Hell in Mongolia

My media professor passed this article along to me over the weekend, knowing full well that I would be interested.

In spite of the sad nature of the article, which is actually an excerpt from the author's book Apologies to My Censor, I need to acknowledge that I was truly captivated by Mitch Moxley's writing. His descriptions of what visitors may have no choice but to witness upon a visit to the Mongolian cities Erlian and Maccu. It made me wonder - are captivating, first-hand accounts by witnesses to this Hell another method of spreading awareness of trafficking? Surely, someone who has never addressed the problem previously could be intrigued by reading an article (or a book, for that matter) of this type.

Moxley and his former co-worker Tom Mackenzie had worked together on Asia Weekly magazine, and were now looking for freelance work since the magazine had gone under. After their former boss gave the tip of "sex sells," they initially thought about writing a story on the night club, housed in their home area of Beijing - "Maggie's, the night club frequented by lonely expat businessmen, certain China Daily foreign experts, and Mongolian prostitutes."

The former co-workers did their homework, and discovered that "between 3,000 and 5,000 Mongolian women and girls [are] lured and forced into prostitution in foreign countries each year." They next surmised that they would have to visit the cities of Erlian (apparently, a "thriving oil town" as well as a "major human trafficking hub") and Maccu ("the Las Vegas of Asia").

The trips proved difficult, but for the sake of spreading the word, they were worth it. Moxley recounts walking through the streets of Erlian with Mackenzie and their photographer - they hired a driver to essentially give them a tour of the old city. Even the hotel had condoms and sex toys in the dresser drawer - what Moxley refers to as "the first signs of Erlian's sex trade." The center of town is occupied by a statue of a woman, and Moxley discusses just how foreign he and his cohorts feel walking through the center street lined with nondescript brothels - "in glass-fronted rooms, women of varying ages were curled up on couches, yawning and watching television."

The cohorts even had the opportunity to speak with some of the girls - one who they interviewed in a brothel in Erlian stated that "they took us to different rooms in a hotel and and showed us Chinese girls who had been raped. They said, 'Take a look, this is what will happen if you don't do this.'"

The situation in Maccu, as Moxley describes it, was worse. Moxley makes sure to mention that the hotels lining the "strip" in Maccu are the same name brand hotels that line the Las Vegas strip - the Wynn, the Venetian, just to name a few. However, while they were "just as impressive as their Vegas counterparts," they "felt soulless." The cohorts, disguised as clients, even had the opportunity (if we can even call it that?) to attend an auction involving women being used for sex.

I do not want to use this post as a complete paraphrase of Moxley's work - it would certainly not do it justice, and I certainly recommend that you read his complete text (maybe I will too!). Perhaps a story like Moxley's - and the work put in by him and Mackenzie and their photographer - will make front page news and assist in spreading awareness. We are so far away from the problem (at least in this particular case), and such a vivid account can have the potential to bring the problem further into our consciousness.

This is not a movie, folks. This is real life. The only way for Moxley and Mackenzie to get into the auction was to pose as the very thing they were (are) trying to fight. The market is so secretive (though Moxley does recall solicitors coming up to his group in the street and very secretly asking if they wanted girls) that the only way in, to rescue or to spread awareness, is to go undercover. The courage of this group goes beyond comprehension.