AS FUTURE JOB-SEEKERS,
WHAT DO FEMALE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES KNOW ABOUT TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS?
Report by Marion Pajumets
Estonian Institute of Humanities
Tallinn 2002
Table of Contents
Introduction.
1. Estonia’s young females as a group at risk of being trafficked
2. Objectives and methodology
3. Opinions about going to work abroad 4. Determinants for the destination of choice
4.1 Country’s language
4.2 Country’s culture
4.3 Work permit
5. Awareness of possible dangers
6. Awareness of necessary procedures before going to work abroad
7. Identifying with the risk group
8. Views on effective preventive activity
Conclusions
Works cited
Notes
Introduction
Over 700,000 people are trafficked each year worldwide for forced labour,
domestic servitude or sexual exploitation (U.S. Department of State 2001).
European Union’s most conservative estimates are that 120,000 women and
children are trafficked each year from Central and Eastern Europe to Western
Europe (Lynggard 2002: 2).
In order to cope with the problem, a joint Nordic and Baltic campaign
against trafficking in women was launched. The campaign financed by the
Nordic Council of Ministers and the governments of the Nordic countries
is based on the particular needs of each participating country. Human
trafficking problems have been virtually unknown by the Estonian public,
and, consequently, several contemporary situation studies have been designed
within the framework of the Estonian campaign. The present study of the
awareness that graduating female high school students have, as a group at
risk of being trafficked, is part of the campaign activity in Estonia.
The study was conducted by sociologists at the Estonian Institute of
Humanities. The material was gathered at semi-structured group discussion
sessions in the summer of 2002.
To date, the topic has not been discussed sufficiently in public. As
a consequence, it is a difficult task to raise the awareness of Estonians
- especially young Estonian women - and an important one.
1. Estonia’s young females as a group at risk of being trafficked
Young female high school graduates are a part of the society’s well
being and a valuable human resource for its continuity. They are expected
to become part of the workforce and taxpayers that help to support the
weaker members of society. At the same time, it is hoped that the young
women will help to increase the nation’s population by becoming mothers.
If society has above described great expectations of its young women,
then society should be concerned about their well-being.
In comparison to earlier periods, employment opportunities for Estonian
women during the period of restored independence have decreased significantly
(Vöörmann 2000: 46-47). It needs to be emphasized that unemployment
rates for the 15-24 year old group have more than doubled since 1992, and
at present the unemployed account for one sixth of the entire age group.
This shows that young people are having considerable difficulties in finding
employment. The situation is especially difficult for those young people
who have recently graduated from a secondary school (especially girls who
constitute a majority of this type of school student) and have received no
vocational training (Vöörmann 2000: 49). Going on to higher education
is a natural progression for female high school graduates, but the state
is reducing the funding for baccalaureate degrees. Tuition costs can
prevent the lower income groups from pursuing higher education that can provide
them the path to a high social status. It can end up that employers are not
interested in hiring women of childbearing age.
In such a difficult situation, the media offers to Estonian young women
apparently attractive means to earn a living. One can find in the newspapers
new ads daily, promising young women lucrative jobs abroad without asking
for any particular skills. Visa-free travel in the Scandinavian, Schengen
and other countries makes it possible to accept the job offers.
Globalisation of the economy has increased both the legal and illegal
crossing of state borders, especially from countries with a lower standard
of living to wealthier countries (Miko: 2002). Estonia is one of
the countries where socio-economic conditions contribute to a young person
seizing the opportunity to work abroad. For that reason, it is necessary
for young people to be aware of the possible dangers and how to avoid them.
2. Objectives and methodology of the study
The study has three objectives. The first is to find out the degree
of awareness that high school graduating female students have about trafficking
in humans and how it is conducted. Knowing how much girls that have
not become trafficking victims know about the risks, one can design preventive
activities. The second objective is to give the girls an overview
of the risks and how to reduce them. The third aim is to develop with
the girls methods and channels by which it would be possible to distribute
information about human trafficking in such a way that it reaches girls.
It would be possible to design a preventive plan for Estonia by using the
information from the girls’ discussions.
The qualitative sociological study gathered information from 37 girls
graduating from high school this year. We chose semi-structured group
discussions as a methodology so that the young women would feel comfortable
discussing a delicate problem among their peers. One of the benefits of
gathering information via group discussion is that the dialogue’s progress
does not depend on the researcher. S/he can get involved minimally,
by introducing new questions, but the group’s members lead the discussion
and disclose intrigues. In a group discussion, the clear lines that exist
between the interviewer and the interviewee in an individual interview format
become blurred and a theme can develop without interviewer’s interference.
Group discussion methodology also brings out the discourse that is used by
the participants.
The aim of the study was to gather a wealth of information. The
schools were selected from different regions of Estonia as well as those
representing image differences. Eight semi-structured group discussions
were held with girls originating from different environments. Four of them
took place in Tallinn, and the rest in Narva, Pärnu, Tartu and Kuressaare.
The study included twenty-nine young women from six Estonian language schools,
and eight participants were from two Russian language schools. A school
with upper-class population, a lower-class population school, and six average
schools were represented.
The group discussions took place in June when the participants did not
yet know, for certain, whether they will be graduated from high school and/or
go on to college.
Regardless of the different schools named on their diplomas, it is a
fact that all the girls have completed an important period in their lives
and have not yet entered the next one. They are confronted with an immediate
choice: what to do now?
3. Opinions about going to work abroad
Trafficking in humans is strongly tied to going to work abroad. Going
to work abroad can be a positive and broadening experience for young women.
At the same time, it is the first, though not decisive, step toward danger.
Therefore, it is necessary to find out what opinions young women in Estonia
have about going to work abroad.
The interviews revealed that only a small number of respondents did
not think of working abroad. Several students with positive opinions about
going abroad cited as their reason the opportunity to earn there a higher
wage than in Estonia.
Zhenya(TMHG): I think that in comparison to Estonia, the wages are higher.
It’s to the advantage to the people abroad to hire foreigners, because they
have to pay them less than their own citizens. For example, in Finland
it is expensive to hire a Finn. It’s cheaper to hire us. It
turns out that it’s to there and to our advantage.
It was stated frequently that it is difficult to find work in Estonia.
The young women said that employers don’t want to hire inexperienced people.
Repeatedly, references were made to a closed circle - if you lack experience,
it is also very difficult to acquire it.
Interviewer: What kind of opportunities do you have in Estonia to find
suitable work?
Rutt(TKG): Very limited, because nobody wants to hire an inexperienced
person. They always want a person with experience. But how can you get experience
if you’ve not worked before? That’s why it’s difficult. When
the employer looks at the resumes, he chooses the experienced one from a
pool of applicants. That’s why it’s difficult.
Some participants said that finding work is especially difficult if
in addition to lacking experience, you are a female.
Lembi(TRG): I’m convinced that I cannot (get a job). I think that in
Estonia the situation is altogether different for females than it is for
males, and experience is always required. But if noon hires me, where can
I get that experience!
Estonian researchers have for some time emphasized the difficulties
in the path for women seeking employment. Sociologist Leeni Hansson emphasizes
that men and women have different social networks when seeking employment.
While men’s networks consist mostly of contacts outside the family - friends,
same leisure activities, university buddies, political party affiliations
- women’s networks, as a rule, have family and relatives centred members,
which do not provide same kind of access to important information that men’s
networks provide (Hansson 2000:37).
According to the respondents, the employers demand from the potential
employee higher education in addition to experience. It became apparent,
that for the selected girls higher education had become a norm.
The majority of the study participants wanted to go to college, but
quite a number have not decided what to study at college. They may need
a year to reach the decision. The time could be filled with a well-paying
job in a wealthy country.
Kerli(SÜG): I don’t know what to do after graduation. I haven’t
decided. I’m sure I don’t want to go to college yet this year, because I
really don’t know what I want to do in the future, what kind of job I want
and what course of study to take for that. That’s why I’m looking for
an alternative.
Interviewer: If you’re offered a well-paying job abroad, could that
be an alternative?
Kerli(SÜG): Yes, I think so. But I also know that I definitely
want to return and to go to college here. Even if I were to get some kind
of a job somewhere, it’s not too secure. You do need education, I think.
The above discussion disclosed the importance the young woman attached
to higher education as part of self-respect. She sees it also as a necessity
for getting a job and holding on to it. Such a view was common among
many of the discussion group participants.
The young women often regarded working abroad as an option if one failed
to be admitted to college. After a year passes, they would take the entrance
exams again and try to get into college.
Liia(SÜG): I’m going to take entrance exams to several schools.
And if I’m not admitted, then I’ll go somewhere for a year. Then,
perhaps, I’ll take exams again. I think I would go to work somewhere sometime.
A typical reason given for going to work abroad is to learn a foreign
language. The participants mentioned the importance of complementing their
education had over earning money.
Laura(TRK): You don’t go there just to work... I think that if I were
to go, it would be with the thought of learning more and not only to look
after children, wash dishes, or whatever /---/ I personally would go probably
to France, or Italy, for its culture, language and the whole environment.
I would go with the intention of learning that country’s
language.
Whereas the graduates from the Estonian language high schools stated
that they plan to go abroad temporarily and return to attend college, the
majority of the girls at the Russian language high school likewise wanted
to get a higher education, but they didn’t think that they would return to
Estonia for that. The Russian-speaking high school graduates simply wanted
to get out of Estonia and away from home.
Marina(TMHG): I plan to go to work abroad and then, after a while, study
there.
Interviewer: Where did you think of studying?
Marina(TMHG): At a university. Either in Sweden or in Norway. /---/
Well, first of all, Sweden is a cultural centre. They have a large variety
of activities. It’s the centre of activities in Scandinavia. Its history
and universities are interesting. On the whole, I would like to get away
from home. /---/ I simply want that. Estonia is not everything, after all.
In summary, it can be said that despite the participants’ diverse backgrounds,
they are basically receptive to job offers abroad. All of the Russian language
high school graduates wanted to work abroad. Some Estonian language high
school graduates excluded that option totally, but they constituted a distinct
minority. The group that had members most resistant to working abroad originated
from the school with the low image. It should be noted that the majority
of these graduates, also, lacked a vision about what they want to, or could,
do in Estonia. They had low self-confidence, modest ambitions, and were quite
passive.
4. Determinants for the destination of choice
It became apparent that female high school graduates are basically ready
to consider working abroad. The question occurs - under what conditions?
The largest risks involve being in a strange language and cultural environment,
especially if one lacks a work permit. During the discussions, we encouraged
the participants to consider the need for knowing the language and culture
of the destination country. At the same time, we wanted to find out how
important for the Estonian young women was the acquisition of a work permit.
The respondents’ replies explain what kind of security considerations do
they attach to the jobs being offered.
4.1 Country’s language
The discussions revealed that, with a few exceptions, the young women
felt confident about their language capacities. Most of them are ready
to go to work in countries whose language they do not speak, and whose
natives do not speak any language they know. The girls are confident that
somebody can communicate with them at the beginning even with a little English.
They believe that living with the natives, they will learn the language
fast, especially if the circumstances demand it and they themselves are motivated.
Liia(SÜG): In a couple months (one can learn a foreign language).
Of course, it depends on the language.
Pirjo(SÜG): It’s easy to learn Finnish fast, for example.
Liia (SÜG): Well, Spanish also. We’ve spent some time watching
those soaps (general laughter)!
Kati(PSHG): That has been studied. Exchange students go all the time
to countries whose language they absolutely do not speak. It’s important
to have the basics of English. Then you can get along somehow at the beginning.
/---/ It’s very evident that you learn the elementary language of communication
during the first month, and it’s not a big problem. You yourself have to
want to communicate with them.
Liis(PSHG): In the border cases, you simply have to manage.
Many graduates in the study tended to play heroics in dangerous situations.
To be thrown head first into water they treated as a big challenge, a possibility
to test one, and to manage to swim out of it. Communications difficulties
were generally seen merrily as gesticulation games that make life colourful.
Mimi(TRK): It would be exciting, actually. I certainly would go (to
work in a country whose language one doesn’t speak). Definitely for a spell.
/---/ For Estonian young women, the southern countries are especially exotic,
something you go to and shal-lal-laa! Well, something like that...Yes, I
would go. I was a month in Italy and you learn the language fast in social
settings. And the people there gesticulate a lot... I don’t think there would
be problems with that.
Only a few participants were reserved, and posed a contrast to the adventurous
majority. They considered lack of local language the source of much misunderstanding
and said that if they were to go anywhere, they would prefer to go to countries
where the natives speak English.
4.2 Country’s culture
It should be noted that for at least half of the young women the jobs
abroad would be limited to regions with Western cultures similar to Estonia’s.
Several of them, however, who had earlier emphasized a grater interest in
learning about a foreign culture than in the pay, now voiced a preference
for a culture close to their own.
Moslem countries emerged as the most problematic. Exotic foreign cultures,
but not the Arab ones attracted numerous participants. It became apparent
that Estonian female graduates had views about gender roles in the Arab
countries that scared them away.
Rutt(TKG): I don’t know. If they have such a sense of ownership in those
Eastern countries, the men can start to use you and I don’t know about their
customs. A man can have several wives there. And if he wants a divorce,
he can say three times that he does not want that wife and that’s all. It
used to be that way in Estonia, too, that men rule and women stay home and
raise children.
The above theme appeared in other groups and needs to be considered.
In making distinctions between job offers from different countries, it appears
that sometimes the girls may confuse going to work abroad with going to
get a mate abroad. It cannot be dismissed that for some graduates going
to work abroad is a minimum program that hides the maximum goal - finding
a mate.
Another reason why quite a few of the selected young women avoid Moslem
countries as a destination is that they are not perceived as secure and
well-off societies. A stereotyped perception of well-off is limited to Europe,
North America and Australia. Arab countries are not in the circle, albeit
they’re standard of living maybe higher than in Spain, for example.
In addition to the girls who would not go to Arab countries under any
conditions, there were those who would go after making sure the job’s trustworthiness.
Piia(TRK): I think that most young people want something new and interesting.
When then, if not when one is young!? Right now, you’re full of motivation
and courage.
Interviewer: Would you then go to a Moslem country?
Piia(TRK): I don’t know, I’m not quite sure right now. I would first
investigate thoroughly what is there and where am I going.
The study, also, included young women who were willing to go anywhere
and did not attach as much importance to safety as to a high wage.
Interviewer: Would you go to an Arab country?
Teele(TÜG): Perhaps. Everything depends on the offer.
Interviewer: How much would they have to offer you in Estonian kroons
in order for you to go?
Teele(TÜG): 20-30 thousand per month.
It is possible that when the girls speak of 30,000 EEK, they think of
it in the Estonian context and not the host countries. Even if that wage
is earned sweeping floors, to the young women such a wage may seem to be
a rise rather than descent in social status. The reasoning is that 30,000
crowns a month in Estonia is a high wage.
There were a few participants from East-Viru who were ready to accept
a job in any foreign country without conditions. During the discussion,
they repeatedly said that they would accept any offer and leave Estonia
as fast as possible.
Interviewer: If a good offer were made to you, would you go to a country
whose culture and customs are unknown to you?
Olga(NKK): I would go anywhere.
Nina(NKK): I would go.
4.3 Work permit
An indispensable part of the job’s safety in a foreign country is a
work permit. Illegally employed people are totally dependent on the employer’s
promises and honesty, because there is no legal protection.
About half of the participants said that if they were offered “a dream
job”, they would accept it without a work permit, especially if friends
are already there and recommend the job.
Many graduates considered a work permit of less importance whenever
one goes to work briefly in a foreign country.
Mimi(TRK): It must depend on how long you are asked to take the job.
If it’s for a half year... why bother. But if you plan to stay longer, then
you must get the documents.
Half of the study participants refused to go to work abroad without
a work permit. The girls thought about their long-term benefits. They decided
that if caught by law enforcement in a foreign country they may not be
allowed to enter it in the future. They considered the risk too great.
They wanted to have the opportunity to work or visit the country in the
future.
Käti(TRG): I think that I would not go. It could happen that
I won’t be allowed into the country again and maybe in the future I would
have an opportunity to go there, just for a visit. Why ruin that possibility?
Another reason for not working illegally in a foreign country is that
the employer can cheat the employee with impunity or not pay the employee
for the work done.
Natasha(NKK): I know that with a tourist visa you have to look for work
yourself. You may work there as long as you want, but when you decide to
go home, you may not get your money, because legally you have not be employed.
You have no contract, nothing.
Couple young women had ethical reasons for not working abroad without
a work permit.
Laura(TRK): I would not go. My friends and acquaintances and family
have had so many problems and they have had a hard time getting visas.
Why? Because, of some... they don’t want to pay the taxes. Want to
keep the money. It’s very enticing to think you get a lot of money and
lal-lal-laa, and after all it’s the USA and... /---/ I think most of it
depends on your own ethics, whether you think only of yourself or not (laughs).
5. Awareness of possible dangers
Trafficking in people is a multifaceted violation of human rights. It
looks for people to place into slave labour, prostitution, or even be organ
donors. The victims of trafficking suffer different degrees of physical
and psychological violence. Very often the victim’s freedom to move is limited,
their wages are taken from them, they can be infected via sexual contact,
or become alcohol or drug dependent.
Talking about the potential risks, the possibility of falling victim
to slave labour was mentioned in all discussion groups. The participants
knew of instances in their circle of friends where the work became unbearable
for the girl and she simply had to give up the job. Likewise, there was
fear of ending up “in a crazy house” where the hosts accuse servants and
baby-sitters of stealing things. They knew of instances where friends had
worked, but had been denied payment.
Nina(NKK): A friend went to England. She happened to go to a place
(farm) where the head of the household simply exploited her. Did not pay
her at all. She left the place. She had a work permit and everything, but
she still left the place. She went to France and found work as a cleaning
woman in a hotel. She earned money... yes, that’s what happened. A
lot depends on who is the boss. Even on a farm. Who is your boss?
The graduates knew of almost as many instances of someone becoming a
victim of sex slavery as becoming a victim of slave labour.
Teele, Anni, Berit(TÜG): You can find yourself in prostitution.
Berit(TÜG): You go to be a baby-sitter and...
Anni(TÜG): It can happen that you go there and cannot get back
anymore.
Berit(TÜG): Later it can happen that the business does not let
you return home at all. Then you have to know that nobody protects you
there, especially if you’re there illegally. Even if they do something
bad to you, you have to obey them.
Anni(TÜG): You are a nobody there.
Berti(TÜG): They can do with you whatever they want.
Lembi(TRG): Well, lately there are campaigns trying to explain things.
Many young people, I know, have fallen into prostitution./---/ There you
can get such a bad disease that you don’t want to go on living. And you
can become a drug addict very easily. If you end up in a bad place, anything
can happen to you. The worst is probably if you can never get back home,
or if your friends and family don’t know where you are and you are cut off
from the whole world. They can experiment on you, even make you into an organ
donor, and I cannot imagine what else... Pretty awful things are done, I
cannot even imagine them. You may think you are safe, but in reality you are
in danger.
East-Viru and Pärnu girls knew to say that you can fall victim
to human trafficking travelling from one part of Estonia to another; you
don’t have go to a foreign country.
Olga(NKK): I know that in Tallinn they do that (take your passport).
/---/ A girl I know visited ma couple years ago. She dances striptease and
associates with lots of people. She said, that they... For example, an
ad looks for girls to give erotic massages. They respond to the ad and they
work. Then they’re asked for their documents. Documents are taken from them
right there in Tallinn and they end up working as prostitutes. They have
to give all kinds of massages and work as prostitutes, because they have
no choice. Even in Estonia passports are taken from girls.
Kati(PSHG): There are many (means for keeping the girls incommunicado).
The variety of means they use make schoolgirls do what they do. Schoolgirls
are brought even to Tallinn constantly.
Siiri(PSHG): Listen, they’re brought to Pärnu, too.
Kati(PSHG): Actually, to everywhere. And they end up in a forced situation,
because they have no place and no friends at these places. And they want
their dose (narcotics) for the next day.
Pille(PSHG): We just had a chat with West-Viru and East-Viru girls and
they said that they had come to the beach.
Siiri(PSHG): In the summer, more rooms are rented to girls - so, you
figure!
The above-alleged cases do not take place in a “country of origin” and
a “destination country” situation, which are common terms used in human
trafficking, but we’re talking about a “town of origin” and a “destination
town”, in a country that is geographically small.
6. Awareness of necessary procedures for going to work abroad
In order to make sure that the job abroad is safe to take, it is necessary
to take preliminary steps in Estonia before leaving the country. It is important
to find out if the business is legitimate. One must obtain a work permit
and sign a spelled-out contract with the employer, take along a notarised
copy of one’s passport, contact-information about one’s consulate, and sufficient
amount of money for a return ticket to Estonia, and more.
We asked the young women what they think they need to do before going
to work abroad.
The ones best informed about risks counted off measures for assuring
one’s safety, but the graduates who were mostly unaware of dangers had not
heard about ways to assure one’s safety, either. Regrettably, the former
were not the majority in the group.
About a third of the Estonian language high school graduates had not
thought about necessary preliminary procedures before leaving Estonia. Some
girls did not even open their mouth during the discussion of this topic,
which indicated somewhat their level of knowledge. Most of the aware girls’
knowledge about safety measures was spotty, which seemed to have come to
them from media mentioning instances of human trafficking.
As previously mentioned, high schools graduates trust most of all their
friends’ recommendations. A friend’s positive assessment appeared almost
as a guarantee of safety.
Zhenya(TMHG): If the question of going abroad to work were to come up,
I would immediately ask my friends whether they have been there or know
anything about it. It’s not likely that I would go to a place where nobody
has been and about which nobody knows anything. I don’t like to take risks
like that. It would be too big of a risk.
Quite frequently, the preliminaries were entrusted to the au pair agencies.
Interviewer: Do you know what needs to be done before going abroad to
work?
Olga(NKK): The agency takes care of all that. You just pay the agency
and it does all the work. Absolutely everything. The agency finds you the
employer and the place to live.
Nina(NKK): ...gets you the work permit.
Olga(NKK): ...drives you to your destination.
Interviewer: Were you to decide to go abroad, you would do it through
an agency?
Olga, Nina, Natasha, Vera(NKK): Yes.
Interviewer: So, you yourself need not know about it exactly?
Olga, Nina, Natasha, Vera(NKK): Yes.
A third of the participants quite accurately remembered the information
heard previously from the media.
Lembi(TRG): First of all, I would have to be convinced that the place
where I want to go is legitimate, so that I am not being smuggled into
the country. You should ask the people who have been there what experiences
they had and what would they recommend. If something bad happened to them,
I would want to avoid that. Definitely, you need to check with some offices
what needs to be done - some inoculations, or in case of emergency to reach
my parents or somebody that can rescue me. You definitely should leave
behind copies of your passport.
It should be noted that knowledge about necessary procedures was more
equally distributed among Russian language high graduates than among Estonian
graduates. Whereas among the latter were some very well informed as well
as those who heard the term “human trafficking” for the first time, all
the Russian graduates had thought about the dangers. Perhaps the ones best
informed were the graduates from the Russian schools. In addition, they
were the most pleased to receive additional information. It appears that
going to work abroad is a much-discussed topic among ethnic Russian girls.
Marina(TMHG): If, for example, you want to find work as a baby-sitter
via an agency, you must first ask if they have a representative in that
country. Right away, at the beginning, you have to make sure you have a
way to back out. That is just good sense.
Zhenya(TMHG): You have to check how legitimate are the people offering
you to go somewhere. You have to check the agency’s legitimacy. What guarantees
exist that you can come back without a problem and will not end up being
there the rest of your life? I read somewhere - I can’t remember where -
that do not go abroad without checking everything out.
7. Identifying with the risk group
In order for a person to be aware of a danger and protect himself in
case of need, that person needs to see himself as a potential victim. Examples
of misfortunes met by friends and friends-of-friends create a feeling to
be careful. At the same time, it is very human to keep silent about bad experiences
or betrayals, and talk about the successes. So, it is to be expected that
in a society spread the view that awful things, such as prostitution, threatens
only the social outcasts or the uneducated and not the “normal” people.
Such a view allows one to sleep peacefully at night, but it does not protect
one against dangers. On the contrary, superior attitude can make a person
more vulnerable. If a young woman with such an attitude should encounter
problems abroad contrary to her expectations, she may feel too ashamed to
seek help.
A large part of Estonian language high school graduates thought that
human trafficking is foreigner’s problem. In some cases, that “foreigner”
was scorned.
Mimi(TRK): Those who let themselves be fooled like that, those who are
taken... I don’t know... to a bordello, I wonder about their IQ or I don’t
know what. I would go only for something certain. I cannot be fooled like
that, I’m sure of it.
Here surfaced the same opinion that the results of a quantitative study,
requisitioned by the International Migration Organization and conducted
by Turu-uuringud a year ago revealed. When Estonians were asked in September
2001, “Who is to blame that girls/women are trafficked abroad for the purpose
prostitution?”, 36.7% were of the opinion that “Girls/women themselves,
since they trust everyone too much.” (Gaidys 2002: 16).
It’s possible that the young Estonian women have a superior attitude
about prostitutes due to the common opinion that prostitutes are Russian-speaking
girls who are sufficiently lazy and haven’t bothered to learn Estonian.
Estonians cannot visualize fellow Estonians in such situations.
Quite a number of the participants did not think that prostitutes are
victims or unhappy people. The girls emphasized that the prostitutes earn
good money and relatively easily.
Liis(PSHG): (Prostitutes think) Why should I cook and ruin my hands
every day when I can get five times the pay for 20 minutes.
Kati(PSHG): It’s an easy way to earn money (prostituting) when you’ve
reached the point where it doesn’t bother you psychologically anymore.
After you’ve gotten over that barrier, then the money just rolls in. Prostitutes
themselves have talked how it goes.
The research by the International Migration Organiztion conducted on
human trafficking related matters in the Baltic countries, also, showed
that Estonians frequently see prostitution as lucrative jobs, based on the
employee having relative dependence on the employer, the employee being
a free agent, and the work being adequately appreciated. The research process
disclosed that the majority relate to prostitution by Estonians and foreigners
in Estonia, and prostitution by Estonians in foreign countries as work.
It was, also, learned that Estonians treat human trafficking and prostitution
as independent entities (Okolski 2001:27).
The group in this study was quite typical in excluding itself from a
risk group, regardless of the girls’ social standing. Even several girls
from average high schools thought that the danger of human trafficking is
remote for their circle of friends, and that it touches poorer girls. The
subjects quite typically excluded themselves from the risk group, regardless
of their social standing. For the most part, they had in mind Ida-Viru and
country girls as potential victims.
The graduates who thought that they are not protected against becoming
victims constituted a minority.
Kerli(SÜG): I really have heard very little about it. I don’t get
to see documentary films very much, I don’t read the newspaper, and I don’t
have friends that have been abroad. I know very little actually. Maybe I
would have gone (without regard to safety).
Olga(NKK): I did not know, for example, that when you travel abroad
you should take along a notarised copy of your passport. Now I know. I
certainly will call my parents every day. If I hadn’t read that brochure
(IOM information brochure “Don’t trust easy jobs abroad,), I would not
have made a copy of the passport and leave it in a secure place. I didn’t
know that and would not have done it. That is very important information.
Respondents who saw in themselves potential victims connected human
trafficking with prostitution and regarded prostitutes with greater understanding.
They associated prostitution chiefly with a forced situation, and did not
think of prostitutes as simple-minded and luxury seeking fools who don’t
care about their future. In response to the question why some women become
prostitutes, they thought that prostitutes are victims of negative circumstances.
Zhenya(TMHG): Maybe they’ve grown up in a family that has no money and
parents send them to earn money. They don’t care where she goes to
get it. And they don’t care how she earns it. The main thing is that
she brings some back. Or maybe she doesn’t have any parents. Maybe there
is nothing else for her to do. I think that there really aren’t too many
of them. But maybe 70%. I also think that most of them go abroad to work as
dancers in bars, at the beginning. After that they get into prostitution.
It starts with dancing and then...
Natasha(NKK): Once I saw a broadcast about an older woman who had to
be a prostitute, because she had a sick child and she could not earn money
any other way. She had to work like that. /---/ If I were in her situation,
I may do the same thing. /---/ For my child, not for my own welfare or riches.
Not for more clothes to buy for myself.
Pille(PSHG): I knew somebody who earned money in that profession for
a while in order to support herself and her child. She did it for material
reasons. /---/ She didn’t go into it big-time, but was right here in Pärnu.
Now she is a content family person. When she had to choose work, she chose
that.
8. Views on effective preventive activity
A minority of those participating in the study expressed serious interest
in preventive information. The girls from Narva were particularly appreciative
of the information brochure, saying that they will read it several times.
These young women felt that they are in the risk group.
Unfortunately, distribution of brochures turned out to be insufficient
preventive material for the majority.
Rutt(TKG): Even when you have a campaign and pass out this brochure,
there is no guarantee that the person will read it. The person may think
that it doesn’t concern her and puts it aside.
Interviewer: OK. The brochure won’t do it, but what would be better?
Saale(TKG): Experience (laughs).
Rutt(TKG): Maybe also if you show on the street some kind of... those
who end up there. You could show how they stand there and walk about the
street, wearing obscene clothes. As for the brochure, you simply read it
and it may not stay with you. But if you see...
Interviewer: How about a documentary film?
Leane(TKG): Yes.
Rutt(TKG): I think when something has happened to your friend that makes
the strongest impression. Even the film you see fades from memory. You don’t
think about it, because you don’t think about bad happenings.
When youth lacks the interest, the interest has to be formed. We need
to find a strategy for information ingestion. The above statement indicates
that in order to gain their attention, you have to offer the youth sharp
impressions. The competition with violent films and other contemporary noise
would be lost otherwise.
In order to distribute information effectively, written form should
be avoided, because reading demands more energy than listening. It would
be beneficial for speech to be complemented by visuals. Discussions revealed
that documentary films would be the most effective choice.
Lectures and workshops were also considered good means for information
distribution. The girls felt that young specialists outside the school would
be best for those activities. They said that information should consist
of concrete facts and examples, and their distributors should be former officers
or experts that have worked with victims or the police.
At this point it would be useful to divide information distribution
into two categories. The first one would inform the young women of the
possible dangers that the jobs abroad may have. The objective is to have
the young women start identifying themselves as part of a group at risk.
The second category would consist of distributing concrete instructions
to the young people already informed about possible dangers. As previously
mentioned, the selected Russian language high school graduates and some
Estonian graduates were already knowledgeable about the first category
information. Concrete information and instructions can be given them, and
it can be done with the brochures. It is necessary to start explaining to
the majority of the discussion group participants that human trafficking
is not somebody else’s problem. Documentary films, lectures and workshops
are the suitable means to do that. When the first phase is done successfully,
the girls will be interested in the brochures, which should be in easy reach.
In addition to discussing the most effective way of distributing information,
we asked the girls if human trafficking information should be given to young
men. The answers frequently showed doubt. The reason appeared to be the
young women’s very traditional concepts about gender roles.
If in Sweden, where flexible gender roles are cultivated, prostitutes
are seen as victims and their clients as criminals, then quite a few of
this year’s high school Estonian graduates consider a woman selling her body
filthy and show understanding toward the woman’s client.
This kind of tolerance seems to stem from the understanding that prostitution
is filthy, but normal and unavoidable, because men have to gratify their
urges. It is noteworthy, that numerous girls align with the “unavoidable”
and in support of the opposite sex. By considering prostitution to be “unavoidable”,
they even favour legalization of prostitution.
Interviewer: Maybe we should inform boys about this, for they are the
potential customers of prostitutes?
Rutt(TKG): They’ve got to get is from somewhere. Nobody gives it to
them for nothing (laughs).
Interviewer: Should we talk about this to girls and boys, brothers and
future fathers, together in school or separately?
Pille(PSHG): That is very important, because it is men who are the traffickers,
buyers. At the same time, I would not oppose legalizing prostitution, because
there are men who do not get satisfaction from their wives. But men’s awareness
is important; because when they are involved with prostitution then they
are also indirectly involved with human trafficking.
Liis(PSHG): Not indirectly, but directly.
Pille(PSHG): Still indirectly.
Interviewer: Why do you think indirectly?
Kati(PSHG): Because they are not selling that person into a foreign
country.
The above dialogue among girls in Pärnu reveals the general confusion
in the minds of the subjects about a client’s role in human trafficking.
The girls were of the opinion that both the prostitute and the pimp are involved
with something ugly and prohibited, but whether the prostitute’s client
is guilty seems to create conflicting views.
Awareness of the danger of falling victim to human trafficking need
not make all girls careful with job-seeking abroad. Russian language Mustamäe
Humanities High School graduates had the pessimistic view that there are
girls who go to work abroad, being aware that they may become prostitutes.
Mustamäe young women thought that such girls have made up their mind
and no amount of warnings or criticism will change it.
Julia(TMHG): Many girls go there for that (to work as prostitutes).
Well, maybe not exactly with the knowledge, but they have no work yet and
they go.
Stella(TMHG): Many know what awaits them, know what they will have to
do, but they go anyway.
Conceivably, these girls might look at their options longer if they
had information about the brutality and violence, which constitute the
daily life for most prostitutes. When designing preventive activities, reaching
that group of girls should be borne in mind.
Conclusions
At the beginning of the report, it is noted that most of the participants
in this study were basically ready to go to work abroad. Those girls who
saw themselves in the risk group were few in number. It’s apparent that a
dangerous potential exists. The girls with superior attitude toward danger
do not know how to do the preliminary work necessary before going to work
in a strange environment. The job offer should be investigated in Estonia,
because later it just might be too late.
Based on the study material, one cannot identify any one group as being
clearly more at risk than the others. Girls from different environments
are vulnerable to human trafficking for different reasons.
All the girls in East-Viru know about trafficking and are aware that
they belong in a risk group. They try to protect themselves to a degree,
but in comparison to the Estonian language high school female graduates and
Tallinn’s Russian high school female graduates, it is unusually difficult
for them to find work in Estonia. The economic situation and lack of long-term
prospects may cause those young women to seek work abroad. Those Russian-speaking
girls wanted to leave Estonia at the first opportunity. During the interviews,
the feeling one got from them was that it cannot be worse there than it is
in Estonia. In this respect, the non-Estonian young women in Estonia are
more aware of the dangers than their ethnic Estonian counter-parts, but they
are also more inclined to take risks.
The girls from middle-class Estonian speaking families have been living
in ordinary homes and have friends from the same background. They do not
understand why anyone would have harmful plans for them. They have not been
targeted for harm and expect goodness naively from everyone. Unlike the
girls from the other ethnic communities, young Estonians are used to feeling
at home, being in the majority and the decision-makers. They may not be
able to imagine a situation where the environment forces them into a humiliating
and undesirable situation. Especially the upper-class Estonian girls may
feel themselves to be in command and as decision- makers. They have a good
education, positive outlook on life and the belief that they are winners.
Girls that have not had to think about details may think that language and
work permit are just a bother - everything will go as smoothly as it always
has. A young woman may not even imagine that in a strange environment, away
from parents and home, her status is gone. They don’t know about the common
attitudes that transform a nice, adventurous Estonian girl into a hungry
and jobless East-European immigrant among many.
The attitude of many of the Estonian girls participating in the study
can be considered unreal. They lack clear understanding how the world beyond
their country’s borders sees them. East-European girls have a one-sided perception
of themselves. They see well-paid adventure in their foreign jobs and assume
that foreigners think the same. However, for the wealthy Westerner, they
are doing low-paying menial work. The young women from post-Soviet countries
go abroad with a winner’s attitude to do a loser’s job.
If the young women working abroad as dishwashers and hotel maids draw
a strong distinction between their jobs and prostitutes, a Westerner may
not share this understanding. A well-meaning citizen of a well-off society
may assume that if a girl is willing to work without a permit (outside
legal protection) and receive a minimum wage for a job that natives refuse
to do, then she must be desperate enough to sell her body.
Estonian language speaking girls’ naively optimistic attitude stems
from the Estonian peoples’ ambivalent situation. On one hand, Estonians
may feel as “first class people”. In their own country they possess political
and economic power, and call themselves white, educated Europeans. That contributes
to a self-perception of being among the winners. On the other hand, the
standard of living in the West is so much higher than in Estonia that when
an Estonian gets any kind of a job in the West, she considers herself lucky,
because by Estonian standards she is earning well.
Due to this ambivalence it is possible to assume that adventurous Estonian
girls are a more susceptible group to the human traffickers’ lures than,
for example, Kurds or gypsies who are used to being a sub-cultural group.
For the latter, deception, derision and violence are a common danger and,
therefore, they learn early to distrust, look over the shoulder, and if necessary,
to run. For that reason, it can be assumed that young ethnic Estonian women
finding themselves in strange situations, are more at a loss than the ethnic
minorities whose experiences in Estonia have provided them with savvy.
Post-Soviet Estonia’s membership in the European Union and other accruing
Western structural benefits are expected to reduce the economic inequalities
that currently exist in relation to her neighbours. One of the consequences
could be lessening of the urge by Estonian young women to seek jobs abroad.
That would reduce the possibility of Estonians falling victim to slave labour
or sex slavery in a foreign environment. Estonia’s ranking would fall as
a land of origin for prostitutes
In addition to the economic equalization, the European Union can bring
with it human rights awareness rising in the new members. That, too, would
teach Estonian young women how to protect themselves.
A pessimistic dimension is introduced by the possibility that an economically
developed Estonia will become an even more popular destination country for
prostitutes.
Works cited
Gaidys, V. (2002) Public Perception and Awareness in Trafficking of
Women in The Baltic States, Vilnius, Lithuania
Hansson, L. (2000) Labor and vocational mobility and informal social
networks, from the publication: On the Road to a Balanced Society: Women
and Men in Estonia Maimik, P.; Mänd, K.; Papp, Ü. (editors), Ministry
of Social Affairs, Republic of Estonia, Tallinn.
Lynggard, T. NIKK magasin no.1-2002. Nordic Institute for Women’s studies
and Gender Research, Oslo, Norway
Okolski, M. (2002) Major findings of the IOM research on trafficking
in women in the Baltic States: Patterns and extent of the Problem, from the
publication: Trafficking in women in the Baltic States: the extent of the
challenge and search for effective remedies, International Organization for
Migration (IOM), Regional Office for the Baltic and Nordic Countries, Helsinki,
Finland
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially
Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against
Transnational Organized Crime http://www.uncjin.org/Documents/Conventions/dcatoc/final_documents_2/convention_%20traff_eng.pdf
U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report, July 2001.
(http://www.state.gov/g/inl/rls/tiprpt).
Vöörmann, R. (2000) Men and Women in the Labour Market: wages,
from the publication: On the Road to a Balanced Society: Women and Men in
Estonia Maimik, P.; Mänd, K.; Papp, Ü. (editors) Ministry of
Social Affairs, Republic of Estonia, Tallinn.