Based on long-term ethnographic research, including documentary research, qualitative interviews and observations made at a Portuguese shelter for “sex trafficked women,” this paper explores the counter-trafficking apparatus questioning who benefits from it. The discussion explores the contrasts between an institutional commitment to constructing this apparatus and the actuality of procedural efforts purporting to support “trafficking victims.” The author argues that the higher goal of building a countertrafficking apparatus — in itself a political objective — limits the rights of “victims,” making processes that claim to be part of their protection de facto neo-liberal anti-political exercises in reenforcing bureaucratic state power.
As stores closed around the world in response to COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020, fashion brands and retailers sought to minimize their losses, shifting the financial burden of the disruption to the bottom of their supply chain. Cancelled orders, d...Read More
The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Act) was established nearly six years ago and was hailed as a landmark piece of legislation. Its aim was to encourage business to take action to eradicate modern slavery from its operations and supply chains. Fundamen...Read More
This year’s General Report zooms in on the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on trafficking in human beings. Countries monitored by GRETA have reported an increased use of ICT for recruiting and controlling victims of traffi...Read More
Human trafficking is a lucrative crime and violation of human rights that exploits women, children and men. It includes trafficking for forced labour, sexual exploitation, forced begging and military conscription. The health effects of trafficking a...Read More
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