Transnational Feminism and Sexual Politics

Summary
Globalization has opened up international markets for almost all good including sex trade. It has also made it easy for traffickers to move women from one country to another and force them to join the sex trade. According to Brewer (2009), with the increasingly integrated world economy has allowed human trafficking to thrive. Human trafficking thrives since the perpetrators make use of well-organized criminal syndicates that use an array of complex and evasive tactics to evade the law. Money is channeled back to the country through elaborate money-laundering schemes using underground banks. Prostitution has now become a globalized commodity with women being forced to partake in the trade against their wishes (Watson, June 18, 2009). The perpetrates lure the women with the promise of jobs and a lucrative life and they entice them to come to a foreign country. When the women arrive their passports and return tickets are confiscated and they are forced to buy them back through prostitution (Watson, June 18, 2009).
Transnational feminism is all about examining issues from a global perspective. Combating oppression is at the heart of transnational feminism, and the best case is presented in India. Here the women have joined hands and empower each other through various activities (Griffith, May 02, 2017). Their goal is to better the lives of each other in the community. The women take part in academic activism and NGOs as their form of activism. There is misinformation being spread by feminism through the lack of understanding. For instance, the veiling of women is seen as a sign of oppression by westerners yet this could also be a sign of defiance as is the case of the Zapatistas (Valoy, January 28, 2015). Therefore, feminists must recognize inequalities across different groups of women. When there is a call to action western feminists call for naked advocacy, yet transnational feminists would rather have the freedom to practice their religion and customs without fear of harassment instead of walking naked.
Personal Reflections
The globalization of human trafficking is not something that began with the advent of globalization, it started with the slave trade. Only that now it is being used by criminal elements to discriminate against people. This makes me think about the purpose of globalization in the first place. If we suspended globalization would human trafficking and sex trade die? I do not think so. The cartels would create channels for moving people from one region to another. Therefore, the solution should be for the world economies to eradicate poverty so that people are not marginalized to the extent of them wanting to move from their mother country to another in search of greener pastures. To end the trade, the law should target the people partaking of prostitution and not the prostitutes. This would make them feel shame and people would be discouraged to entertain prostitutes.
Looks like there are many aspects to feminism that most people are not even aware about. It is nice to note that not all feminism is about taking off clothes, but rather offering support for fellow women. With an understanding of the needs of each other, women can uplift each other instead of competing against each other all the time. This way, society will be in a better place as compared to the current one where women are considered to the worst enemies of fellow women. The oppression being faced by women across the globe cannot be answered in the manner that western feminists arrange for advocacy. There is a need for them to consider the aspects being faced by each woman and seek for ways that would apply to the various women. Having a one size fits all will not work. Having a global perspective will empower the women as they will now see and understand the different aspects and challenges faced by other women across the world.
References
Brewer, D. (2009). Globalization and human trafficking. Topical Research Digest: Human rights and human trafficking, 2009, 46-56.
Griffith, A. (May 02, 2017). Stop “Saving” Women: A Transnational Feminist Approach. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stop-saving-women-a-transnational-feminist-approach_b_5908ca52e4b084f59b49fd4b
Valoy, P. (January 28, 2015). Transnational Feminism: Why Feminist Activism Needs to Think Globally. Retrieved from https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/01/why-we-need-transnational-feminism/
Watson, C. (June 18, 2009). The globalization of sex. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/the-globalization-of-sex-1.777957