How they changed me

into an Italian prostitute

P. is forced to sell her body on the streets of Padua. Her pimp set on fire the room of her child in Bulgaria

Nadia Cholakova

Stanimir Vaglenov

I was born in Vratza town, I have two children. I came to Italy because they promised me work as a companion of one’s lawyer mother. I know Valter Papazki from Bulgaria, but he has never been over familiar with me. I do not if he is dealing with such type of business and I’ve never seen him in Italy neither his brother.

I came to Italy at my own expenses with the car of one family – they used to come here to work as seasonal workers.

Two boys are waited for me at a gas station near Padua, this reservation we’ve been made before. They took me to an apartment, where they were several more girls. When I saw how they looked like it flashed upon me what is all about. But in such a situation you can not do anything.

The Bulgarians in Padua were a powerful band, 10-12 big men. You can not move anywhere. Together with them there were also girls who knew them for many years, they also participated into the business – they used to train and control us.

Very soon I understood that there is no sense to oppose to them, because the situation might become worse. The man I came to knew me very well from Bulgaria. I did not know him so well, but

he was made an investigation

He started to talk me over the phone that for a short period of time we will make a lot of money and we will go back to Bulgaria. He continued to explain to me with kind words: nobody knows you in Italy, there is nothing to feel nervous about… I did not contradict him, because there was no sense to do this – one way or another they would take me on the street.

I stayed with them for 2 months – as long as to learn the language a little, to get familiar with the town and the people – I used to look for a way to stop doing this. Because he used to tell me over the phone: “If you do not work and do not send me as much money as I want, everyone has the right to loose. You can interpret these words as you wish.”

I have two children, a mother, a father and I can not do anything.

Once I met one Italian on the street. He wanted to live with him, but not to work on the street any more. He was about 50 years-old, a serious man, unmarried. I could not trust to some young guy.

I tell him – I can not stop doing this, because I will have problems. And he responds to me –

I did not know I can get rid of all this in such a way, nobody have not been informed me about this. We were detained many times by the police, we used to spend there 24 hours and then they used to set us free. I was six times at the office of a questor for two month period. But there I could not speak because I was together with some of the girls and they could betray me to the pimp.

The policemen used to interrogate us, but at the beginning I did not know the language, but if a translator comes everything becomes very openly and the pimp could understand. At that time I still did not know that for forcing to prostitution according to the law the guilty person could get from 6 to 10 years.

In the beginning I did not want to make a complaint, but just to get away. We ran away with a friend of mine and we went to the Italian guy. My friend though used to meet Italian boys for a long time for free. One of them helped us to escape.

to come up to the client’s car, to serve him and immediately after that to call him that we are already on the street. The pimps used to go about with two cars checking if we are at the place.

Once the pimps of my friend caught her to go with the Italian boys and he had warned her. He caught her one more time and wanted to beat her to death and to send her back to Bulgaria. We though understood what his plans are and the same night we ran away.

My friend had a friend, an Italian – he either way used to drive us to the apartment with the car, otherwise we had to catch the bus before down. We used to pay him with our own money, but the pimp’s half we could not touch. My pimp wanted to make 300 EURO per nigh.

The girl who used to train us, used to go out together with me in the beginning to helm me with the language I had to use with my communication with the clients. Trenta EURO – scupare. Chinquenta EURO – boha scupare.

That’s why it was forbidden to tell them “I love you” and such sort of things. And when we ran away, I went to my Italian friend together with whom I still live, but my friend – to his boy. Later I saw her with the first one, the boy who helped us to escape, then with another one.

At the time when we ran away my pimp was in Bulgaria, but the others immediately have told him that I am not on the street. Besides they have seen us with the Italians, when they have came to pick up us.

They have called to that maniac. In the very moment I told to myself – if we do not run away right now there will never be a better chance to do so. I was given him little EURO to give it to my mother. When he has understood I was ran away he has gone to my home in Bulgaria, has made a scandal and has taken the money back, despite that I was earn this money. He has yelled, but he did not told what has happened and why he takes the money back. My son was 8 years-old, he used to sleep in a separate room. They have thrown down a gas bottle and they have set it on fire right in the window of my son. Fortunately the child has felt the smoke and has succeeded to leave the room. The pimp has though he could bring me back this way, because I would afraid of his deeds. However his trick failed.

but my pimp did not know about it.

He comes from Bulgaria and he was arrested right away and spent

six months in jail. He received a term of five years.

I do not know is he has worked with some kind of groups. He is very famous in Vratza, everybody knows him, but in Italy he was all alone.

You work, you earn money, but he gives you just one time the half of the money – 20, 30 or 50 EURO, as much as to buy something little. He used to beat some of the girls.

The apartment we used to work in had a bathroom and a kitchen. There were many perverted clients. Homosexuals, travesties … But I’ve never had problems with them.

One Italian was arrested last year – he was killed 22 prostitutes. He has lived close to Austria and he has traveled all over the country so the cops could not catch him.

He had not killed a Bulgarian girl, but another girl from our country was beaten in Padua. Her pimps have beaten her to death. They were not Bulgarians, but Albanians. Soon after that the

Girl died. This happened a year ago, I already was finished with this things and I had no contact with the girls that still used to work as prostitutes.

While we were on the street, the pimps used to go to the beach, to fitness, to bars and restaurants. In the evening they used to go about with the cars to control us. They did not care arms – in Italy even the ware of a knife is prohibited and the law is very stringent.

There was a girls who were engaged with our “education” – how to behave on the street, what to say, how much money to take. The Albanian pimps though did not let Bulgarian girls to go on the streets, because they used to deprive the clients from their prostitutes. He passes by yourself and screams at your face – move away from here, because if you do not disappear I will load you into the luggage-carrier and nobody will see you again.

They used to kidnap Bulgarian girls indeed and they forced them to work for them. Our pimps did not allow us to go with them if they ask favors from us, but how we could recognize them among the clients? If someone is black you could recognize him, but if he is Albanian there is no way to do it.

Our pimp though used to chase the Albanian girls and thus the war had no end. In the end they get along with them and they divided the territories.

Now I have a boyfriend, an Italian guy, we are living together. We are not married, because I still do not have a divorce with my husband in Bulgaria. He treats me well, with a respect and he is very humane. He is jealous, but not excessively – like all Italians.

The local police helped me a lot. They put me in touch with our embassy,

and they explained the entire case. My pimp used to intimidate me that if I ran away or I give him away the situation with my family will become worst. That was the reason why Bulgarian policemen warned him if something happens with my family they will consider him guilty about it and they will search for him.

When I started to work on the street of Padua there were 50-60 more Bulgarian prostitutes. There were pimp bands from other parts of the country. They were in touch to one another and they used to help to each other. They were real brutes…

We were obliged to pay with our share of the money all everyday expenses – food, cloths, condoms, telephone bill and all other expenses. Half of the earned money though was given right away to the pimp without allotting money for expenses from his share.

We used to live in lodgings in a village near Padua. At 8 p.m. we had to catch the bus from there and to come at work. Afterwards at about 4 - 5 in the morning I used to catch the bus back and I used to go to bed. We take a bite, shopping and again at work – you just do not have time for nothing else.

We do not have a day off, such thing does not exist. You can not even stop when you cycle comes – “Who could see you in the dark?”, the pimps used to say. If you are ill, you can stay in the bed for a while.

P. goes out once to prostitute together with the girl who trains her. The girl figures as an official girlfriend of the pimp.

An Italian comes and he wants P. for an hour and he is ready to pay 400 EURO. He is a rich dotard. He takes her to a luxury villa and he pays the entire bill. After an hour P. comes back on the street and understands the other girl is missing. She does not answer her mobile phone. But this is a certain sign the cops have taken her.

P. takes a taxi and leaves in order not to be arrested as well. Her pimp is in the apartment – till this moment he had not raped her. He is a real mountain of a man trained all day long in the fitness, the beach and by the proteins.

The pimp sprawls naked and provocative on the bed and P. understands what he thinks of while his girlfriend is away. Otherwise he lives in one room together with two of them in order to save money.

It is 3-4 a.m. P. takes a shower and goes to bed. She even takes her pajamas in order not to provoke him despite the heath in the end of August.

“Are you sleeping?”, he shout at her. “Come to me for a while!”.

She does not have a choice except to respond to him: “You know I would not contradict to you, but it won’t be nice, because I do not want to do this. You will receive nothing but a trunk.”

But despite these words he starts.

“On the following day I made the mistake not to go to the police. If I had made a complaint against him, he could receive 10 year sentence for sure. The Italian law is rigorous against the deeds of raping – they do not search for evidences at all, to make a complaint – no more is required to.”, P. still worries about.

street, earns money and everything she gains is for him.

In the beginning there were a lot of Bulgarian girls in Padua, but later the police chase them away and they have scattered to other towns. They say in the beginning of 90ies a Bulgarian guy came here to buy cars and draws closer to some Italian. Afterwards the Bulgarian brings the first girls and as soon as they realized how profitable this business is other of his friends started to come with their prostitutes. This way in a certain moment Padua becomes a centre of the Bulgarian prostitution in the State of the boot.

In order to rescue from the power of the pips P. makes a complaint against her pimp.

Two more girls make the same. The tormentors are arrested as well as other Bulgarian pimps the girls know from Padua – 12 Bulgarians all together. This happens in May 2003. At the time when the girls make their complaints the pimps are in Bulgaria – they are just about to come to Italy and to run the business with a new strength. They did not know what expects them at their return. This is the common practice of the Italian police – they do not make efforts to search for them but just wait them at the border and as soon as they enter in the country detain the criminals.

The pimps are under arrest for 6 months and then they were sentenced and extradited. There is an option that Italian legislation gives saying they can not serve a 4-6 years sentence if they immediately leave the country. If some time or other they

decide to come back – they are put in jail right away and they have to serve their entire sentence.

Since then P. did not come to Bulgaria, because she is afraid of her former pimp. Some friends of her informed her about his threats: “If I only see her I will kill her!”.

It happens parents

- For Italy itself our country does not raise alarming signals in terms of some kind of emigration pressure. From all other ex socialist countries the problems with Romania and Albania are much bigger, it is firmly stated to us by the Italian authorities.

- There was one case with a girl, who came together with his parents. At the train station she introduces with some Serbian or Albanian, who knows. He brings the family to some village where they stay as his guests for a week. Afterwards the parents leave for Bulgaria, but the girl stays with the man. Soon after that we received a letter that the girl was kidnapped. An investigation starts and the end of the story is that the girl was sold. But if the girl does not make a complaint we can not find out that there is a problem.

- To call us and to inform us where they have stayed. Afterwards if something happens we could help them, to inform their relatives for example. We are receiving many calls from Bulgarians asking questions about their relatives they’ve lost a connection with after their arrival in Italy. For example: my wife left on such date, she called two or three times and since then I have no connection – find her!

- It is very difficult, because they give us for example only a number of a mobile phone and nobody answer it. In such cases through the Ministry of Internal Affairs we are sending a letter to the special services.

- A man writes to us – my wife left 6 months ago and since three months I have no contact with her, the children cry, they want their mommy – a real heart-breaking letter. The letter describes approximately where the woman has stayed. We found her telephone number, we called her, but the wife says: there is no such a problem, I am alive and I am in a good health, I will work for one more month or so and I will come back. There are so many different stories. But we understand about the problem at the phase when the situation is yet very serious.

- The Bulgarian councilor in Italy is informed for all evidence cases – there are such cases in Brindizi, Leche and in other places, where more Bulgarians stay. The most of the cases are for traffic of people. Before Bulgarian trucks go on board of the ferryboat inside them potential immigrants, mainly Kurds and Arabs hidden themselves, without the knowledge of the drivers, at least they claim so. In Italy, of course, the police detains them. As a rule the emigrants take to flight and the drivers remains the guilty one. They sue them according to a fast procedure.

- I practically do not have such information that is why we consider this problem as not so heavy. There is a traffic of little children – pickpockets. They detain them and transfer them to the court for under-aged – in Italy this is a very serious instance. They accommodate them in boarding-houses. Since I am an ambassador we have 3-4 cases like this. We’ve tried to take them back to Bulgaria, but they refuse, because here they are provided with an education and a respite, but if they come back to Bulgaria they are again forced to steal. But we’ve had no cases with under-aged prostitutes.

- As a rule the parents participate in the scheme, in most of the cases they are gypsies by birth. They say this operation is something like an age-old tradition, but in fact the children are exported in order to be sold and to make thefts for their new owners.