Representing Colonial Violence: trafficking, sex work, and the violence of law
Keywords:
violence' human trafficking, law, Indigenous women and girlsAbstract
Abstract
This article examines the emergence of the discourse on “domestic trafficking” of Indigenous girls and women for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Drawing on community-based experience, the author argues that the shift toward the language and framework of “human trafficking” to capture a range of offences and injustices facing Indigenous women is one of many efforts to recategorize violence against Indigenous women as worthy of legal response in the context of ongoing colonial legal violence.
Résumé
Cet article examine l’émergence du discours sur la « traite nationale » des filles et des femmes autochtones aux fins d’exploitation sexuelle. En s’appuyant sur l’expérience communautaire, l’auteure fait valoir que l’évolution vers un langage et un cadre axés sur la « traite des personnes » pour capturer l’éventail des infractions et des injustices dont sont victimes les femmes autochtones est l’un des nombreux efforts pour reclassifier la violence contre les femmes autochtones comme étant digne d’une intervention juridique dans le contexte de la poursuite de la violence juridique coloniale.
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