Sex, Slavery and the Trafficked Woman

A human rights lawyer and activist, Ramona Vijeyarasa is the Senior Programme Manager for Women’s Rights at ActionAid International. Ramona’s career spans a range of human rights non-governmental and international organisations, including the International Organisation for Migration (Hanoi and Kiev), the Center for Reproductive Rights (New York) and the International Center for Transitional Justice (New York). Ramona holds a PhD from the School of Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. She has published extensively in the field of gender and human rights, including in edited volumes, leading international journals and online.

’Ramona Vijeyarasa challenges us in every page of her book, deconstructing the system of myths, lies and stereotypes around so called modern slavery with strong evidence and sound field research undertaken in three countries. She emerges with an approach that combines feminist activism and research with patience and determination that dismantles preconceived ideas one by one. A fascinating and adventurous journey, and occasionally an uncomfortable one. Vijeyarasa provides us with a solid, truthful and evidence-based view into the lives of real men and women who are the protagonists of their own stories, and whom you will never again call victims.’ -- Elena Ferreras Carreras, Senior Gender Adviser, EBRD ’All readers, whatever their views, will find much to stimulate their thinking in this book. Its breadth and scope, the comparative analysis of the multi-regional data, and the challenging nature of the argument will provoke thought on how we better understand migration and trafficking.’ -- Elizabeth Broderick, Australian Human Rights Commission, Australia' Vijeyarasa’s identification of trafficking as a human rights issue instigates reading and thinking beyond existing polemics regrading trafficking. In doing so, the author transforms understanding of trafficking and the people involved in it outside of the norm. In acknowledging that her study is limited (though the extensive questionnaires, maps, charts, tables, and bibliography at the end speak otherwise), the author encourages readers (though she does not explicitly say so) to delve further into the true causalities behind trafficking and to conduct our own research toward uncovering the networks behind it as well. As it expands the corpus of research and offers a unique approach to defining trafficking, the volume as a whole will be of interest to scholars in the fields of Women’s and Genders Studies, feminist studies, anthropology, global politics, cultural studies, and labor and migration studies. ' -- Jennifer A. Fallas, journal of International Women's Studies

• Series Preface by Jane L. Parpart, Pauline Gardiner Barber and Marianne Marchand Part I: Setting The Scene: Trafficking Myths and Misconceptions in Context 1. Introduction to Trafficking and the Mainstream Trafficking Framework 2. The Main Agendas and Those Behind Them 3. Legislative Approaches to Trafficking: The Role of the Law in Challenging or Reinforcing Myths and Misconceptions Part II: Dispelling The Myths and Misconceptions 4. The Coerced Victim of Trafficking 5. The Uneducated Victim of Trafficking 6. The Poor Victim of Trafficking 7. The Female Victim of Trafficking Part III: An Alternative Approach To Trafficking 8. The Shortcomings of a Criminal Justice Focus 9. The ‘Voluntary’ Victim, Unmet Expectations and Contractual and Labour Rights Redress. Conclusion: Towards a More Inclusive, Victim-Centred Framework