Kamis, 21 Januari 2010

The Trafficked Women Need Special Help

Trafficking and sexual exploitation of women is one of the twenty-first century slavery against which it is very difficult to fight in our country. There is a European legal framework that penalizes this type of traffic and can prosecute gangs, which have adhered most European countries except Spain. Our government remains ambiguous on the issue of prostitution with a law providing for specific measures but that no date of approval in parliament.

trafficked women


Not only do we see on our streets after dark. Also in broad daylight, and walking the roads, waiting alone behind the wheel to see a new customer. Apparently supporting themselves in their own way, and stigmatized by it, but behind them lies the second business in the world, and although many may not admit aloud are trafficked and abused with impunity, the conditions of inferiority in surviving.

These seminars have been organized by the Project SICAR, Faculty of Education, University of Barcelona, with the aim of providing a space for awareness and awareness of one of them new forms of contemporary slavery: The phenomenon of trafficking in women the purpose of sexual exploitation and to provide analysis tools for detection and intervention required in this operation from a holistic perspective.

Also been presented the experiences of comprehensive intervention models to combat trafficking and help prostitutes. SICAR representatives have spoken (in Catalonia), Project Hope in Madrid, the work of women Arising from East and pimping in the Raval district in Barcelona, working in clubs and roads as well as aid projects and integration of the City of Barcelona: Abits, and attention to socio SURT.

Itziar Ruiz-Gimenez, of Amnesty International in the Basque Country, has differentiated between smuggling and trafficking, words are sometimes confused and do not mean the same thing. Traffic is moving people from one country to another for profit. The relationship between people, women and traffickers, just leave them once these at the agreed place. The question is something more complex is the control of a mafia of a certain group of women they sexually exploit and keep them tied to their network. "The most important question, clarifies Ruiz - Giménez, is not that women have been deceived or not, but once connected to these networks can not leave them, why they should pay their debt, by threats or surveillance pure and simple.

You have to change stereotypes about prostitution

Antonio Rivas González, one of the leaders of Project Hope in Madrid, he defended as for the rest of the speakers, it is not only prosecute trafficking and sexual exploitation of women, which in one way or another, will doing, but changing the stereotypes that have on this phenomenon can not be distinguished from so radically between the voluntary or otherwise, in the practice of prostitution, because what choice you may be asked to women who have left their countries to escape poverty?. Stigmatization and rejection of what they do only serves to hinder help.

Jordan Encarnacion, project SICAR and belonging to the Adorers of Barcelona, explained how this secular congregation has helped women suffering exclusion from the nineteenth century: "Our model of intervention focuses on explain-intervene in the defense of human rights. In this case, the rights of sexually exploited women.

To them has been very important to facilitate the placement and touching on the concept of "human warmth" very important for women to overcome the period of slavery, and move to decide. For years, develop SICAR to bridge between the two stages of assistance where the woman wants to get out of prostitution and other exits when searching for your life. "Of the 65 women who have served in 2007," he says, 20% returned to their country, 60% were reinserted in jobs, and more than half of them keep their jobs. Have been employed mainly as clerks, housekeeping, receptionists, and so on. Some turned to prostitution freely and most of them still maintain contact with us. "

However, the difficulties specific to Jordan to work directly with the issue are enormous. "They can not be exploited women require them to denounce the mafia, because life threatening and their families." There is an article of the Law on Foreigners, 59, which is very controversial and ambiguous, because although promised special protection for witnesses and papers and provides them with residence, in reality it is not so: "We must articulate effective measures -- Jordan defends "that protect victims, and providing for their future reintegration. Without a passport, paperless change of activity is almost impossible. "

Working with victims of sexual exploitation also endangers the lives of the intermediary, so one of the speakers, a sociologist and researcher who prefers not to appear in the photos, does not want to publish his real name. She spoke of her work on prostitution of women from Eastern countries in the neighborhood of El Raval. The work consisted of weekly trips to the two busiest streets of prostitutes: the streets of San Ramon and San Antonio de Barcelona.

The summary of the study that has made this sociologist, complains about everything: "the lack of an efficient protocol for intervention with victims, the lack of cooperation and coordination between law enforcement, the high demand for sexual services - to customers we care if the prostitutes come from the traffic or not and the vulnerability of women who are often victims of physical and mental abuse. "

The fear and isolation are characteristic of life of women forced into prostitution, which normally do not have identity documents or papers of any kind. This has been proven and Rives Clara Roura, head of the Highway Project, "which is a program of psychosocial care to women and sex workers in high Maresme area and region of the Forest. "The attendees," said Rives-going to their workplaces to offer services free. We contacted them and depends on the site: If working on the street, the social educator for and explains the program. On the road we have a brochure in several languages. We have had no reluctance.

Another issue is the different clubs: You have made a pact with local owners, specifying that the service is for women. "Of the eight local who visited last year only one of them, denied entry," The convinced of the necessity of using condoms and informing them about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. We offer health services, with complete confidentiality in the analytic. The serve in the most individualized possible. The objectives of the Road Program is to improve the quality of life of sex workers and empower this group. For them it is important to know they have a partner and that behind this one entity. In 2007 it made 12,259 contacts.