Dear FRONTLINE,

I am originally from Romania...even from Moldova (Moldova was a region of Romania, that was split by the Soviet Union.) I have been very touched by Vlad's words - not included in the film... I feel they are so true.

After the communist, the poverty and corruption changed people, enhanced their ugliness...that's why I left. The bottom line is poverty drives desperate decisions for both the girls and the traffickers...in the end they are all trying to survive. That's in end what everybody is doing.

I profoundly appreciate that someone took an honest look at that part of the world...

Elena Ochian
Saint Paul, MN

Dear FRONTLINE,

I join everyone here in their horror of these suffering souls. I also want to share with people that in Boston, MA, USA a few days ago brothels in East Boston and Brighton have been shut down.

They employed illegal immigrant women who were forced to service many men a day. Along with the young women also arrested was a 52 yr old woman being used to service men. My heart aches for every one of these poor souls. This is an international problem and we also have it going on right in our backyard. My backyard in particular is the Best Western two streets over that had several arrests for forcing illegal immigrants into human sex slavery. I am definitely going to contact a volunteer group in Boston to try and make a difference. That's all we can do, is try. Any maggot that could peddle the flesh of an innocent person should receive the death penalty. I was horrified at the light sentence Vlad received.

Barbara Muldoon
Boston, ma

Dear FRONTLINE,

thank you for making this documentary, and for giving faces and voice to a few of the thousands who have suffered in this way. I was impressed by how brave the women were, to be willing to share the terrible details of their stories.

I lived in Turkey (in Antalya) for a year (1995), a few blocks from the shopping center shown in the documentary.It was the strangest experience, to watch this, see familiar places, and wonder, was this going on then? That year, often furtive men would determinedly trail me, mistakening me for a Russian, whispering "sex arkadash" (sex "friend") and "Natasha" (the Turk's name for the russian sex workers). I would wonder about these women, but, naively, it never ever occurred to me that those women were being held there against their will.

One point about the documentary I found disturbing (in addition to the situation with tania and her brother) was Katia's homecoming (the camera following her up the stairs, there at the moment of re-union). It made me uneasy and I felt that after all she had been through, she didn't need someone with a camera there, and to be met by the camera crew before she saw her husband.

(On the whole, though, it is an amazing piece - thank you for your courage in making it)

c. b. c
berkeley, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

The sale of young girls in Asian countries is equally nasty. I am surprised that the USA has sex slaves, possibly right in our own back yard. Maybe this will "open the eyes" of our politians to find these girls that are held against their own will.

Keep up the good work, and keep giving us more information regarding the dark side of humanity.

Finleyville, PA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Almost nothing about the "Sex Slaves" show was fully believable, especially the main participants you filmed and interviewed. One got the impression that you were being hustled and "gamed" by them in the same way that many innocent young women are obviously victimized. This was one of the worst Frontlines I've seen.

Edwin Stuart
Eugene, Oregon

Dear FRONTLINE,

The program had one major fault. It was claimed at the beginning that there are "hundreds of thousands" of victims of sex trafficking, yet this figure is both conveniently vague (how many thousands?) and based on claims made by activists, rather than any solid scientific research. In truth, no one knows how many victims there are, due to the clandestine nature of the trade. By reporting "hundreds of thousands" the program gives the impression that we are in the midst of a major crisis, but it is quite possible that there are far fewer victims, as some well-informed critics have long pointed out.

Ralph Waite
bethesda, MD

FRONTLINE's editors respond:

See FRONTLINE's report on the difficulty in getting hard numbers on the global sex trade. Click on the "Estimating the Numbers" section at the bottom of this site's homepage.

Dear FRONTLINE,

It is so cathartic for us Americans to feel that we are the world's saviors, taking the moral high ground, rushing to the rescue. Yes, this is a terrible, terrible problem. But the problem also exists in "our beloved U.S."

What about the 15,000 women and young girls (not teenagers--girls) who are trafficked into sex slavery in the U.S. every year and being pimped out of surburban houses and city apartments where they are forced to live under subhuman conditions and service 10-15 men daily? Why don't you show your viewers who is fing those women and girls? Too close for comfort? Project it on the third world.

Julia Van Develder
Rhinebeck, NY

Dear FRONTLINE,

I tuned in thinking I was going to see a Black History program and was captivated by this documentary. My heart goes out to these women and their families. This is real terrorism and maybe that's where some of the 7 billion that the war costs, should go to prosecuting the pimps and women who sell women.

It's sad that the answer to many social ills is education and jobs, too bad corrupt governments cannot see that is where the real wealth is.

Ileana Almaguer
Newark, NJ

Dear FRONTLINE,

Frontline did an excellent job with this topic. I find it amazing with all the trade organizations and ally pacts (WTO, EU, NAFTA, NATO, etc.) that there is not more action and crack down on these egregious acts. The sex slave business is a type of trade, isn't it? Albeit not one the WTO or NAFTA are dealing with, but it should be addressed by these mega-organizations. I guess that since it has nothing to do with an economic benefit to a super power country or corporation it won't be addressed.

Scott Zagorski
Marysville, Ohio

Dear FRONTLINE,

I think some organization, perhaps the one set up by the Canadians doing this film, should advertise in the same publications that the girls are searching in for jobs, to BEWARE of answering advertisements calling for dancers, cleaners, etc., because they may be victimized by human traffickers, and to leave an 800 number where the girls could contact the organization with questions.

These newspaper ads seem to be the start of the chain, and if we could only begin educating the victims to beware, perhaps we could do some good. I'm willing to make a donation to get such an education program going.

Debby Bright
Los Gatos, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

An excellent and important documentary opening a small window into a huge issue. I observed a similar scenario in Trabzon, a port of call on Turkey's northeastern Black Sea coast and in Ashgabad, the capital of Turkmenistan (as well as of course Istanbul). One piece of information that I felt was missing from the report was at least minimal background about the conflict between (or within) Moldova and the unrecognized breakaway republic of Trans-Dniester. Although Trans-Dniester's limbo status may pose itself as a tangential political problem, I believe it to be central to the trafficking problem if nothing else than the fact that the leadership in Tiraspol can be held accountable for virtually nothing and organized crime has been allowed to blossom there.

Corrupt officials in Ukraine are a part of the problem for turning a blind eye to the various trafficking emanating from this republic that "does not exist". In your report you labled it Tiraspol, Moldova which requires a little more specificity.

Derek Flood
Los Angeles, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

So, what can we do, now, before we forget?

We can write our Congress People and remind them that laws not enforced are worth nothing, that we need to have programs to help the victims, that traffickers need to pay for their crimes, that we need to aid the countries of origin of these women, etc. We can't let them forget about the victims.

Locally, we can check with our police department to see what it's policies are, find out if there are any local organizations helping victims, write the editor of your local newspaper, call Immigration and ask the situation in your area. I'm sure there is more. Remember the saying, "Think globally, act locally"? We can each do SOMETHING!

Judith Dunham
San Diego, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

My mother was born in Moscow, Russian and my father was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and watching this documentary reminded me of how lucky I am to have been born in the U.S. When one lives in a country full of hopelessness and despair, they will do just about anything to support their family. Even if that means putting themselves in harms way.

I felt so deeply for Tania and all that she went through, and also for Katia. I would love to help them in any way possible, so please let me know what I can do besides donate money. I speak Russian fluently and if I can help in any way please let me know.Unfortunatley they are just two examples of thousands of people forced into the sex trade all around the world. I am outraged that laws aren't being enforced by these governments! I truly hope that everyone touched by this documentary will do all that they can to make a difference.

Margarita Considine
San Diego, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Your program tonight should serve as an alarming wake-up call to all young able bodied males who love freedom. Talk is cheap and joining some silly group that does nothing but bitch and moan to impotent elected fools, otherwise known as the Congress. I am a Deputy District Attorney for a county in CA. I, and I have to believe others so effected, would be willing to go on a leave of absence for the opporunity to GO to Turkey, Moldova, etc., if it meant we could take action, not running our mouths, but actually do something, "by whatever means necessary" to aid in freeing these women, regarless of what may come to their captures/owners. Do You have any idea of where I could contact the like-minded, or perhaps a group that engages in this sort of ACTION?

Scott Sanders
Fresno, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,