La Strada Documentation Center

More ‘Trafficking’, Less ‘Trafficking’: Trafficking for Exploitation Outside the Sex Sector in Europe

Document number
2890
Date
2011
Title
More ‘Trafficking’, Less ‘Trafficking’: Trafficking for Exploitation Outside the Sex Sector in Europe
Author/publisher
Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW).
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Research/Study/Analysis,
Keywords
Irregular Migration, Feminization of migration, Economic migration, Labour migration, Free movement, Undocumented migrants; Undocumented labour;
Summary
Making a distinction between trafficking for exploitatio outside the sex sector and within the sex sector has proven useful to some. For example, making a distinction between sex and labour trafficking has served to put the spotlight on various labour sectors in Europe which were traditionally not looked at as potential sites of trafficking. It has opened up possibilities for identification of the ‘non-traditional' victim of trafficking, such as somebody trafficked outside the sex sector, or a trafficked man. However, it was pointed out that distinguishing trafficking per sector ofexploitation can also have negative consequences. Making such a distinction takes the emphasis away from exploitation, instead it looks at the sector and thus risks looking at all work in that sector as exploitative. Besides, it excludes the sex sector as a labour sector even though some countries have legal sex sectors and in many others sex workers are demanding workers rights.
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