Security Meets Gender Equality in the EU: The Politics of Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation

Description

This book explores the triangular dynamics of securitisation and desecuritisation that underpin the EU’s approach to trafficking in women for sexual exploitation. That is, the progressive securitisation of trafficking in women for sexual exploitation within the EU’s anti-trafficking policies and the existence of two distinct and competing approaches that coexist among feminist struggles against such trend and that largely follow the two opposing views that structure feminist debates on prostitution: a neo-abolitionist approach, on the one hand, that is increasingly defended from within EU institutions, and has therefore become increasingly entangled with the securitisation of trafficking in women; and a sex work approach, on the other hand, that has been largely relegated to the domains of academia and civil society. As such, this book addresses the intersection of security and feminist neo-abolitionism within the EU’s anti-trafficking policies, as well as the de-securitising potential of the anti-trafficking advocacy of both neo-abolitionist and sex worker organisations operating at EU level. This book is unique in that it unprecedentedly brings together three bodies of literature that rarely interact: Critical Security Studies, EU Gender Studies and the feminist literature on prostitution and trafficking in women and demonstrates their fruitful interaction in an extensive empirical analysis of the EU’s internal security, violence against women and anti-trafficking policies.   Acknowledgements About This Book Praise for Security Meets Gender Equality in the EU Contents About the Author Abbreviations List of Figures 1 Introduction The Triangular Dynamic of Securitisation and Desecuritisation Underpinning the EU’s Approach to Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation Security, Gender Equality, Trafficking in Women and the EU The EU’s Approach to Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation First Phase: The Incipient Intersection of Security and Violence Against Women Second Phase: Furthering the Intersection of Security and Neo-Abolitionism Third Phase: Legalising the Intersection Between Security and Neo-Abolitionism Fourth Phase: Crystallising the Intersection Between Security and Neo-Abolitionism Aim and Arguments Securitisation by Contagion The EP’s Neo-Abolitionist Turn The Intersection of Security Concerns and Neo-Abolitionist Ideals Unmaking the Securitisation of Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation Methodology and Data Poststructuralist Discourse Analysis Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to Be?’ Approach Critical Frame Analysis Relationality and Context Data, Sources and Terminology Structure of the Book References 2 Internal Security and the EU: The Securitisation by Contagion of Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation Critical Security Studies and the EU Discourses, Practices and the Logic of Security Security and Identity The EU and the Securitisation of Immigration The EU and the Securitisation of Transnational Organised Crime The EU’s Internal Security Domain: Origin and Evolution First Phase: Freedom of Movement and Compensatory Security Measures Second Phase: Popular Unease and Globalised (In)Security Third Phase: Managing Risk Fourth Phase: Continuity and Convergence Conclusions References 3 Prostitution and the EU: Neoliberalism, Vulnerability and Security The Rise of Neo-abolitionism Neo-abolitionism and the Neoliberalism–Vulnerability–Security Nexus Neo-abolitionism and Neoliberalism Neoliberal Governance and Vulnerability Neoliberalism, Vulnerability and Security Explaining the European Parliament’s Neo-abolitionist Turn Swedish Feminists as Neo-abolitionist Norm Entrepreneurs Velvet Triangles and Transnational Advocacy Networks The Neoliberalisation of Violence Against Women Illustrating the EP’s Neo-abolitionist Turn First Phase: Gender (In)Equality and the Ambivalence Towards Prostitution Second Phase: Gender (In)Equality, Women’s Human Rights and Vulnerability Third Phase: The Othering and Securitisation of Violence Against Women Fourth Phase: The European Parliament’s Neo-abolitionist Turn Conclusions References 4 The Intersection of Security and Neo-abolitionism in the EU’s Anti-trafficking Policies Trafficking in Women: Neo-abolitionist Approaches and Sex Work Critiques Security Meets Neo-abolitionism in the EU’s Anti-trafficking Policies First Phase: The Intersection of Security and Violence Against Women Second Phase: The Intersection of Security and Neo-abolitionism Third Phase: Legalising the Intersection of Security and Neo-abolitionism Fourth Phase: Crystallising the Intersection of Security and Neo-abolitionism The Complex Othering of Trafficked Victims and Its Exclusionary Effects Disidentifying Trafficked Women, Constructing Trafficked Victims Strengthening Security, Limiting Protection Othering Trafficked Victims, Constructing the European Self Conclusions References 5 Desecuritising Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation Through a Neo-Abolitionist Approach? The European Women’s Lobby Critical Security Studies and the Unmaking of Security The EU, Civil Society Organisations and the EWL’s Monopoly EU Funding (Disputes) and (Feminist) Civil Society Organisations Representativeness Criteria: Presence, Structure, Transparency and Interests The EU and the (Defective) Institutionalisation of Intersectionality The EWL’s Advocacy and Approach to Prostitution and Trafficking in Women The Desecuritising Potential of the EWL’s Neo-Abolitionist Approach to Prostitution and Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation Conclusions References 6 Desecuritising Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation Through a Sex Work Approach? Aradau, Post-anarchism and Whore-Walks Politics Out of Security in the Situation of Trafficking in Women Sex Workers’ Collective Mobilisation (at EU Level): Obstacles and Strategies TAMPEP and the ICRSE: Advocacy and Approach to Sex Work and Trafficking Contesting Aradau: On the Desecuritising Potential of Sex Work at EU Level On the Limits of Sex Work in the Desecuritisation of Trafficking in Women at EU level Unmaking Security: On Post-Anarchism and Whore-Walks Conclusions References 7 Conclusions References Index