In the news this week I have been following the Missing Women Commission and the issues surrounding this inquiry. More specifically, I am interested the way many groups are refusing to participate, as they believe women are not being allocated a significant role and therefore, any meaningful change is unlikely to occur. An article posted on CBC discussed the findings of the inquiry and it is suggested that “a combination of the law, police tactics and bad attitudes among officers” contributes to the marginalization of sex workers in Vancouver
The themes we discussed this week in class related to control, women’s bodies and sexuality are reflected in a local setting through this article. By examining Barbra Sullivan’s “Trafficking in Human Beings” and Edward E. Baptist’s ““Cuffy,” “Fancy Maids,” and “One-Eyed Men”: Rape, Commodification, and the Domestic Slave Trade in the United States,” these themes are illustrated in a global sense. By considering the continuing intersection of control, women’s bodies and sexuality, it is evident that these themes pervade all levels of politics.
Sullivan’s chapter makes several key observations in her study of human trafficking. First, she discusses the gendered construction of international trafficking laws by comparing trafficking and smuggling laws. She examines the language that frames trafficking laws and finds it to be feminine and passive, whereas the language of smuggling laws is masculine and implies consent and freedom. Second, this gendered construction shapes the way sex trafficking is the central focus for media and political institutions, rather than acknowledging the way trafficking involves men, women and children in different ways. Third, Sullivan discusses the negative impacts anti-trafficking laws have upon women’s rights.
The theme of control of women’s bodies is discerned through the harmful implications of law, both at the international level with anti-trafficking laws and also at the Canadian level, with sex worker laws. As is noted in the CBC article, Canadian laws regarding sex workers is vague and tends to criminalizes prostitution. This means many sex workers do not seek help from the police, as it could result in lawful repercussions. The CBC article also notes how many sex workers have been “ridiculed by police officers when reporting assaults, and harassed while on the streets.” This type of institutional discrimination is highlighted in Sullivan’s article, as she focuses on how immigration officers stereotype women coming from countries like Brazil
Baptist’s article examines the intersection between slavery, rape and commerce during the American slave trade. His analysis reveals the commodification of African women’s bodies and how these bodies were desired by the “one-eyed-men,” as a way to establish their domination. A second theme to his article is the connection between political economy (the trade of bodies) and globalization (the slave trade and domestic trade).
At the heart of Baptist’s article is the notion of control. Through his interpretation of the letters sent between slave traders Isaac Franklin and Rice Ballard, Baptist concludes that these men “passionately wanted ‘mulatto’ women, and black people generally; as bodies to rape and bodies to sell.” The control of the slave trade was underpinned by racial constructions of law, in which Africans were considered sub-human and therefore had no rights. The bodies and sexuality of these African women was controlled through white political dominance. These political power relations are also a cause of the discrimination faced by sex workers in Vancouver
In conclusion, the connections between Sullivan, Baptist and the CBC article all demonstrate the multifaceted ways in which control, sexuality and women’s bodies emerge in politics. The Sullivan article reminds us that many of the discourses ignore the deeper social, political and economic reasons as to why people are trafficked. This is reflected in the CBC article, which urges us to think about the broader issues surrounding sex work, like poverty and institutional discrimination. Baptist reminds that control of women’s bodies and sexuality has a very long history and there are deeply entrenched notions of dominance. Considering these sources together, trends in international politics parallels local politics and the intersection between these themes is clear.
Bibliography
Baptist, Edward E. ““Cuffy,” “Fancy Maids,” and “One-Eyed Men”: Rape, Commodification, and the Domestic Slave Trade in the United States
Canadian Political Press. “Police make sex workers “easier targets,” inquiry told,” October 12, 2011. CBC News: Canada
Christopher, Ben. “First day of missing women hearings marred by protests, more withdrawals,” October 11, 2011. The Hook. Accessed October 11, 2011. <http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Rights-Justice/2011/10/11/Missing-Women-Hearings-Begin/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thehookblog+%28The+Hook%29>
Sullivan, Barbra. “Trafficking in Human Beings.” In Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations. Edited by Laura J. Shepherd. Routledge: Oxen: 2010, 89-101.
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