Here we are in May in a supposed drought, the weather is cold,
dull and depressing and we are counting down the months, weeks and days until
that holiday abroad. We booked it twelve months ago and have since spent
countless hours on Google, looking for reviews of the resort we paid so much to
visit. Mr and Mrs Smith have just got back after a wonderful week in the sun.
The alcohol was cheap, the food was great but ‘watch out for those gypsy
beggars’. Dave and co have had an insane
fortnight partying hard. The best clubs in the world, sun, sea, sand and a lot
of shagging but guys, ‘beware of the gypsy hookers’.
Take, for instance, the Sunny Beach resort in Bulgaria. A quick Google
search provided me with the following reviews:
“…those gipsies are
to be found on the central alley of Sunny Beach…they run to you offering you
sex, and by the time you realize it, your wallet is gone”
“The cheapest
prostitutes are on the road to Sunny beach (mostly young gypsies girls)”
Indeed, 70 per cent of Bulgaria’s prostitutes
are reportedly Roma, which is hardly surprising giving that 84 per cent of
Bulgaria’s Roma population live in poverty.
Yet to me, a Romany boy brought up in the UK, I do find it shocking. You would be hard pressed to find a British Romany
prostitute, as sex before marriage and extramarital sex are so deeply frowned
upon, however while Britain’s Romany population are the victims of social
exclusion, their situation in no way mirrors the distressing situation of the
Roma across Europe.
Driving through Bulgaria last Christmas, it
saddened me to see Roma girls lining the side of the motorway waiting for
clients. To me it is a sad reflection of the deep and historic hatred for the
Romani people, which has ultimately triggered the extreme poverty and exclusion
which leads to prostitution. Yet, when we look at reviews for ‘Sunny Beach’, or
indeed any other resort across Europe, does anyone stop to think why these ‘gypsy
hookers’ are ‘harassing’ tourists?
The majority of these girls will have been forced
into prostitution. In Bulgaria, they are more than likely under the control of criminal gangs composed largely of ethnic Bulgarians, rather than Roma men. Not only are
Roma girls subjected to forced prostitution within Bulgaria itself, but are
often trafficked to countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany and the
Netherlands. Indeed, the trafficking of Roma woman is an international problem,
with girls being lured from deprived areas with the promise of employment or marriage
abroad, only to be forced into prostitution upon their arrival.
The sexual exploitation of Roma woman goes greatly unreported,
and the plight of these young women appears to go unnoticed, but is this
because these women are Roma or because they are prostitutes? I argue that these
women suffer not only from the stigma of being prostitutes, but of being Roma
as well. Instead of being outraged at those who traffic them, people show
disgust at the ‘dirty gypsies’ - an ethnic group who are being persecuted and
abused. If we take a look at the video ‘Bulgarian gipsy hookers hunting down
victims’, there are very little if any comments about the trafficking of Roma
woman, but many showing their repulsion:
“i think
they are even worser then black ppl. Atleast black ppl do something for the
world. What did a gipsy EVER did for the world”
“You can
smell their filthy disgusting cunts just walking by.. I wouldnt fuck them if
you paid me.”
“Those
fuckin foreigners should go to live to Stolipinovo or gypsis ghettos. FUCK
GYPSIES!!FUCK "HUMAN RIGHTS" ORGANISATIONS!!”
Still, despite the lack of compassion for these victims of sexual
exploitation, there is something that goes even more unreported – the
prostitution of Roma males. In a study
of Romanian and Bulgarian male prostitutes working in Germany, it was reported
that Romani males were over represented. Indeed, the 2012 documentary ‘Die Jungs vom Bahnhof Zoo’, features three
heterosexual Roma men working as prostitutes in Berlin, in order to provide for
their families in Romania. What is more, there have been cases of underage Roma boys being forced into prostitution.
Sadly, there has been very little research into the sexual
exploitation of Roma men, thus what we do know is likely only to be the tip of
the iceberg. This reflects a worrying
yet widespread tendency for society to overlook and disregard the sexual abuse
of men. When we talk about human trafficking,
sexual exploitation and rape, it seems that attention is focused almost
exclusively on women. Patriarchal culture has appeared to make us almost
unwilling to see men as ‘victims’, and only as perpetrators. The consequences
of such attitudes are hugely damaging, with the majority of sexual assaults
against men going unreported.
Out of 135 organisations for survivor s of sexual abuse and rape
in the UK, just 7 provide services specifically for men. Duncan Craig, founder and Service Director for
Survivors Manchester, and a survivor himself, said:
“The
sexual exploitation and abuse of boys and men is so often ignored, it’s like
society doesn’t want to accept that it happens. When we have a government that
focuses on the ‘Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) agenda, it negates the
harm caused to boys and men which silences the issue even more”
“Survivors Manchester is
committed to breaking the silence of the sexual abuse and rape of boys and men.
By providing a safe space, we work to help males be empowered to work through
the legacy issues and begin making positive and healthy choices based on the
present and not the past”
“Since we
started in 2009, we have struggled to secure funding from local and central
government. The sexual exploitation and rape of males is an issue that not many
people want to be associated with, which makes fundraising increasingly
difficult too. We’ve even been accused of trying to take money away from
women’s services!”
The lack of support, for male survivors of sexual abuse and rape,
in a so called equal and pioneering British society, brings very little promise
for the Roma men enduring sexual exploitation across Europe. The portrayal of
Romany men in the media has been somewhat unfavourable. We are portrayed as misogynists,
fighters, criminals, con men, slave masters and pimps. While Romany woman have
their gender on their side, Romany men have to contend with chauvinist stereotypes
which do very little to highlight the plight of those who are trafficked and
exploited.
The exploitation of any group of society is unethical, yet it
seems unjust that the Roma, who are already the most deprived ethnic minority
in Europe, are being abused in such inconceivable ways. While there are
organisations campaigning for the rights of exploited Roma woman and children,
I fear the exploitation of Roma males, and indeed all males, will remain hidden
and unchallenged. We are fortunate that, in the UK, there are services, such as
Survivors Manchester, who are dedicating their time to helping men who have
survived sexual abuse. My only hope is
that these services can be amplified, both nationally and internationally and
that all survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation, whether male, female, Roma
or non Roma, can have equal access, and equal chances of regaining control of
their lives.
