Namrata Sharma 

One of the most heinous crimes on earth is trafficking people for sex trade. Girls, boys, women and men have been victims of this crime. Similarly, both men and women have been perpetrators. The conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell - former British Socialite - of recruiting and grooming teenage girls for sexual encounters with the disgraced late financier and her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004 has exposed to the world how the rich and famous women and men are involved in exploiting children as young as 14 and women of all age groups with the help of the power and the influence of their elite social status. 

According to The Guardian, Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 and charged of involvement in her ex-boyfriend’s sexual abuse of teenage girls - some as young as 14. She was found guilty of five out of six charges in her trial, including sex trafficking of a minor. According to the English newspaper, the jury came down with its verdict after about 40 hours of deliberations. She now faces up to 65 years in prison. 

Corrupt rich elite

This verdict has shown that almost two decades later, justice has been received by the survivors. It also shows that in a country like the USA there is a system of corrupt rich elite socialites and business tycoons who feel that the human population are there to serve them and they can abuse them anyway they want as long as they have power, money and a network of elites who support them. The case of Maxwell, who is an heiress of her British father’s property, is a sad story of one person who had enjoyed an affluent elite socialite status but is now embroiled in a sex trafficking ring that was extremely hard to crack because of her evasive nature and her support from her rich and famous circle. 

There are some rich and famous people in businesses, sports, entertainment industry, politics, and religion and security forces all over the world who are riddled with immoral and corrupt behaviours but because of their stature are behaving as if they are above the law. The arrest of Maxwell and exposure of the Epstein’s crimes have highlighted the need for activists, human right defenders and journalists to be aware of the fact that even in countries that claim to have a democratic and just system, there are predators who are lurking for preys in areas which is difficult for the law authorities to penetrate. With the world facing modern slavery, the heinous crime of human trafficking is continuing in its oldest form, and the latest system of migrant workers who face labour exploitation and sexual abuses is a vivid example of this. 

During my several encounters and stories of human trafficking I have exposed how Nepali workers were exploited for labour in European countries. During several visits in European countries and elsewhere, I have interacted with several women and men who have shared their stories of exploitations and how they were underpaid or were physically and sexually abused. However, as they are in new places with disadvantage of language and social support they do not dare to report. 

Although Maxwell and Epstein are clear examples of those that practice modern-day-slavery, the perpetrators of labour and sexual exploitation of migrant workers in Western countries too have developed their own inner circles that neither the victims nor the survivors can penetrate. 

Many a time women, girls and boys are lured into doing several “favours” for the agents and owners of different businesses in the destination countries and along the transit routes. In the Epstein/Maxwell case, the names of world leaders like Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump and even Prince Andrew of Britain keep on appearing in the news. All three of them have been seen in the company of the infamous couple. Of the three, Prince Andrew is currently facing court cases but is hiding in reclusion and is being very elusive. 

The billionaire Jeffery Epstein is believed to have operated his own sex trafficking racket where he invited and gave “pleasure” to his rich and famous friends/clients. A convicted serial pedophile, Epstein as reported in The Washington Post, was accused by several of the young women who lodged complaint against him that he had offered them to rich and famous sex partners during parties he hosted. Epstein has been proven to have ferried his friends in private plane called the “Lolita express,” where sexual abuse racket was operated and got covered due to their wealth and power. It is indeed difficult to believe that the USA, which is known to be a flag carrier of democracy, has such operations running in the country. 

Most-lucrative commodity

John W Whitehead writes in Counterpunch that during his in-depth investigation he discovered “…child trafficking where buying and selling of women, young girls and boys for sex - some as young as 9 years old - has become a big business in America.” According to Whitehead, it is the fastest growing business in organised crime and the second most-lucrative commodity traded illegally after drugs and guns. Whitehead’s report says that adults purchase children for sex at least 2.5 million times a year in the USA. According to a 2016 investigative report, boys make up to 36 per cent of children caught up in US sex industry. Similarly the report says that 60 per cent are female and less than 5 per cent are transgender males and females.  

Thanks to a set of committed law professionals, human rights activists and journalists, the Epstein/ Maxwell case has been finally exposed. However, it is not enough. There needs to be a united effort globally to end this heinous modern day slavery.

Published on: 12 January 2022 | The Rising Nepal