Globalization and Neoliberalism's Influence on Sex Trafficking

This essay examines the impact of globalization and neoliberalism on sex trafficking, highlighting how the pursuit of free markets and international trade has inadvertently contributed to the rise of this transnational crime. It discusses how the collapse of the Soviet Union and the implementation of free trade agreements like NAFTA, along with technological advancements, have created an environment conducive to exploitation. The essay also explores the role of war, economic instability, and increased mobility in fostering sex trafficking. While acknowledging the challenges in combating this issue, the essay concludes by noting that globalized law enforcement networks and international collaborations are crucial in the fight against sex trafficking, emphasizing the importance of awareness, prevention, and victim protection.

What is the impact of
globalisation and
neoliberalism on the issue of
sex trafficking

Table of Contents
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Sex trafficking is defined as the money, goods and services that being exchanges for
sexual activity which is forced against the will of the person. In other words, it is human
trafficking for sexual exploitation. It includes prostitution, pornography and peeps shows that are
through physical contact or through internet. According to International Labour Organisation,
over 20 million people are victims of sex trafficking.
Globalisation and neoliberalism has focused on creating free market system that fosters
international trade and investments. With the switch in economies due to globalization, it led to
instability in countries that resulted in increased sex trafficking across the nations.
The present essay shows how globalisation and neoliberalism has impacted the sex
trafficking across the world.
MAIN BODY
Globalisation refers to the interdependence of the economies, cultures and population of
the world that are brought together by cross border trade in technology, good, services and in
flow of information, investment and people (Williamson, 2017). Cheap labour and comparative
advantage in goods and services has played a significant role in exploiting and objectifying
people for economic ends. Similarly, neoliberalism is a policy which encompasses economics
and politics. It seeks to transfer control of economic factors from public sector to the private
sector. It emphasizes on free market trade and competition. Neoliberalism is a term that is used
in the 20 the century which is associated with capitalisation of free market. Globalisation and
neoliberalism have a great influence on sex trafficking.
Developing nations under Soviet Union, like the Baltic states and Ukraine, were
unanchored after the cold war (Peksen, 2017). It resulted in huge surge for organised crime as
government was not only formally organised but neither they were able to successfully
implement rules and regulations. With the technological and political developments. The
organised crime includes human trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering, cybercrime and
many more. Thus, globalisation and neoliberalism has resulted in creation of one open universal
culture that utilizes free market systems, promoting international trade and services (Ahlberg and
et.al., 2019). This process of globalisation has made the world monolithic. It has resulted in
increasing the size of sex trafficking industry. Sex trafficking industry has a structural
standardisation across the globe, but there are some differences based on culture, historical and

economical components of country. It led to rise in the cross border investment, trade and
migration that helped in suppressing the transnational crime growth by spreading of global
economic development. Thus, globalization is a process of , integration and interaction of bodies
of people, foreign investment and international business and trade. Several factors of
globalisation and neoliberalism have fostered the growth of these crimes such as the connectivity
of the world has led to increased flow of capital and goods, less strict rules and regulations,
increased in migration of people.
Before globalisation and neoliberalism, there existed sex trafficking, i.e. the birth of sex
trafficking took place at end of the world war II and piked off at end of cold war, the period from
1945 to early 1990's (Dekker, 2020). However, there are many forms of slavery which existed
before globalisation such as chattel slavery, indentured servitude etc. In chattel slavery, slaves
used to be legally owned as property. It was one of the most common type of slavery. Chattel
slavery was also used for the purpose of sexual exploitation. That is, at the time of ancient
China's dominance over Vietnam, hundreds of Vietnamese women were sold to Chinese men.
They were served as fuel to Chinese sex trade. The exploitation of these women still continues in
china, in the globalised era, hundreds of women have bees trafficked to china. Another example
of sex trafficking in the pre globalization era was the Arab slave trade, where female slaves were
trafficked so that they can be used as surrogate mothers and concubines. They were traded as
commodities that were purchased by men. Also, used as a sex toy to relief the servicemen in
military in the middle east .
With the emerging concept of globalisation and neoliberalsim, it created an environment
across the globe, where countries can relate and interact with other foreign countries easily
(Almeida, 2018). Free trade agreements like NAFTA signed in 1992 and the formation of WTO
in 1995 by 100 countries, led to stimulation of foreign investment and restructuring of economies
by allowing foreign interest entering the nation. This led to acceleration of sex trafficking due to
various social problems such as economic stability. With the rise in globalisation the Children's
Fund of UN estimated that higher liquidity of trade between nations has resulted in rapid
increase in the exploitation of minor through sex trafficking. It has also, estimated due to the
reason of sexual exploitation there are millions of children's being trafficked each year.
The three global factors of sex trafficking are: war, technological advancement and
economic instability (Regilme, 2019). During the conflict occurred in the mid 2000 at Congo, a

Congo soldier commented on the sexual affairs that happened there that they can't use prostitutes
as their combatant don't get paid, so they have to make women obey them and make them do
what they want. War rapes are not a new concept, it was found back in ancient era. But recently
it has become noteable as found in all the recent wars surrounded by the recent age of
globalisation (Sengupta, 2018). Desires for sexual affairs and demand for more domination and
control by the soldiers led to creation of a dangerous environment for women and children.
Instability in economy and high mobility of people afflicted by the war led to creation of perfect
atmosphere for sex trafficking to shoot up.
Till the present day, sex trafficking conitnues in war. A journalist founded, US funded
the Kuwaiti contractors to hire illegal labourers from Philippines and India to built a US embassy
in Baghdad at the green zone area. It was not only the case of human trafficking but sex
trafficking as it was founded that womens were being trafficked as prostitutes in this green zone.
The impact of globalisation was that with the technological advancement, the contractors
responsible for security, were the one promoting and advertising through internet about the
diversified offering available. The advancement in technology has also resulted in growth and
expansion of sex trafficking. The ability of communicating anywhere and anytime, has allowed
sex trafficking to be functioning at any time across the globe. And one of the greatest importance
that is the rise of internet. Internet has resulted in enormous expansion in the pornography
industry, including adults and children. The advancement in technology has permitted sex
trafficking to not only occur by mutli media, but through various countries that is by tracking and
closing the routes .
With the trends in globalisation through new technologies, it is very common for
trafficked children and women to be founded half way around the globe from their origin. The
rise in fake passports, corrupt officials, mobility of people has allowed unlawful transportation of
individuals go with ease without being undiscovered. Due to neoliberalism, prices of airlines
decreased upto 40% in 2005 that has made the fares cheaper and also the deregulation in airline
resulted in increased sex trafficking that is women from Nigeria are being trafficked to Italy,
womens from soviet union is being trafficked to Asia, Latin, Europe. Constant communication
and sharing of information through technological use of internet , Wi-Fi has drastically raised the
volume of sex trafficking globally.

However, the underground nature of sex trafficking trade, that is traffickers manages to
stay one step ahead to the law that has enforced. Globalisation and neoliberalism has facilitated
sex trafficking by accordingly serving to impeding counter trafficking. State centred approaches
have been futile and obsolete in combating sex trafficking. But with globalised networks of law
enforcement has helped in attacking against sex trafficking by encouraging collaboration of law
enforcement across the states. International institutes like The UN, Interpol, host of NGO's is
teaming up to combat sex trafficking. With adoption of the Palermo Protocol that has been
initiated by the UN against the transnational organised crime, many nations have enacted laws to
create awareness of the problems, preventing trafficking and protecting the prosecute traffickers
and the victims.
CONCLUSION
From the present essay, it can be concluded that there are several factors of neoliberalism
and globalisation that has fostered growth of sex trafficking. With the increased connectivity and
information sharing it has led to increase in migration of people due to the less strict rules and
regulation and resulted in creating a one open universal culture, making the world monolithic. It
can be also summarised that there are three global factors of increasing sex trafficking in the
world. However in the end it can be concluded that globalisation and neoliberalism has also also
facilitated sex trafficking by impeding globalised enforcement laws which has helped in
attacking the trafficking. And creating awareness, prevention and protection of the victims.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Williamson, S.H., 2017. Globalization as a racial project: Implications for human
trafficking. Journal of International Women's Studies. 18(2). pp.74-88.
Peksen, D., Blanton, S.L. and Blanton, R.G., 2017. Neoliberal policies and human trafficking for
labor: Free markets, unfree workers?. Political Research Quarterly. 70(3). pp.673-686.
Ahlberg and et.al., 2019. Invisibility of racism in the global neoliberal era: Implications for
researching racism in healthcare. Frontiers in Sociology. 4. p.61.
Dekker, S.W., 2020. Safety after neoliberalism. Safety science. 125. p.104630.
Almeida, P. and Chase-Dunn, C., 2018. Globalization and social movements. Annual Review of
Sociology. 44. pp.189-211.
Regilme Jr, S.S.F., 2019. The decline of American power and Donald Trump: Reflections on
human rights, neoliberalism, and the world order. Geoforum. 102. pp.157-166.
Sengupta, A., Bodini, C. and Franco, S., 2018. Struggles for health: An emancipatory approach
in the era of neoliberal globalization. Development. 61(1). pp.101-107.
Online references
A, B., 2018. [Online]. Available through <>
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