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Nigerian Migrant Women and Human Trafficking Narratives: Stereotypes, Stigma and Ethnographic Knowledge

Authors :
Estefanía Acién González
Source :
Social Sciences, Vol 13, Iss 4, p 207 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

During the last decades, Nigerian migrant women in the European sex market, described as victims of trafficking, have generated consistent concern and outrage. This article analyzes data from an ethnographic study of more than 800 Nigerian sex workers in southern Spain, describing the networks used by these women to carry out their migration projects and the relationships they establish with their agents. Thus, it contributes to refuting the hegemonic narrative about trafficking and its victims by contrasting it with data collected and systematized over almost a decade of participant observation and informal conversation. This paper argues that the stereotypical image of the Nigerian migrant women as victims of abuse and violence by transnational trafficking networks functions to justify strict migration-control policies and the denial of labor rights to sex workers. As an antidote to the dominance of narratives based on stereotypes and pseudoscientific claims, this paper underscores the urgent need for ethnographic research and its focus on emic (participant) perspectives. The goal is to develop tailored and effective policies and practices for the prevention of and intervention in migrant women’s experience of exploitation, abuse, and violence.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20760760
Volume :
13
Issue :
4
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Social Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.2ce466bac7fd4a8db6400b8ef647355a
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13040207