Gästbloggare

Thailandssvenskarna – a book about males who purchase sex in Thailand

RealStars guest blogger Robert Schenk reviews a reportage book regarding the Swedish men who travel to Thailand to purchase sex – What are they thinking? And why do some of them move there? In Thailandssvenskarna (which means the Swedes in Thailand in English), the investigative journalist Joakim Medin brings the reader inside the Thai sex… Read more »

Opponents to the Sex Purchase Act write book that impedes our work

RealStars works actively against trafficking, both nationally and internationally. We advocate for reducing the demand and letting the sex purchaser take responsibility for their actions, which in international context is called “the Nordic model”. Prostitution leads to increased trafficking. If the buyer is criminalized, the demand will be reduced, which is an effective way to… Read more »

Prominent British feminist shatters myths about prostitution and advocates the Sex Purchase Act

Our guest blogger Robert Schenck has read the book Pimp State and written a book review that highlights the importance of the sex purchase Act. In an easy-to-read format, the author Kat Banyard explains why the legalization of sex purchases is so problematic and how laws that allow prostitution are normative and characterize society’s view… Read more »

English book argues for the ”Nordic model”

Realstars’ guest blogger Robert Schenck regularly contributes with reviews of movies, books and other things that deals with trafficking, prostitution and sex purchasing. This time, Robert Schenck has taken on the book The Sex Economy, which brings up different perspectives on prostitution and decades of research and debates. One strength of the book is how… Read more »

Award-winning Austrian movie about trafficking at Göteborg´s Film Festival

RealStars guest blogger Robert Schenk reviews the new film Joy which attended Göteborgs film festival. The movie is based on thorough research to give a believable depiction of trafficking to Europe from West Africa, but it would have been a stronger message if the causes were clarified – the requests in the west and the… Read more »

Women who survived prostitution share their stories

RealStars guestblogger Robert Schenck reviews the bok Prostitution Narratives, stories of the survival in the sex trade, where the reader gets to share in the valuable stories and experiences of the survivors of prostitution Author: Caroline Norma and Melinda Tankard Reist, editors Publisher: Spinifex Press, North Melbourne, Australia, 2016 Book review by Robert Schenck “…there… Read more »

The nuclear family and the double moral meet in an animated drama about prostitution

Our guest blogger Robert Schenck reviews Tehran Taboo, an animated film about prostitution, female oppression and corruption in Iran today. This is an attractive film with strong credibility. Title: Tehran Taboo [Teheran Tabu in Swedish] Editor: Ali Soozandeh Manus: Ali Soozaneh and Grit Kienzlen Year: 2018 Film Review of Robert Schenck In Ali Soozandeh’s film,… Read more »

How I got here

Hello everybody! My name is Eric Cagenius and I recently became a volunteer here at RealStars. I thought I would tell you guys how I got in touch with RealStars, and what got me to want to be engaged.   I could start off by mentioning a lot of overwhelming numbers and statistics. But what… Read more »

Behind the Iron Curtain

The guest blogger of today is Ernst Adamsson Borg, a 22-year-old student attending the Europe Programme at Södertörn University in Sweden. He has an extensive interest in social issues, global as well as local. He frequently visits Germany, during his visits to the country he has seen the European prostitution and trafficking industry, which is… Read more »

Prayers for the Stolen – a captivating and poetic story

Realstar’s guest blogger Robert Schenck has reviewed the book A prayer for the stolen (2015) about young women in Mexico who live under constant threat of violence, and to be forced into the terrible sex trade. ”Do read this well-written and educative novel but brace yourself for some painful reading.”  Schenck writes. Prayers for the Stolen is not only… Read more »