Globalized, Wired and Sex Trafficking in Women and Children

Arguing that trafficking in women is a form of violence against women and a clear violation of fundamental human rights, the author provides a general discussion of the social, economic and legal dimensions of the problem. It is noted that trafficking regularly channels women into forced prostitution, sweatshop labour and exploitative domestic servitude. The author finds that in large part, the root of the problem lies in global economic inequalities and the poverty faced by women in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. As such, she argues that women's participation in trafficking is not voluntary, but a desperate act. Finally, various domestic and international legal reforms are proposed. The article includes some discussion of the particular situations of trafficking women in Russia and Ukraine. [Descriptors: Migration - Trafficking, International]