The booming "Sex Tourism" industry is no longer a threat to women and children in remote, impoverished countries; it is a plague that is infecting all countries. If fortunes and circumstances placed us in countries where this type of human rights abuse is not only tolerated but tacitly promoted we could just as easily be victims instead of voyeurs.

Sex For Sale, Sex Slave, Photo by Mjranum

Sexual exploitation of women and children is a topic that I am passionate about because the victims are most likely to suffer in silence and least likely to seek or receive justice. When given the opportunity to view sex crimes through the lens of talented photojournalists and the investigative programs that feature their work, it is important for us to remember that as females but for circumstance, these women could be our sisters, our daughters, our mothers, ourselves.

The men and women who abuse and use other human beings for their own sexual gratification or financial aggrandizement do not live in isolation. They could be and probably are someone to whom you are married or sleep with, or with whom you work or attend religious functions, or who educates your children. We tend to think of this crime as afflicting women and children on the edge, vulnerable fringe dwellers, and even wives can be kidnapped from their husbands and forced into sexual slavery.

An extremely talented photojournalist named Mimi Chakarova spent four years chronicling the lives of women forced into sexual slavery. One output of her outstanding work was a Frontline World PBS documentary titled "Dubai: Night Secrets." An excerpt of the entire program can be viewed here.

I highly recommend that you also visit Ms. Chakarova's website where she explores through words and photography concerns and issues of the people of Kashmir, India, South Africa, Cuba, Jamaica, Ghana, Moldova and Dubai. Visit Mimi Chakarova's website here.

"The Price of Sex: Women Speak" is an interactive website that provides maps and journals, links and resources, as well as the ability to watch any of Ms. Chakarova's stories in streaming video. View the slideshow and watch videos here.