Human trafficking increases in Ukraine

Police officers and human rights workers decry Ukraine's expanding human trafficking industry. Sunita Rappai reports.

Stella Rotaru: Fighting Global Sex Trade

From Al Jazeera:

Stella Rotaru, with her International Organization for Migration, is fighting the international sex trade.

Stella is from Moldova, a former Soviet republic so poor that over one quarter of the population has emigrated. The country is a prime source for girls trafficked into prostitution.

Within a few years, Stella has become the "go to" person for many girls who have been tricked and sold into prostitution with the false promise of a job abroad - often in the Middle East.

As a young Moldovan herself from a similar background, the girls trust her.

This film tells the story of some of these girls and Stella's determination to help them.

Human Trafficking Book Awarded the Dayton Literary Peace Prize

The 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prize winners were announced on September 23, and this year's winner in the nonfiction category is A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery, by Benjamin Skinner (published by Simon & Schuster).

The book is based on the author's experiences reporting in Haiti, Sudan, India, Eastern Europe, The Netherlands, and suburban America, and according to the Dayton Literary Peace Prize press release, "is both a shocking expose of the horrors of contemporary slavery and an inspiring call to make ending this crime a global priority."

Stated Skinner: "By highlighting modern-day slavery and the fight for its abolition, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize committee pushed forward the 'unfinished work' that President Lincoln spoke about that Thursday afternoon in Gettysburg....There are more slaves today than at any point in human history, and I'm deeply honored, and humbled, to be recognized by the committee as being among those working for their freedom." Skinner will be donating the $10,000 award to Free the Slaves.

The book was published in March 2008, and has received high praise from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bill Clinton, and John McCain, among others.

The runner-ups included Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan (Little, Brown, & Company), a collection of short stories which focus on hardships facing children in Africa, including child trafficking. Say You're One of Them was recently announced as Oprah Winfrey's latest book club pick.