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Navigating Intersections of Immigration Policies and Sex Work Regulation: A Qualitative Study on Migrant Sex Work in Denmark

Eriksen, Sara Veronica LU (2024) STVK12 20241
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This thesis analyses how migrant sex workers are conceptualised and regulated by the Danish state. Through content analysis, guided by Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ approach, this thesis examines how migrant sex workers are constructed as a ‘problem’ through their situatedness in different and intersecting policy fields. The flow of migrant sex workers is recognised within a transnational pattern of ‘feminisation of migration’, where women migrate to sell sex in their search for economic opportunities and to support their families. The analysis relies on the collection of various policy-related documents, including action plans, political statements, policy proposals, and parliamentary questions. Adopting the... (More)
This thesis analyses how migrant sex workers are conceptualised and regulated by the Danish state. Through content analysis, guided by Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ approach, this thesis examines how migrant sex workers are constructed as a ‘problem’ through their situatedness in different and intersecting policy fields. The flow of migrant sex workers is recognised within a transnational pattern of ‘feminisation of migration’, where women migrate to sell sex in their search for economic opportunities and to support their families. The analysis relies on the collection of various policy-related documents, including action plans, political statements, policy proposals, and parliamentary questions. Adopting the theoretical concepts of migrant ‘illegality’ and ‘deportability’, this thesis analyses how migrant sex workers are situated in a state of ‘deportability’ and ‘illegality’, outside of the legal spheres of society. Findings reveal how migrant sex workers are caught in binary categorisations: as victims of human trafficking, worthy of rescue, or as ‘illegal’ migrants, defined by their unregistered border crossing, facing deportation. This research highlights the need to adopt a broader global gaze, incorporating the factors of global inequality, poverty, and globalisation to provide a multifaceted perspective on the migratory trajectories faced by migrant sex workers. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Eriksen, Sara Veronica LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20241
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
migration, sex work, deportation, trafficking, borders
language
English
id
9152677
date added to LUP
2024-07-18 13:52:26
date last changed
2024-07-18 13:52:26
@misc{9152677,
  abstract     = {{This thesis analyses how migrant sex workers are conceptualised and regulated by the Danish state. Through content analysis, guided by Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ approach, this thesis examines how migrant sex workers are constructed as a ‘problem’ through their situatedness in different and intersecting policy fields. The flow of migrant sex workers is recognised within a transnational pattern of ‘feminisation of migration’, where women migrate to sell sex in their search for economic opportunities and to support their families. The analysis relies on the collection of various policy-related documents, including action plans, political statements, policy proposals, and parliamentary questions. Adopting the theoretical concepts of migrant ‘illegality’ and ‘deportability’, this thesis analyses how migrant sex workers are situated in a state of ‘deportability’ and ‘illegality’, outside of the legal spheres of society. Findings reveal how migrant sex workers are caught in binary categorisations: as victims of human trafficking, worthy of rescue, or as ‘illegal’ migrants, defined by their unregistered border crossing, facing deportation. This research highlights the need to adopt a broader global gaze, incorporating the factors of global inequality, poverty, and globalisation to provide a multifaceted perspective on the migratory trajectories faced by migrant sex workers.}},
  author       = {{Eriksen, Sara Veronica}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Navigating Intersections of Immigration Policies and Sex Work Regulation: A Qualitative Study on Migrant Sex Work in Denmark}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}