Германският дебат относно трафика на жени: "наплив на проститутки от Източна Европа"
Legitimizing the control of the "eastern European prostitute" in contemporary German trafficking discourse

Summary/Abstract: Drawing on a media analysis of the traffi cking discourse in the wake of FIFA Soccer World Cup 2006 in Germany, and on interview-based case studies on local sex work policies, the paper contrasts the representations of migrant sex workers as victims or perpetrators in local and national discourses. The national discourse on traffi cking presents the ‘Eastern European prostitute’ as an innocent victim lured into prostitution by the threats or false promises of ruthless men. As implication of the absence of migrant’s agency and structural violence in the narration, the discourse functions as control discourse: It 1) serves to authorize raids in the sex industry, 2) becomes a fi eld of negotiation of work relations, legitimizing precarious (migrant) work beyond the sex industry, and 3) functions to stabilize the exclusive European migration regime. The local discourse, on the contrary, turns the victims into perpetrators. The paper thus argues for an account that combines agency approaches with the analysis of structural violence.

• Details
• Contents