Business with the Product: "Woman"

(This is an article detailing one dark facet of Vienna Culture. Some paragraphs are somewhat explicit. I want to increase your awareness of the terrain I am about to venture into. -Yvonne)

By Mary Kreutzer and Corinna Milborn


Joy sits on a chair; her long plastic curls hang down almost to the floor. She hugs her knees and rocks back and forth. Behind her the T.V. is turned on but muted: car racing. The minutes seem to stand still in this cross between an hourly hotel and a brothel. It’s situated directly across from Prater in Vienna, one of the centers of prostitution in the city. Old dusty lace curtains and potted plants adorn the windows of the adjoining buildings. The only difference is the red lights that hang in the three windows here. A half dozen other girls sit on old leather sofas; they are all from Nigeria. In the middle is a “Madam”: a sour old African woman in sweat pants and head covering, who constantly hisses out orders. Joy lifts her head, sighs loudly and pulls up her jeans. She sits down next to a guest, lays her hand on his leg and asks with a remarkable amount of distaste, what his pleasure is: The guest is waiting, however for another girl. After he gets up, Joy returns to her chair, again hugs her knees and drops her head.

Joy is just one of ten of thousands of young Nigerian women, who have been sold to Europe in order to be used in the prostitution business. Across from the brothel are the Viennese Exhibition Centers, where long rows of girls and women stand, most of them from Nigeria, and most very young. That they are at least 18 years of age is debatable. They stand there in their mini-skirts in biting cold conditions, or they wear blue jeans and sneakers. If they are lucky, the “john” pays for an hourly hotel. If not, their work area is a tree, on which they lean to do their
business, or perhaps the passenger seat of a car. The grass and side walk are littered with used condoms and tissues. €30 is the standard rate, but if they are having a bad day, it can be half of that. The money must be used to pay back the traffickers that brought them here under false pretences. In Africa they were promised a job or a college education, but with their forged documents, they have been brought to Europe and forced into prostitution. Until they have paid off their debt of anywhere between €45 000 and €60 000, they basically live as slaves. In order to have that much money, they would have to service about 2 000 customers. Of course they also have to pay for their own expensive clothing (that someone gets for them) and for their rent. That usually comes to about €3500 a month.

Blessing has this martyrdom behind her, but she still shakes when she talks about it. She was sold to Europe, and after eight months of forced prostitution, she was deported back to Nigeria. We meet in Benin City, a city in the south of Nigeria, with streets of red dust and little houses. Most of the victims of Nigerian based trafficking come from this city or the surrounding area. She is very small and is so happy for the clothes we have brought along, that she hugs us several times. “A friend of our family asked my parents, if I wanted to go to Europe” she tells us. “He promised me a college education in Italy.”

“as if we were animals”

That the trip wouldn’t be made legally was clear. There aren’t any visas for Nigerian women, who want to study or work in Europe. Blessing had to swear to a voodoo priest that she would never betray those who brought her to Europe. Then the trip through hell began: through the Sahara. Because entering Europe has become difficult due to more rigid flight regulations, more and more are coming over land and sea. They have to “earn” their trip on the way and are sold from one middle man to the next. For many this trip can take months. It took Blessing almost two years to get through the desert from Nigeria to Morocco. They were always trying to escape from security personnel as well as from bandits.

“We walked constantly. One time we walked for two weeks straight. We walked straight through the night. When we saw an Arab, we would beg for food and water.” “De l’eau, de l’eau” – is what they say there. “Some of them tossed fruit at us as if we were animals. Many die during these
trips. As far as you can see there is only desert. You don’t know where you came from or where you are going. I sold my urine to a man once, because there was nothing more to drink. Many leave together, but not all make it to their destination. Many cry, when the weak ones have to
be left behind. We know that they will die.”

Blessing crossed over to Spain in a boat after her two year journey. From there she is picked up by a contact person. “The product: woman” has arrived at her destination.

Human Trafficking is, according to the UNO, the fastest growing business in the world. Many believe it has already passed drug running and the illegal sale of weapons. Four Million women and girls are bought and sold every year for the purpose of forced marriages, prostitution or
other forms of slavery. One of the largest emporiums for the product: “woman” is Western Europe, where according to Amnesty International a total of approximately 500 000 women and girls are sent each year. The largest profit is made through forced prostitution.

"Traffickers from Benin City"

The trafficking of women from Africa to Europe is a fairly recent development. It began in Nigeria in the 1980s as a result of the economic crisis there. The business is in the hand of so-called “Madams” and follows the old pattern of victims and criminals, cruel men and poor
women. It was actually the same business people from Benin City, that used to sell Italian handbags and gold, who first realized the earning potential that is in the European Sex Industry. As the economy in Nigeria collapsed, they began to import Nigerian women to Europe. Right
up to the present the traffickers are mainly women, many who themselves had been victims. After they pay off their debt, they first manage the girls of another Madam until they have enough money to buy their own. There is a kind of savings account, called an “Osusu” that several madams pay into. When they’ve saved €10 000, they can order a new girl. “Those who were themselves victims are even crueler.” They have never experienced grace and therefore know no grace,” says Sister Eugenia Bonetti, who cares for Italian victims.

The men work in the support roles as recruiters, document forgers, transporters and thugs. The mafia of the traffickers is not a large, powerful organization. It is more of a cluster network that continually reproduces itself. It is flexible and inconspicuous. “Europe has given us a very clear place: you do the dirty work on the street or move on. We are taking the chance that we have: the traffickers as well as the girls,” explains a “trolley defensive” - that’s what the transporters
are called that bring the girls to the madams. It goes without saying that a Refugee applicant in Austria really only has one choice – prostitution. Experts believe that as many as 100 000 Nigerian women are working in Europe in forced prostitution. They were just looking for a better life for themselves and their families and were sold by their relatives.

Most of them don’t know that they will have to work in prostitution. Those who do know, are told that they will be able to pay off their debt within just a few short months. “When the girls arrive and figure out that they are being handed over to a Madam and that they have been sold
out, it is always a very difficult time. When it becomes clear to them that they will have to stand half-naked on the streets, hour after hour in the bitter cold, they begin to despair. Everyone tells the same story with tears in their eyes”, says Simona Meriano from the help organisation “Tampep” that cares for prostitutes in Turin.

"Voodoo as means of pressure"

Blessing says: “On the first evening I went out onto the street with the leggings and blouse that she gave me. Cars drove in my direction, but I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I didn’t get any customers. The madam was very angry with me and screamed. Then she began hitting
me. I didn’t know anyway out. “The others are working and you aren’t – what are you doing out there the whole time?” she yelled. “Are you sleeping on the street? How are you going to pay back the money that you owe?” I told her I couldn’t do it, that no one had told me that I had to
do such things, I just couldn’t do it! … but I had to.

Then came the first customer. I was no longer Blessing. The person who I once was, died. White men slept with me, gave me money, and I gave it up to her. Sometimes no one came, sometimes five in a row. If they didn’t pay, I would think: ‘Oh God, how am I going to survive this?’ Sometimes they took me to a club, sometimes they slept with me in the car. I died a little more every time.”

The girls and women are trapped in a network of force that makes escape almost impossible. It’s not just raw physical violence that keeps them imprisoned. The traffickers keep their legal documents, which makes it impossible for them to go to the authorities. There, if they are not
willing to identify their traffickers, they are not treated as victims, but are deported as illegal immigrants. Filing charges is very dangerous for them. There is a victim protection plan, but only for a certain amount of time. There is really no guarantee of protection or for the possibility afterwards of finding a job. But more troubling is that there is no protection for the woman’s family back in Nigeria. The traffickers have a very tight network. If the woman doesn’t pay up, her family suffers. That can mean anything from being put under pressure – to murder. The most powerful method, however that keeps the women quiet is the vow that everyone must give before leaving Nigeria. The ritual is held by a voodoo priest – or “Juju” as this wide spread religion is called there.

Joana Adesuwa Reiterer knows all about that. The young actress from Benin City came five years ago with her Nigerian husband to Austria, where he is a citizen. He told her that he owns a chain of restaurants in Vienna. /“But as time passed I began to realize more and more that my
husband was involved in trafficking,/” explains Joana. /“He was bringing young Nigerian women with forged documents to Austria and selling them into prostitution.”/ Her husband wanted her to play the role as “Madam”, so she knows the business from the inside. Joana was able to escape and fought her way through. She has completed several degrees, remarried and is working successfully in Vienna as an actress. But more importantly she has founded the organization “Exit”, where she helps Nigerian victims of trafficking, as well as seeks to educate girls and women still in Nigeria to the dangers. She tells how her husband explained to her the methods of force being used. /“My ex-husband promised the telephone number of a man who would threaten the girls with physical violence, if they didn’t pay and comply. He said that I could tell them that they are illegally here and that they have no legal documents, and they would be turned over to the police who would put them in prison and then deport them. The most effective method, however to keep them in line is by threatening them with the Juju Magic. ‘Take this powder and tell them, that pieces of fingernails, hair and pubic hair from all the girls are in it. They had to give those things to the priest before they left and swear that they would pay their debt and do any work. Take a little powder in your hand and threaten to blow it and speak a curse. They will keep each other in line, because they all will be cursed.”/

"Threats become reality"

In Benin City we find a Juju Priest, who is involved in trafficking. Dr. Baba is about 6’5” tall, is wearing yellow pants and nothing else. His large stomach bounces when he laughs, and he likes to laugh a lot. Baba is a fairly high ranking priest, “an elephant.” Juju is a mystery and it is not talked about with strangers. But Dr. Baba is so proud of his powers that he tells about the ritual that the women must go through. “The girls that are being brought to Europe come to me before they leave and must give as part of the ritual a vow in the Shrine. I take a fingernail, hair, pubic hair, underarm hair and blood from their period. Then they must swear that they will pay and the amount is determined. If they don’t pay, they will get sick, become crazy or will become a drug addict,” explains the Juju man and stretches himself to his full height and rolls his lood-shot eyes. He looks very intimidating at times like this. Psycho-drugs and alcohol play a huge part in this ritual and intensifies the impressions of the victims. He visits his “daughters” regularly in Europe as a spirit. In this way, he can control them.

For the victims, these threats often become reality: “relatives die, if they refuse to become prostitutes,” says a psychologist from “Naptip” the Nigerian center against Human trafficking. “But it most often affects the young women, themselves. They believe in the curses and begin to have hallucinations. The Juju Priest is a very important part of the Mafia that trafficks women. Although everyone knows what they are doing, they are still not hunted down. As an African, I also believe in the magic.”

"Racists that allow themselves to be served "

The real root of the problem in all of this is the market for it in Europe. One out of every three men, according to the German Whore Trade Union, takes advantage of the services of a prostitute regularly. In Vienna alone, an estimated 15 000 “johns” are serviced each day, reports the Cedaw Report on Women’s Rights. Due to the drop in number of Western European Prostitutes, the demand for women from poorer countries has dramatically increased – if necessary by force. One of the johns is named Gregor. We arrange a meeting with him close to Prater. There we encounter an average person: He’s wearing a Sports jacket over jeans, his short hair shows through to a bit of baldness, his shoes look very expensive. He has a good job, a nice car, and a woman who he lives with, who knows nothing about the “hobby” he has had since he went to a private high school in Vienna. He knows the story of the women from Nigeria, but allows himself to be serviced by them anyway.

Do the johns know what they are doing – and what do they do, when they realize that the woman they are with is a victim of trafficking? “Should I be honest? At that moment, I really don’t care,” Gregor tells us openly. “African prostitutes are filling a hole in the market. They are
always cheaper than the others. That probably goes back to the slavery thing.” Africans also fill the desire for the exotic and in an unbelievable number of cases it is often racists that take advantage of their services. If a woman is doing her work because she wants to or not doesn’t really matter to most of the johns. We opened an Internet Forum for johns and received 19 answers back. They all know that there is forced prostitution in Vienna, but only one out of the 19 said that they would do something about it if they suspected a specific case.

The trafficking of women from Africa is being controlled by Africans, but the responsibility lies in Europe. Here is not only the market, but the justice system also plays into the hands of the traffickers. The economic situation in Africa, for which Europe is partially responsible, forces at least one person from every family to immigrate. Since it is impossible to get a work visa, the only way to get to Europe is through illegal channels. The traffickers come across to the families as great helpers. Thanks to corruption in European Embassies, the only way to get to Europe is by way of forged documents. In this way, Austria has become a revolving door for the trafficking of women from Africa. The Austrian Consulate in Lagos was convicted in 2006, because it was shown that 700 irregular visas were given out. Money did not play a role, but traffickers from Nigeria tell us of a parallel message being given out. “For a fixed amount Austrian Visas can be purchased”.

"Tiny steps of €30"

If a women is brought into Austria, she is first sent to the refugee center with a false story, because here Refugee women are not allowed to get a regular job, but are allowed to legally work as a prostitute. For the entire length of the refugee process the woman can be exploited, without any problems from the government. After three or four years they are then deported. The traffickers import the merchandise and the country deports them when they are no longer of use.

Victims of trafficking are eligible for victim protection, but only if their testimony leads to the conviction of the traffickers. This risk is way too high for most of the women. “No witness protection program can protect the relatives of the woman back home” one officer tells us. That
binds the hands of the police. “Evidence can only be given from a victim, but the willingness to cooperate is zero”, says Gerhard Joszt from the Police.

Most of the victims that come in contact with the police are therefore just deported, often still in their work clothing. Most police officers are also not in the position to be able to recognize victims of trafficking. When Joana Reiterer, the actress wanted to press charges against her husband for trafficking, the charges were not even taken seriously at first. “She should first just divorce her husband”, was what the officer advised her to do.

A tour through all of the organisations that reach out to the affected women, shows that there are no easy answers. These women are not only victims of a crime, they are the greatest outcasts of our global society. This leads to their exploitation, oppression, a further imbalance of the global economic situation and racism.

It’s now five o’clock in the morning in the brothel where Joy works close to Prater. She wakes up from her bent over posture. The Madam claps her hands and the girls on the leather couches stand up and stretch. They grab their bags and jackets and leave the brothel with folded arms. Outside it’s already getting light. The girls run out to the street and wave at the cars. It is the last opportunity for today to earn a little money. A car with three drunken occupants stops. The
bargaining goes on for a long time. The three take two girls for €50. Joy and one other girl get in the car. Joy’s refugee status has been denied and she is now in Austria illegally and is working with the control card of one of her friends. She’s been paying for two years now. Soon the police will get tipped off about her and she will be deported. For now she still has hope that she will be able to keep working in order to buy her freedom – customer for customer, in tiny steps of €30
at a time.

*Written by Mary Kreutzer and Corinna Milborn, Der Standard, ALBUM, 29./30.3.2008*