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

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial sciences (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 4; p. 207
Main Author Acién González, Estefanía
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2024
Subjects
Crime
Demographic aspects
Emigration and immigration
Ethnography
Fines & penalties
Human rights
Human smuggling
Human trafficking
International aspects
Investigations
Migration
Nigerians
Prostitution
Psychological aspects
Safety and security measures
Sex industry
sex work
Social aspects
Stereotype (Psychology)
Stereotypes
Stigma (Social psychology)
trafficking networks
Violence
Women
Women immigrants
women migrants
Nigeria
Europe
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Summary: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.
ISSN:2076-0760
2076-0760
DOI:10.3390/socsci13040207