Although Indigenous women are disproportionately affected by sex trafficking globally and in Latin America, there is limited research on mechanisms of exploitation in specific contexts. This presentation shares a collaborative research investigation of the coercive mechanisms used to sexually exploit Indigenous women in El Alto, Bolivia. Through participatory, community-based research, the presenters explore how colonial legacies, structural discrimination, and intersecting inequalities create vulnerability and assess how Indigenous knowledge and traditions can contribute to prevention and coping strategies. They conducted focus groups with 12 Indigenous Bolivian women with lived experience of sexual exploitation, primarily single mothers of Aymara descent. This presentation includes a detailed description of their participatory approach to thematic analysis of transcripts, in which seven participants joined as co-authors to contextualize the interpretation of findings, shape the next stage of the research, and identify priorities for action. The results identified three interconnected themes: (1) Gendered Expectations and Abuse Drive Economic Need for Countryside Girls and Women; (2) Misleading Offers Facilitate Incremental Desensitization to Sexual Contact; and (3) Structural Preventive Action Needed in (Countryside) Communities and Schools. The findings reveal how traffickers exploit intersecting forms of marginalization associated with being Aymara, female, impoverished, single mothers. The findings underscore the importance of culturally-informed, multi-level prevention strategies that center Indigenous knowledge and community resilience while addressing structural inequalities. The presenters will discuss critical implications for state obligations to provide systemic and policy support for proactive prevention, victim protection, and reparation to Aymara women who have experienced sexual exploitation.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.
Driven by early experiences of injustice, Patric Hansen, a German-Ghanaian, is committed to advancing the opportunities of marginalized communities. Holding a Master’s in Gender and Peacebuilding and over three years of experience in community-led transformation and foreign policy, Patric leads advocacy at Project Suma, supporting those most affected by sex trafficking.
Dr. Marta Furlan is the Senior Program Manager for Research at Free the Slaves. Her research interests include armed conflicts, violence against women and children, and human trafficking. She is passionate about participatory research and the inclusion of local knowledge in formulating sustainable solutions.
Dr. Angela Robinson is a full-time researcher at the University of California, Irvine. Her research interests include the fight against human trafficking, asset-based interventions, and participatory co-creation of knowledge to maximize the impact of community-based work.