Trafficking in Spain: An Interpretation of Human Rights from a Gender Perspective

Abstract

Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation (TFSE) is a historical phenomenon, connected to the social and sexual organization of labour. It survives because a part of the population is considered a lucrative commodity, in a global business operation that causes millions of victims worldwide nowadays. The protection of the fundamental rights of victims is not considered top priority by States, compared to the priorization given to irregular migration and organized crime control. Thus, this situation supposes a disregard of human trafficking as a violation of Human Rights. This approach transcends TFSE and argues that the violations of Human Rights implicit in human trafficking are linked to the sexual division of labour, differentially affecting men and women. Furthermore, TFSE is already formally recognized as a form of gender violence. Women around the world are in socially inequality positions that are conducive to the risk of being trafficked, especially for sexual exploitation. This paper deals with a contextualized reflection on the case of Spain, as a border-territory of the European Union.