The Other Side of Migration

by Nader Houella

The Other Side of Migration
By Nader Houella

Her blonde locks falling over her large curious eyes, the 4-year-old blonde child played with the toys in her hand. Her mother, seemingly in a hurry, took away the toys and tucked her baby girl in bed. “Where are you going mom?” the innocent girl asked. “I’m going to work. Now you go to sleep” she answered. She quickly got dressed, grabbed the cigarette pack, door keys, purse and rushed outside the door. Going down the stairs, the sound of her stilettos echoed through the walls and she could almost hear her heart beating fast with anticipation. A bit of walking and she finally reached the highway. As she stood there by herself, she took out her small mirror to even out the carefully designed make-up powders that saturated her face. Then a car stopped and a man in the driver’s seat asked her a question she had grown accustomed to: “What’s the deal tonight?” In her tight burgundy dress that just about covered her upper thighs, she bent down, allowing him a deep view into her cleavage, inspected the interior of his car, and responded as she had grown accustomed to: “30 dollars. That’s my only deal”. He instantly extended his hand and opened the door for her to get in. They took off to an unknown location.
This is a story told to me by Leila – The pseudonym of a 24-year old divorcee whom I met, during my investigation into one of Lebanon’s underground worlds: female prostitution. It is one dark, but hidden of the relationships among Mediterranean countries which ought to be uncovered.

Leila’s World
Leila’s world is usually avoided, ignored or rejected by the mainstream public, often perceiving it as a shameful, scandalous and sometimes illegal job. Yet, it is a world that is vibrant with the activities of many of the likes of Leila and her “clients”. In Leila’s world, there is a “market” of “clients” and “goods and services”. Tourists from around the Euro-Med region flock to this world, shaping its “supply and demand” for years, but also deepening its roots within society as an ‘evil’. We often choose not to speak of this world, but we all know that it exists. For the sake of public morality, we decide to compromise the truth. Yet the fact remains that female prostitution in Lebanon is a bitter truth that conceals within its many layers the reality of deprived families, abandoned women and neglected children. The glittering lights of nightclubs and the luxury of 5-star hotels may draw a festive picture on the cover of Leila’s story. However, the glitz and glamour of nightlife in Lebanon is nothing but a layer of thick painting on a very bitter social reality in which women, mothers, sisters, and daughters from various Mediterranean countries are the stars.

To the onlooker, Leila could appear just like any other normal woman going about her day, but the truth is that she lives a double life. She is a mother during the day and a prostitute during the night trying to make enough money to get herself and her daughter through another day. Indeed, this is the case with the likes of Leila, all of whom find themselves driven by different reasons to lead double or hidden lives. What do we know about this life? How does sleeping with total strangers for the sake of money feel? Is it a feeling of pleasure or disgust? Fulfillment or guilt? As recent research has shown, the woman usually finds herself in a routine, which she has gotten used and eventually numbed by. “I got used to my conditions; they became a part of my identity. I adapted, submitted and became very tolerant to the degradation that I experience” explains Leila, indifferently.

A Narrow Gateway
Seeking answers to many questions in that matter, I referred to “House of Hope” (Dar El Amal), Lebanon’s only non-governmental organization in the field of sexual exploitation and prostitution. According to well-researched statistics provided by this organization, out of the women who are benefiting from its services in 2007, many of them were from Mediterranean and Arab nationalities, 103 of them were subjected to physical violence 78 were victims of sexual harassment, 71 to rape, 29 to incest with ages ranging from 13 to 45 years.

Heba Abou Chakra, an experienced social worker who deals directly with the female victims in the “House of Hope” organization, explains that due to the sensitivity of the matter, it is difficult to reach out to the victims. “They usually come to our center through the word-of-mouth, or we find them indirectly through the HIV cases which other medical centers detect” she says, explaining that many of the prostitute cases are related to sexually-transmitted diseases, drugs and incidents of domestic violence, which are all associated with prostitution. Each and every female victim needs great support, not just a shelter; According to Abou Chakra, “there is a need for medical, legal, psychological, physical and hygiene support”, adding that some prostitutes resort to the center with their children, who in turn need special kind of support, such as schooling. In one of the recent cases narrated by Abou Chakra, a female prostitute who was sent to prison while being pregnant lost her baby twice. “Frequent abortion is common among female prostitute prisoners” she explains, adding that some prostitutes accept to sleep with strangers “for a price as low as $10 or sometimes the price of a sandwich”. Sadly enough, the need that drives these ladies is often degrading.

Looking at the other side of the problem, there is Abou Karim, the pseudonym of a 45-year-old owner of a super night club north of Beirut. To him, prostitution is a thriving business that has high seasons and low seasons: “Clients in luxurious hotels request photo albums of the ladies I recruit. They make their choice and I deliver the goods. It’s a regular job” says Abou Karim, who inherited this “trade” from his father. The woman has no choice but to abide by Abou Karim’s orders, since he provides her with shelter, food and financial support. Most importantly, explains Abou Karim: “She should do whatever the client desires. After all, the client is always right”.

Incidents to Remember:
Although the victims of prostitution are varied, there are shameful cases which emphasize the need for urgent action. One example is the underage girls. Ghada Al Hakim, who is a social worker at the Baabda prison in Mount Lebanon, witnessed in the prison which she works at the cases of “Syrian underage girls from remote areas being sold by their families to Lebanese clients to work in the market of prostitution. She adds that there is a higher demand for virgins, since they are considered as “goods that are still new”. In one case, as Al Hakim recalls, a Syrian girl was forced by her family to go into prostitution as early as age 14, only to be sentences to three years in prison in Lebanon after spending 5 years in prostitution, sending the money to her family in Syria. In one touching incident, the lawyer Rolan Tok, who is a specialist in migrant issues, revealed how one of the ex-prostitutes who resorted to “Dar El Amal” actually met her sister in the association by coincidence adding that “had worked as maids in their childhood, before practicing prostitution” (Interview with Rola Tok, 2010).

Corruption, organized
It may be corrupt and abusive, but prostitution in Lebanon is actually organized. According to Jabour, a social worker from Kafa Association, despite this organized manner, there is discrimination and corruption within prostitution itself. For example, when arrests take place and target the prostitutes (since they are illegal), those from Syrian, Palestinian, Egyptian, Moroccan nationalities get the worst treatment, while those from Ukranian and Russian nationalities are quickly pardoned. “You have two groups of prostitutes: those coming from ‘first-class’ nationalities and others from ‘cheap’ nationalities’ – this is how the General Security views them”. In one case which took place in Baabda prison, four Ukrainian prostitutes were arrested but were let free after two days, while those from other “cheap” nationalities end up in prison for months. “The General Security officials simply want to avoid having problems with their embassies” explains Jabour.

Main Reasons Explained
What would push women, even young girls, to go through this humiliating bitter experience? While the reasons are varied, the most influential ones are well known. Nohad Boustani, a social worker in the “House of Hope” association notes that according to her experience in the field, issues like emotional deprivation, abuse, fragmentation of the family and early marriage weaken the ability of the woman to reisit temptations. Many of these temptations, especially money, exist in the prostitution world. This eventually makes her vulnerable to sex traffickers and pimps. Moreover, Khawla Matar, who works in the International Labor Organization Human Trafficking Department, explains that many of these girls come from underprivileged situations where they were forced to leave home, either to work as beggars or remain homeless. At such a situation, they often fall at the mercy of sex traders. They already feel abused by their families, the only thing the sex trader offers is money in return for abuse. Other difficulties which prostitution victims experience, according to the psychologist Joelle Khoury are the lack of compassion and emotional and physical stability in their lives, which weakens them even further.

In the end, we may choose to paint a complete rosy picture of the reality of the relationships among countries in the Mediterranean region, but the facts on the ground related to sex trafficking should prompt us to deal with the darker sides of this relationship. Unfortunately, the fruitful cooperation and cultural exchanges which take place within Euro-Mediterranean region have yet to give these migrant sex workers the role they deserve in plural societies. In a time when bridges for intercultural dialogue are much needed, there exists a side were stereotypes are manifested and migrants are abused.