Dead Souls

I suppose it's ironic that I started reading Dead Souls the same night I saw this report. It's on the child sex trade in Romania, and it shocked me to the core of my own soul. I'm not an emotionally weak person -- it takes a lot to make me crumble -- but I could barely move after watching it. The documentary was made by a Romanian man who goes undercover and "participates" in the child sex trade in Romania by hiring the children, but then instead of having sex with them, he just asks them about their lives.

Maybe the most shocking thing was that the children seemed to go from giddiness to extreme discomfort when they found out that the man wanted to talk with them, not have sex with them. It was the talking that they saw as violation. The documentary showed the author bargaining with a Romanian father outside of a graveyard in Milan over how much it would cost to have sex with the man's 14 year old son. (Turns out the going rate was 40 euros an hour.) It showed Tom Peters, a British pedophile who runs a pay-website that he uses to rent out scores of boys in Bucharest. The author got him on hidden camera explaining the nature of his business, how to avoid legal problems, and fawning over the youngest "smooth, randy" boys he had available. I've never, I think, felt such a visceral hatred in my life. Were I ever to see him in person, I can't help but feel that I'd gather that superhuman strength that the mother in the urban legend gets to lift the car off of her fallen child.

But reducing the man to hamburger, I thought, would just be entirely unsatisfying. There's nothing that one can do to the embodiment of evil to tip the scales of justice into balance. The thing that particularly tortured me about the story was that the children weren't plied with alcohol and drugs and then sent back to deal with the abuse in otherwise normal lives -- they were eternal victims of abject despair. To see them on film was to see human beings that were eviscerated; I can't imagine they will ever again appreciate innocence, or beauty, or simple pleasures as we all have a right to. The ability to experience all that is beautiful and pure in life -- a cool glass of Chablis on a warm summer afternoon, the lilting peace of a Beethoven sonata, or just the feeling that each of us has every so often that reminds us what a gift life is -- that's what nobody can ever return to these children. They are, in a literal sense, Dead Souls. And that just really fucking sucks.

Comments

[Michael]

Justin, we should talk about this sometime. Gary Haugen of the International Justice Mission has written an excellent book called "Good News About Injustice". Basically... he's been to hell on earth (Rwanda... wading through rotting corpses of the genocide; India... child prostitutes; etc.) and seen it all. He talks a lot about child prostitution in other parts of the world (and Dateline did a thing about it a couple of weeks ago... I'll send you the link when I get it). But anyways, check out the IJM website at http://www.ijm.org/. There are links to things about sex trafficking, bonded slavery, and illegal detention. I think they have the Dateline stuff still linked too!

[Linda]

Hey, I was searching for tom peters and found your site. Recently I was flipping through the channels and came across the CNN special presentation on sex trafficing in Romania and I must say that it affected me in so many ways that I am still thinking about it days later. I don't know what it's like to have to resort to that, but I am sure that they must be really poor and I don't judge them, but I do feel sorry for them and sorry for the loss of innocence they will never regain again. I wish the government could do more, but it seems like it is an issue that is made aware, but not much importance is placed on it. Furthermore, I am sure that presentation on CNN was just a little glimpse of the ordeal and torture people are subjected to each day in other countries. I think sex predators like Tom Peters should be burned alive in front of these boys and their families.

[Toni Anne]

Hey, I am so happy I found others that saw that horrible and mortifying special on CNN..I watched it a few days ago and ever since I cannot stop thinking about how I want to kill every pedephile out there. I would love to find Tom Peters and castrate him, that way he would have to live a tortured life and cannot relieve himself sexually on little boys anymore. I felt so bad for those kids. I just wanted to shake them and tell them theres a better way of life. Even the part when they were sniffing solvents and yelling at the sun had me in utter despair. If anyone knows of an organization that acts against sexual crimes on minors, please let me know..I need to get involved somehow to get this anger I have out. Once again! Tom Peters is a filty pig who deserves to live with no dick!

[Tashi]

I came across this site while searching for more information about Tom Peters. I also saw the CNN Presents report and was sickened by this man and his shameless flaunting of his trade in human flesh. What really boggled my mind was the fact that he was not only able to return to the UK without facing arrest, he was allowed to leave the country again. I could only sit in front of the TV and shake my head in disbelief. How is it humanly possible that the UK allowes this man to be free. The laws need to change so that innocents are protected from savages like Tom Peters.

[rick]

This was a horrifying example of a perverted criminal taking advantage of children trapped in a terrible situation to begin with..only to have their situations made even worse.

There should be some sort of international tribunal..the same as those on trial for war crimes. This truly is a crime against humanity. Tom Peters is no ordinary sex criminal.In my opinion,he has committed a crime on par with genocide.

[Jan]

I would put all perverts,child abusers against a wall and machine gun them all

[Jorje]

Pedophilia is a sexual abnormality that you may have it or may not. If someone is a pedophile he doesnt know untill something happens. Like watching some pedo porn on the internet. Many people have found out that they are not normal via the internet. Me myself is one of them. I tell you guys...: Its horrible to know that you will never be sexualy satisfied. We know its wrong but we can't help it. Don't blame us for something we didn't choose. Its like being gay in 1930. Its like being a transexual in 1960. The society doesnt accept us...for now... and they wanna burn us in hell.
I'm sure that in the near future the society will have to, someway, accept us because the number of the pedophiles is growing and whenever this happened in the past the societies finaly accepted(at least) (see: gays, transexuals, lesbians etc.)

Please try to understand that we are not trying to hurt children. We try to satisfy our sexual desires. If a pedophile goes to romania or thai or whenever things that it's not a fault to buy sex from an underage prostitute because the child is already a prostitute and leaves in a society that has accepted that. We are not gonna save the world.

I, as a pedophile, swear that i will never hurt a children. I will never give tha right to anyone to blame me that i hurt a children. Because i love them so much. Sexualy or otherways. But in a society like Thailand where this sexual abnormality is very accepted (maybe not by the law but from the people and especialy the parents) i cannot give a promisse for what i would do...

Thx for reading my shit and keep in mind that we dont want to hurt children. We love them like you do... and more.

Excuse my bad english but its not my native language. Im from Greece.

[susan furlong]

there are ways to assist the children in these dire circumstances. you can do so from your own home via donations of clothing, school supplies, blankets, shoes, boots. on the web search for children's homes in Romania, contact them and set up a donation, you can also sponsor a child directly through these homes, it costs a mere $18 or $20 a month. if you are looking to donate but want a tax write-off determine if the home is ok'd for this. remember these are beautiful souls in a bad situation, not dead ones. any child deserves a chance. they are a gift to us and as the present adults in the world it is up to us to do what we can for them. they are victims of circumstances they did not create.

[EAO]

I remember watching this tv show about a year ago and it really affected my life. Each child has a different story of why they are in the situation that they are in. No matter what the situation is, it doesn't make it right in any way. Unfortunately these acts are happening every single day and everywhere around the world. I know that the only thing that could help out these precious souls is help from God and aide from caring people that are willing to go to these places and reach out to them.

[sandra]

Is this Jan (see above) serious about asking people to accept Pedophilia? No, it is not like being gay. Gay people have sex with consenting adults. Children have to be protected. If he thinks this is something that society should just accept, then not only is he deranged but he is also incredibly stupid individual.

Jan, You are very Sick. Seek Help, avoid children at all costs and if that means that you are never sexually satisfied, then so be it. You have a serious sickness and you are preying on children. We're you raped as a child?

[Rebuke]

Point a finger at someone,
you point 3 back at yourselves.

[lily]

I am 17 years old and I am from Romania.In my town I have never heard of children being sexual abused and I hope I won't hear about it soon.I find Jan's post interesting because it makes you see another point of view.That doesn't mean I agree with him.I'm sorry he didn't answer to EAO's question.

[Unnamed]

Hello my name is Tonya (not my real name). It is wrong to have sex with a child. And it is wrong to think it is right.Pedophiles should be tortured for the pain they put on a child. I kno this cause i was raped by my father and my brother. And it's not something you want done to you. Im 15 now and still hate, that's right hate for what they did to me. And never in a lifetime or next, will forgive them for what they did. And those who think it's ok, it's not.

[Jeff]

I have personally worked with a couple of groups that are helping these children in poverty. One is Mission Without Borders. They have a program that assists poor families and helps the orphans of Eastern Europe. Their web address is www.mwb.org.. Inasmuch Romania directly assists street children in Bucharest. Their address is www.inasmuch.ro.. We cannot change the world but we can change one life.

[Ryan]

I have just seen this documentary and am disgusted at the world for the way people act. I feel sorry for these children who are, unlike what Jan said, just trying to find a way to live and that means prostituting. I also believe that Jan who posted a comment on Oct 22, 2004 is a disgusting human being. Pedophilia is a sickness and unfortunately there is no way to cure it. Even castration does not work but my question is why can pedo's not control their desires. Oh wait, I have an answer because there are sick individuals out there, like Jan, who believe what they are feeling is ok and as such they are not hurting children. Well, Jan, you are hurting children. Whether these children are prostituting to get money or are not they are being hurt. If there are any more of you sick people out there who believe it is ok to be sexually attracted to children, than I want you to do myself, as an older brother and uncle, a favor and stay the f*** away from children. As far as the child trade goes...if anyone reads this and knows any way I could help these children please post a blog. I believe one by one we need to unite as a world and help the impoverished.

RB