNA staffer who so easily labeled the women "Chinese prostitutes" and the prosecutor who charged them with crimes when in fact they may be victims.

The misperception of the true circumstances of women like these is one of the many tools that human traffickers rely on to stay in business.

Kenneth Zydek
Boston, Massachusetts
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