Human Trafficking, Globalisation and Transnational Feminist Responses

This working paper explores the historical development of global, international, and transnational feminist frameworks that have been used to analyze human trafficking. The author examines the effect that globalization has had upon trafficking and the commodification of the human body. The first section of the paper examines the debate on sex trafficking, from its origins in the debate on "White slavery" to the evolution of the feminist actions, which served to develop a global initiative to address violence against women. The next section examines the need to rethink the relationships between "sex", "gender", and "power". The author explains that sex, capitalism, and patriarchy are traditionally understood as the causes of trafficking and violence against women. However, she asserts that there are pluralities of interpretations that should also be taken into account when trying to understand such causes. The final section examines similarities between sex trafficking and cross-border surrogacy. The author concludes with a discussion of the complex layering of experiences and frameworks that must be understood in order to properly address human trafficking.