The gendered dynamics of migration deterrence and anti-trafficking interventions:
the case of Nigerian sex workers in Kumasi, Ghana
Keywords:
tráfico, migração, trabalhadores do sexo, tráfico sexual, fronteirasAbstract
This examines how anti-trafficking, anti-smuggling and other measures that form part of European Union migration deterrence operations in Nigeria are affecting migratory practices and social lives in Nigeria and other West African States. It draws on data from research with a group of Nigerian smugglers, handlers and their clients to discuss a nascent people smuggling route (Nigeria-Benin-Togo-Ghana-Europe) which has arisen in response to EU migration deterrence measures at Nigerian international airports. The discussion highlights the gendered nature of this new migratory phenomenon and the complex reciprocal relationships between travel facilitators and their clients, thereby challenging the popular narratives of unequivocally ‘evil traffickers or smugglers’ exploiting ‘hapless trafficking victims’ which pervade such debates. The article concludes that the challenges confronting those deemed to be victims of trafficking tend to originate from the criminalisation of mobility by the EU and other actors. Rights advocacy should therefore challenge such systems.
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