Warning: horribleness ahead

Romania was a bizarre place, more information to follow.

I am back at work today proof-reading some translations that we are going to publish. I just read the following paragraph, from a panel discussion on women human rights defenders that was held in October. The words are from a woman who runs a safehouse in Montenegro. I was sitting in the audience, but had little idea of what anyone was saying. Strange to think that this, which seems like an element of a movie I wouldn't watch, was floating over my head in a language I did not understand. (It's terrible stuff - not my usual, fairly light entry - but it's real and happening near me. I am still trying to wrap my head around that.):

We have heard terrible stories from women who were victims. They were maltreated and threatened. They were forced to smuggled drugs in their genitals (from 250 to 300 grams of heroin can be placed into vagina). They smuggled arms and ammunition. Police knew that this was occurring, but did nothing. Many women were transferred, after they were deemed ‘worn out,’ to special places where they were used for organ harvesting. Those who were designated for organ harvesting were not older than 25 years of age. I recently met one woman, relatively young, who looked like a fifty year old. She was kept for years as a sex slave for Arkan's troops. After her parents abandoned her, a Montenegrin soldier brought her.

The world can be a really ugly place sometimes - and not just in the Bucharest is the ugliest city I have ever seen sense of the word.

I promise, the forthcoming Romania-themed entry will be cheerier.