Victims of Trafficking The Feminisation of Poverty and Migration in the Gendered Narratives of Human Trafficking

This article explores the connection between the feminisation of migration and the feminisation of poverty. Through this lens, the author examines the experience of 12 women who were trafficked from post- Soviet countries to Israel. The author explains how the "law of return" policies Israel implemented in the 1950s led to a major wave of human trafficking. Traffickers used the cover of Jewish immigrants returning to Israel to bring thousands of Eastern European women there to work in the sex trade. These women are considered illegal immigrants and are often deported upon being discovered. The author examines twelve "right to remain" letters written by women who had been trafficked for sexual exploitation purposes from post-Soviet countries. She outlines the personal experiences of these women and discusses the extent to which the letters conform to the "victim of trafficking" identity (which is linked to the feminisation of migration and poverty). The author also explores potential detrimental effects of the "victim of trafficking" stereotype. For example, it is shown that the "victim" label often silences women, denies their agency, and overly simplifies the complex realities of human trafficking.