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NEW BOOK HIGHLIGHTS SEX TRAFFICKING IN FORMER SOVIET UNION
By Contributor
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/05/02/new-book-highlights-sex-trafficking-in-former-soviet-union/
May 2, 2013
Sex trafficking is a global problem. And yet, it is often baffling how
that dark world can co-exist parallel to ours, with the vast majority
of us unaware of its horrors. The collapse of the Soviet Union and
the ensuing chaos in almost all of its former republics created a
particularly fertile ground for the spread of, among other crimes,
sex trafficking from that region. A new novel by Vahan Zanoyan,
entitled A Place Far Away, exposes the nature of that beast and
touches upon a variety of social and cultural issues rarely seen in
today's literary and entertainment world.
"This is a powerful and well organized crime network that targets
the most vulnerable elements in society," says Zanoyan. "Young and
underage girls from broken homes, orphans and children from extremely
poor families and remote villages are the primary targets of sex
traffickers."
Zanoyan felt compelled to write the book after encountering an
underage Armenian victim of the sex trade in Dubai. "It was not easy
to extract her story from her," he says, "but once I managed to do
so, I was obsessed with the phenomenon." So he spent the next 18
months researching that world, interviewing over a dozen other girls,
visiting their hometowns back in Armenia, talking to officials in a
few countries, and meeting with organizations committed to fighting
human trafficking. He then decided to write a novel based largely on
real events.
Why fiction? "I wanted to reach the widest possible audience in
order to create the widest possible public awareness of the problem,"
says Zanoyan. "I believe silence encourages this phenomenon, while
exposure can act as a deterrent." By choosing fiction, he could combine
several different stories into one plot, providing the widest possible
illustration of the various aspects of sex trafficking.
A Place Far Away tells the story of Lara Galian, a hauntingly beautiful
16-year-old from a poor village in Armenia. When a ruthless oligarch
approaches Lara's father with an offer to manage her through a
wonderful and successful modeling career, her father refuses and
is subsequently murdered. A month later, Lara's mother accepts the
offer and Lara is whisked away, only to be violently raped and sent
to Moscow. Forced into prostitution, Lara refuses to accept her fate
and goes through the motions as she's moved from Moscow to Dubai and
eventually sold for one year to a local VIP. She sets forth to escape
while a Swiss investigative reporter works to help her and her family
from back in Armenia. As plots begin to unfold and crumble all around
her, Lara's chances of escape begin to look increasingly slim, but
with unlikely allies, the extraordinary courage and moral fiber of her
family, and a spirit that never dies, Lara's fate is far from sealed.
Zanoyan will donate the net proceeds to organizations engaged in
either fighting sex trafficking or in rehabilitating rescued victims,
who often suffer from prolonged psychological and physical damage.
At least two well-known professional reviews give the book a thumbs
up: Kirkus Reviews writes, "Zanoyan illuminates the seedy world
of sex trafficking in the newly independent states of the former
USSR. ... The rarely discussed subject matter from a seldom-seen
part of the world makes for a compelling storyline. ... With his deft
handling of personalities and the atmosphere of village life, Zanoyan
gives depth to the narrative while individualizing his characters as
the community exerts incredible effort to protect one of its own."
Clarion Review writes, "A Place Far Away is a compelling novel by a
skilled writer who knows how to build narrative tension. ... Zanoyan
does not sugarcoat the horrific reality of human trafficking;
from the outset, readers will be drawn right into Lara's
nightmare. ... [in this] thought-provoking novel, Zanoyan takes
the reader from poverty-stricken villages in Armenia to Moscow
and Dubai in a straightforward depiction of the horrors of human
trafficking. ... [his] description of the different lands and cultures
is thorough, resulting in a credible and realistic setting
The book can be ordered through Createspace and Amazon,
and is also available on Kindle. For more information, visit
https://www.facebook.com/APlaceFarAway.
By Contributor
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/05/02/new-book-highlights-sex-trafficking-in-former-soviet-union/
May 2, 2013
Sex trafficking is a global problem. And yet, it is often baffling how
that dark world can co-exist parallel to ours, with the vast majority
of us unaware of its horrors. The collapse of the Soviet Union and
the ensuing chaos in almost all of its former republics created a
particularly fertile ground for the spread of, among other crimes,
sex trafficking from that region. A new novel by Vahan Zanoyan,
entitled A Place Far Away, exposes the nature of that beast and
touches upon a variety of social and cultural issues rarely seen in
today's literary and entertainment world.
"This is a powerful and well organized crime network that targets
the most vulnerable elements in society," says Zanoyan. "Young and
underage girls from broken homes, orphans and children from extremely
poor families and remote villages are the primary targets of sex
traffickers."
Zanoyan felt compelled to write the book after encountering an
underage Armenian victim of the sex trade in Dubai. "It was not easy
to extract her story from her," he says, "but once I managed to do
so, I was obsessed with the phenomenon." So he spent the next 18
months researching that world, interviewing over a dozen other girls,
visiting their hometowns back in Armenia, talking to officials in a
few countries, and meeting with organizations committed to fighting
human trafficking. He then decided to write a novel based largely on
real events.
Why fiction? "I wanted to reach the widest possible audience in
order to create the widest possible public awareness of the problem,"
says Zanoyan. "I believe silence encourages this phenomenon, while
exposure can act as a deterrent." By choosing fiction, he could combine
several different stories into one plot, providing the widest possible
illustration of the various aspects of sex trafficking.
A Place Far Away tells the story of Lara Galian, a hauntingly beautiful
16-year-old from a poor village in Armenia. When a ruthless oligarch
approaches Lara's father with an offer to manage her through a
wonderful and successful modeling career, her father refuses and
is subsequently murdered. A month later, Lara's mother accepts the
offer and Lara is whisked away, only to be violently raped and sent
to Moscow. Forced into prostitution, Lara refuses to accept her fate
and goes through the motions as she's moved from Moscow to Dubai and
eventually sold for one year to a local VIP. She sets forth to escape
while a Swiss investigative reporter works to help her and her family
from back in Armenia. As plots begin to unfold and crumble all around
her, Lara's chances of escape begin to look increasingly slim, but
with unlikely allies, the extraordinary courage and moral fiber of her
family, and a spirit that never dies, Lara's fate is far from sealed.
Zanoyan will donate the net proceeds to organizations engaged in
either fighting sex trafficking or in rehabilitating rescued victims,
who often suffer from prolonged psychological and physical damage.
At least two well-known professional reviews give the book a thumbs
up: Kirkus Reviews writes, "Zanoyan illuminates the seedy world
of sex trafficking in the newly independent states of the former
USSR. ... The rarely discussed subject matter from a seldom-seen
part of the world makes for a compelling storyline. ... With his deft
handling of personalities and the atmosphere of village life, Zanoyan
gives depth to the narrative while individualizing his characters as
the community exerts incredible effort to protect one of its own."
Clarion Review writes, "A Place Far Away is a compelling novel by a
skilled writer who knows how to build narrative tension. ... Zanoyan
does not sugarcoat the horrific reality of human trafficking;
from the outset, readers will be drawn right into Lara's
nightmare. ... [in this] thought-provoking novel, Zanoyan takes
the reader from poverty-stricken villages in Armenia to Moscow
and Dubai in a straightforward depiction of the horrors of human
trafficking. ... [his] description of the different lands and cultures
is thorough, resulting in a credible and realistic setting
The book can be ordered through Createspace and Amazon,
and is also available on Kindle. For more information, visit
https://www.facebook.com/APlaceFarAway.