In 2014 The International Labour Organization recognized sex trafficking as the fastest-growing business of organized crime, and the world’s third-largest criminal enterprise.
Sometimes referred to as the ‘body trade’ – this term implies that reducing of the physical and social being to an economic instrument.
The Debate: Is this the individual’s voluntary labor choice? If so, should more attention be redirected to protecting the sex workers’ health and safety and their working conditions? Or is this an exploitative practice that violates women’s rights?
Sex trafficking is a complex situation with an element of fluidity between labels such as: “victim of human trafficking”, “migrant sex worker”, “forced migrants” and “prostituted women”.
The causes of human trafficking have been explained in scientific literature as a series of inter-related push-pull factors involving globalisation and migration, the gendered differences of poverty, the political environment, criminal networks, and the regulation of the sex industry.
Globalisation plays a pivotal role because of the way it has allowed migration to become more readily available – contributing to the increase in transnational crime.
Thailand is reputed as being the major sex tourism destination, though it has also extended to Barbados, Cuba and the Dominican Republic
Sex tourism is not confined to less developed countries – with evidence tracing its history in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada to name a few.
In some cases, the individuals entering the sex trade did so with the intention of improving their own, or their family’s, financial status. It is important to not deny these women their agency, but align the focus on deception as central to trafficking discourses. Migrant women who work in the sex industry are not passive victims – they are often aware of the nature of the work to be carried out – but the actual nature of the working conditions may be under-estimated. This is not to suggest that complete deception does not occur in the experiences of these migrant women, but rather it is an attempt to explain that there is a continuum of experiences. Concentrating on complete deception provides only a partial representation of the realities of their lived experience.
Some of the victims who entered the sex trade voluntarily became trafficked when they found themselves blocked from leaving and controlled by a range of control measures such as extreme levels of violence, sexual assault, coercion, and physical and psychological intimidation.
Victims are generally recruited by an acquaintance, known or online, and persuaded into the sex industry, but some are abducted or forced.
Sex trafficking can take a lasting mental and emotional toll on survivors, undergoing long-term trauma even after the survivors have escaped trafficking situations.
Some researchers question whether sex trafficking experiences that involve technology are more traumatic. For instance, technology that is used to promote/market a young person could potentially lead to an increased frequency of sex-trafficking experiences. Similarly, technology threaten the permanence of the experience, such as when photos or videos are shared online and can be viewed repeatedly by others. Both of these experiences could elicit more trauma symptoms and shame, thereby also increasing the young person’s risk for developing suicidal ideation or behavior.
Though globalisation holds promises of economic opportunities for migrants, in most cases it has not fulfilled its promise; leaving many women living in impoverished circumstances with limited rights.
Trafficking flows are generally considered to go from poor to rich countries, and poverty as namely being one of its root causes.
Women, being disproportionately more affected by poverty and having limited economic opportunities can lead to the result of women being more generally vulnerable to trafficking – especially if they aspire to pursue economic opportunities abroad.
While poverty is central to understanding human trafficking, social and cultural norms, as well as political changes, can exacerbate and contribute to the many ways trafficking can flourish.
For instance, links have been made between militarisation and sex trafficking – with research revealing that some military personnel and peace-keeping forces purchase sexual services from trafficked women and girls. By default, the presence of armed conflict within communities leads to inadequate levels of safety, security, and instability in living conditions, thereby pushing for migration and increasing the vulnerability to trafficking.
The US Department of State in 2010 named Canada as a, “source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution and, to a lesser extent, forced labour. Canadian women and girls, particularly from aboriginal communities, are found in conditions of commercial sexual exploitation across the country.”
The sector of the Canadian population representing the majority of victims of domestic trafficking are those who originate from northern First Nations or Aboriginal reserves. These women and children are the most vulnerable, economically challenged and socially dislocated compared to the rest of Canadians.
Mass media is saturated with stories highlighting prostitution’s worst cases, and news reports that center on themes of violence, pimping, crime, and disease. Much in line with drug and arms trafficking – as well as other illicit global enterprises – governments, activists, and mass media fall into the pattern of accepting and reproducing the statistics of sex trafficking, rather than challenge and critique them.
“Prostitution varies tremendously from place to place and in how it is practiced, organized, and experienced by participants. The same diversity characterizes the arena of trafficking and assisted migration. Migration patterns range from highly coercive and exploitative to cooperative, consensual, and mutually beneficial agreements between migrants and third parties.”
A partnership approach to the issues surrounding sex trafficking, founded on multi-agencies and sectors, and encompassing diverse perspectives, may be the next direction to take in developing global preventative measures, and health and safety policies.
REFERENCES
The human rights obligations of the canadian government excerpted from it’s time for change]. (2000). Canadian Woman Studies, 20(3), 43.
Varma, S., Gillespie, S., McCracken, C., & Greenbaum, V. J. (2015). Characteristics of child commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking victims presenting for medical care in the united states. Child Abuse & Neglect, doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.04.004
Frey, L. M., Middleton, J., Gattis, M. N., & Fulginiti, A. (2019). Suicidal ideation and behavior among youth victims of sex trafficking in kentuckiana. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 40(4), 240-248.
Matheson, C. M., & Finkel, R. (2013). Sex trafficking and the vancouver winter olympic games: Perceptions and preventative measures. Tourism Management, 36(Complete), 613-628. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2012.08.004
Weitzer, R. (2011). Sex trafficking and the sex industry: The need for evidence-based theory and legislation. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-), 101(4), 1337-1369. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23150018
April Marie Canillo 