Issue Papers - Reflections of Immigrant Women who Suffered Human Trafficking
| Title: |
Reflexiones de mujeres inmigrantes que han sufrido la Trata de personas (Reflections of immigrant women who suffered human trafficking) |
| Author: | |
| Organisation:aa | |
| Language: | Spanish |
| About the Issue Paper |
When reflecting about trafficking, trafficked women analysis goes beyond their traumatic experiences to their strategies to cope, face and overcome trafficking. They are able to reflect and shed light on what does not work in the assistance methodologies and about their assigned role as passive victims. In this issue paper, the author presents the thoughts and experiences of trafficked women who participated in a Feminist Participatory Action Research she coordinated between 2007 and 2010. The research took place in the Philippines, the United States, Colombia and Spain and involved women from 13 countries who had been trafficked for prostitution, organ harvesting, forced marriage, begging, domestic exploitation, labor exploitation and slavery-like practices. Through this issue paper trafficked women reflect about their role as victims, and about concepts such as agency vulnerability, resilience and coping strategies, and their evolving identities beyond their trafficking experience. |
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Issue Papers - In Her Words
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IN HER WORDS: Exposing obstacles to the effective implementation of rights and protection policies for human trafficking survivors in Spain |
| Author: | Jennifer Pro |
| Organisation:aa | |
| Language: | English |
| About the Issue Paper |
Due to factors such as its proximity to Africa, Spain has become a major gateway for African migrants seeking opportunities in Europe, and for this reason has become an entry point for human trafficking rings. Migrants’ journey to the European continent may take years for those who survive it, but for those suffering from human trafficking, their arrival is just the beginning of an inhumane journey of exploitation. In many cases, as this human rights violation culminates in their escape and the reclamation of their lives, human trafficking survivors are faced with great barriers to exercise their legal rights. Spain has made significant improvements to its anti-trafficking legal framework with the incorporation of adequate legislative measures. However, in practice the legal protection system in many ways still lacks effective policy implementation and a more human rights approach. The issue paper forms part of ongoing research using in-depth personal interviews to explore survivors’ recovery and integration process, access to legal rights, and their perspective on the response of the Spanish authorities. |
MORE ‘TRAFFICKING’, LESS ‘TRAFFICKED’: Trafficking for exploitation outside the sex sector in Europe
GAATW has always proactively lobbied for a broad definition of human trafficking and has consequently critiqued a ‘traditional’ near exclusive focus on the sex industry as the primary, if not the only, site of trafficking. The last years have seen, especially in Europe, a growing attention to what is termed as ‘trafficking for labour exploitation’ as something somehow separate or different. Whilst we welcome the broadening of focus we wonder if creating two separate and distinct categories such as ‘trafficking for labour exploitation’ and ‘trafficking for sexual exploitation’ is helpful.
With this Working Paper we want to take a closer look at this new scenario and analyse the practical and conceptual implications of the expansion of initiatives to trafficking outside the sex sector, especially for service providers and for those seeking assistance, and try to understand the emerging issues linked to this expansion (especially as they relate to identification and assistance). We discuss the benefits and challenges of the legal avenues, and analyze how existing case law can be used to advance the rights of trafficked persons. A working paper, as the name implies, is a work in progress, rather than a ‘final say’ and we look forward to discussion and dialogues with colleagues on the issues raised in this Paper.
Feeling Good About Feeling Bad… A Global Review of Evaluation in Anti-Trafficking Initiatives
This research explores and assesses the evaluation of anti-trafficking policies and programmes worldwide, including three international, two regional and nine national anti-trafficking initiatives. It highlights common themes and emerging patterns between a range of approaches to evaluation in this sector and finds overwhelmingly that anti-trafficking initiatives are not being sufficiently evaluated, impeding the effectiveness of anti-trafficking responses and limiting progress in combating trafficking. Urgent action in the form of adequate evaluation systems is imperative to ensure anti-trafficking programmes are effectively targeted and delivered.
BEYOND BORDERS: Exploring Trafficking's Links to Gender, Migration, Labour, Globalisation and Security
GAATW Working Paper Series 2010This series of Working Papers explores links between trafficking and gender: trafficking and labour; and trafficking and migration. The complexities in people's lives cannot be captured by one story or approach alone, whether that approach is anti-trafficking, women's rights, human rights, migrant rights, or labour rights. In other words, a person's life cannot be summarised as being merely that of "trafficked person" or "migrant worker", as often happens.
Each of the Working Papers depicts numerous examples of migrant women exercising agency.
- Exploring Links between Trafficking and Gender
- Exploring Links between Trafficking, Globalisation, and Security
- Exploring Links between Trafficking and Labour
- Exploring Links between Trafficking and Migration
Spanish version:
A Woman’s Life is Richer than Her Trafficking Experience
Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) Series
This CD contains the results of the Feminist Participatory Action Research organised by GAATW. It demonstrates the ways in which women are taking action and steering change in their communities. It shares their stories of resilience, hope and strength; it reveals the complexities of their lives; and raises their voices so we can hear them loudly and clearly, and take action.
The Realities and Agency of Informal Sector Workers:The Account of Migrant Women Workers in Nairobi
Migración y Trabajo: Mujeres Migrantes Haitianas: Investigación Feminista de Acción Participativa
‘Am Only Saying It Now’: Experiences of Women Seeking Asylum in Ireland
Female Temporary Circular Migration and Rights Protection in the Strawberry Sector in Huelva, Spain
Agency has always been at the core to GAATW’s message, and this topic was further looked at in a 2nd Roundtable (February and March, 2009). This Roundtable focused on ‘macro’ issues such as trade, security regimes, and global economics, and their impact on migrant and trafficked women and their space for agency and decision-making.
This specific research report seeks to contribute to this on-going analysis by GAATW by looking at these issues in the context of a programme of female temporary migration within the agriculture sector in Huelva, Spain; we aim to connect macroeconomics to a micro example of reality lived on the ground.
Respect and Relevance: Supporting self-organising as a strategy for empowerment and social change
The report features self-organised members in the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW). Discussions highlighted the importance of empowering internal relationships within the organisation and respectful partnerships with external stakeholders, organising processes that accomodated women's individual circumstances and needs, and the need to have opportunities where women could learn from shared experiences with other women.