The Gender Dynamics of Sex Trafficking: Literature Review Paper Example

The issue of human trafficking has gained a wide response in academia with political, economic, social and psychological analysis on this growing criminal activity. Yet the issue of sex trafficking has received little attention in the context of the Gulf, and the literature is mostly focused on the legal and moral obligations of these states to protect the rights of women in vulnerable situations or on the issue of (ill)legality of sex work. Drawing from gender theory, focusing mostly on Critical Feminist Theory (CFT) I aim to fill the gap in the literature by looking at the factors (institutional, legal, political and economic) which cause, sustain and legitimize the existence of sex trafficking and the continuation of abuse by women who are lucky enough to escape. Since human trafficking is more than just sex trafficking and prostitution, it will be argued that sex trafficking causes wider ripples in the social dynamics of the women involved and this will be explored through a narrative of the rupture of the hymen and the implications of this for women. As such, sex trafficking is only the start of a wider chain of abuse and by understanding its roots, we can also come to appreciate its consequences and thus try to gather better tools for dealing with these victims. I have chosen to use CFT because its focus is not purely on women but on the gender dynamics that contribute to female exploitation, therefore an understanding of both femininity and masculinity is needed.

The Gender Dynamics of Sex Trafficking: Literature Review

Today human sex trafficking is a multi-dollar business, operating in the shadow market and is said to have a lower risk than drugs or arms trafficking. The internationalization of the sex industry has made the issue of trafficking even more pressing as swathes of victims are recruited into the sex tourism industry, which has since grown because of globalization.

Feminists would argue that women and children are disproportionally affected during war time and periods of upheaval and have thus increased their likelihood of exploitation and being subjected to wartime slavery. Yet, as noted earlier modern forms of slavery have meant that women are just as likely to be exploited during peace time, and both women and children are subjected to trafficking, for example in places like China, even infants are trafficked. The issue of sex trafficking is further complicated by its relationship with the movement of migrant workers, whom some, like in the Gulf are lured under false contracts of work, only to be forcefully recruited into the sex industry. There appears to be a correlation between an increase in the demand for migrant workers and sexual exploitation.

One point which will be teased out in the research is that sex trafficking does not solely depend on government apparatus. Instead, it relies on the availability of market for these victims, which itself is a result of gender roles, and the inequality that this produces. Critical feminists argue that the state has taken on the role of the new man in womens lives as they are subjected to patriarchal norms and regulated to the private sphere. This argument can be extended in the context of protection and prevention of sexual violence because of human trafficking. The state is often criticized for not doing enough to raise the profile of the dangers of deceptive contracts to lure women into the destination country because it is an institution which sustains the exploitation of women for its purposes, and this is something that will be extended upon in the research when I address the economic benefits states receive from a thriving sex industry. Also, the state is criticized for not taking care of the health of the since sex trafficking is a harbor for transmitting sexually transmitted infections and if no quick action is taken then the health of the society will be at risk.

The Gulf

In the Gulf, trafficking affects every segment of society and people from all walks of life. However, women and children represent a massively higher proportion of victims when it comes to sex trafficking. This is especially the case concerning the sex tourism industry.

The extent of the sex trafficking problem in the GCC countries is not well studied, and the body of literature on human trafficking is scarce, mainly due to the lack of developed research material and the lack of quantitative research. Yet, evidence exists that human trafficking is an increasing challenge to these member states. For example, traffickers draw young women to the UAE on the promise of providing well-paid employment and a chance to start a new life in a rapidly developing country; however, on arrival, they swiftly and brutally force them into prostitution.

Commercial sex work in the UAE is illegal by law and upon conviction; offenders are sentenced to prison then face deportation (if the offender is a non-national).As such, there is a discrepancy between the legal system of these states and its practical employment in real life situations. This can only be explained adequately under the prism of CFT since they allude to the institutional gender bias that runs through lawmakers, and enforcement agencies. Thus, it is futile to speak of more international laws and regulations that need to be ratified, if there is no existing exploration of why current laws have not done enough for sex trafficking victims in the first place. A report published by the Freedom House in 2015 stated that even when it comes to nationals, inadequate protection exists. For example, the judiciary in places like the UAE is not impartial and hence subject to political decision making.

Methodology

The methodology used is largely qualitative, and I will be using existing theory to underpin my main argument, but will also draw from original fieldwork.

I aim to carry out interviews with three groups of people.

Government officials in Saudi Arabia (taken in the form of largely structured interviews)

Victims (unstructured interviews)

Those working with civil society organizations within and outside the country (structured)

Given the sensitive nature of the topic, and the socially conservative environment through which I will be conducting interviews, a potential limitation is denial of access to key information. This may be due to saving face. One way of addressing this is to fill the gaps using secondary sources and official reports carried out by other organizations. Furthermore, another possible limitation is the unwillingness of participants to share their stories, as such I aim to speak first to those that run shelters for runaway migrants to gain a better understanding of migrants stories and to determine whether I could carry out interviews with them.

Reference List

Alvarez, M.B. and Alessi, E.J., 2012. Human trafficking is more than sex trafficking and prostitution: Implications for social work. Affilia, 27(2), pp.142-152.

Anderson, Bridget and OConnell Davidson, Julia 2003, Is Trafficking in Human Beings Demand Driven? A Multi-Country Pilot Study, Report prepared for the International Organization for Migration. IOM Migration Research Series, no. 15, Nussbaum, Martha 1999, Sex and Social Justice, Oxford University Press, New York.Pearson, Elaine 2005, The Mekong challenge, human trafficking: redefining demand, International Labour Organization, Bangkok,

Brown, W. (1992) Finding the Man in the State. Feminist Studies. Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 7-34

Decker, M.R., McCauley, H.L., Phuengsamran, D., Janyam, S. and Silverman, J.G., 2010. Sex trafficking, sexual risk, sexually transmitted infection and reproductive health among female sex workers in Thailand. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, pp.jech-2009.

National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, 2010. Combating Human Trafficking in the UAE. Annual Report 2009-2010. Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Available at: http://www.nccht.gov.ae/download.aspx?FileID=68&download=0 ; Anh Nga Longva, Keeping Migrant Workers in Check: The Kafala System in the Gulf (1999) Middle East Report; Luin Goldring, Temporary Worker Programs as Precarious Status: Implications for Citizenship, Inclusion and Nation Building in Canada (2010) Canadian Issues

Sandra Whitworth. Feminist International Relations. Palgrave Macmillian. 1997

International Sex Trafficking of Women & Children:Understanding the Global Epidemic Leonard Territo, George Kirkham Looseleaf Law Publications, 2010 Chapter 8: The Natasha Trade: The transnational shadow market of trafficking in women by Donna M. Hughes pg.125; Territo, L., & Kirkham, G. (Eds.). (2010). International Sex Trafficking of Women & Children: Understanding the Global Epidemic. New York: Loose Leaf Law Publications.

Sellers, P. V., 2011. Wartime Female Slavery: Enslavement? Cornell IntL L. J. 115, vol. 44, pp. 115-142.

Rodriguez, J. P., 2011. Slavery in the Modern World: A History of Political, Social, and Economic Oppression. Vol. 2, Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO.; Behnke, A. M. (2014) Up for Sale: Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. Minneapolis, MN.; Twenty-First Century Books

See DCunha, J., 2002. Trafficking in persons: a gender and rights perspective. In: Expert Group Meeting on Trafficking in women and girls, 18-22 November 2002, Glen Cove, New York, USA, (EGM/TRAF/2002/EP.8, 8 November 2002) Available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/trafficking2002/reports/EP-DCunha.PDF

Territo, L., and Kirkham, G., 2010. International Sex Trafficking of Women & Children: Understanding the Global Epidemic. New York: Loose Leaf Law Publications.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2010. Combating trafficking in persons in accordance with the principles of Islamic Law. United Nations, Vienna International Centre, Vienna. Available at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/Islamic_Law_TIP_E_ebook_18_March_2010_V0985841.pdfZimmerman, C., Hossain, M. and Watts, C., 2011. Human trafficking and health: A conceptual model to inform policy, intervention and research. Social science & medicine, 73(2), pp.327-335.