In The Beast we learned the story of various migrant women who are now working in bars and brothels in Southern Mexico. They work as bartenders, exotic dancers and prostitutes. They even entice younger women to join in what they call "the Trade."
What do their stories tell us about the role of gender and race in migration? About consent, coercion and exploitation? About human trafficking? About the society that tolerates this "Trade"?
Prostitution and human trafficking seem to be somehow extremely prevalent and normalized whilst simultaneously being shameful for the women doing the work. Consent is a complicated thing to define in the context to these women because some such as Erika maintain that she was no fool and knew exactly what she was signing up for, however it isn’t so straightforward as agreeing to do the job. For one, many of the young women, most of whom start out as children, who eventually become prostitutes in the clubs are told they’ll be waitresses and start out as such. As time goes on their work becomes more sexual in nature until it becomes full blown prostitution. A way that the girls who wish to leave are kept trapped in this life is through shame and extortion after these girls are led in under false pretenses they’re kept there with the shame of having to explain what they have been doing to their families and by threats that if they try to leave their families will be sent information and photos about what they have been doing. Not only are they held back by the shame of prostitution but also threats of calling migration authorities and lack of documents. Another important thing to note is that many of these girls have been raped and abused if not in childhood then likely on the migration trail something that is incredibly common. Beyond simply not knowing what they would truly be doing many of these girls are just that, girls and are therefore at least by my standards not able to consent to sex with an adult much less a life of prostitution solidified with threats and extortion.
ReplyDeleteIn The Beast, the stories of migrant women involved in “the Trade” contrast with the idea that participating in exploitation is ever a choice that the women get to make. While some women describe their situation as something they “chose,” this sense of free will is influenced by the need to survive instead of true freedom. One can say women “ ‘choose’ to suffer, they ‘choose’ to be treated like market goods,” but in reality, their options are extremely limited. When “a body is little more than a ticket from one hell to another hell,” the decision to enter the Trade is not empowerment, but a last resort. What seems to be consent is actually a form of coercion created by the conditions of migration and poverty.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, this system continues because it is tolerated and sustained by the society around it. The Trade does not exist in isolation. It relies on customers, networks, and a broader culture that lets this exploitation continue. The fact that abuse has become normalized, to the point where “sexual abuse has lost its terror,” makes it easier for other people to ignore or justify what is happening. Additionally, by pricing women based on racialized beauty standards like lighter skin or youth, the system strips away their humanity and turns them into tiered merchandise. This hierarchy intensifies the same inequalities that these women are trying to escape. One of the worst aspects of this system is how it perpetuates itself. Some of the same women who are exploited also recruit younger girls into the Trade, not out of cruelty, but because they are trapped in this cycle.
In the beast, the stories of the prostitutes at the bar tell us that the coercion and exploitation have become the “societal norm,” and the discrimination between men, women, and different races becomes even more apparent. Women primarily face the worst of it, as Oscar writes,s “With these women, everyday words take on new meaning. The word sex means rape, the word family refers to a fellow victim, and a body is a ticket from one hell to another hell.” Migration in this country is naturally a terrible experience, but it's worse if they’re female because of that discrimination. They are also targeted to use as strip dancers and prostitutes, and it becomes so normalised that commonplace words become threats. This is normalised because the directors of these bars intimidate workers to keep them working. “They tear up her papers and assure her that if she escapes, or if she doesn’t obey, they’ll contact her family and show them a picture of her sitting on a man’s lap at the bar” . As well as the fact that many women need the steady income provided by the bars, and willingly sell their bodies, allowing bars to continue operating. Even certain races are disadvantaged in this market, as Salvadorans and Hondurans are more sought after and paid more, as people prefer their lighter skin tone and “fleshier bodies.” Lastly, it increases the violence they face, “quote about getting beaten” women getting beasten is another thing normalised in that society, as people both qworking as prostitutes, or just children “that one quote” get freqwuently beaten and raped, making it inevitable for almost all womnen to face. It isn’t frowned upon, but its almost a normal part of that society.
ReplyDeleteIn The Beast, migrant women share their stories of what led them to be involved in “The Trade” and their experiences once they became part of it. “The Trade” consisted of many bars in “the zone of tolerance”, meaning prostitution in these areas was widely accepted, where women were sexually exploited as a means of making money. The girls who were trafficked were usually between eleven and sixteen, and hardly ever older. Many of these girls had previously been physically or sexually abused, had been exposed to dysfunctional families, and had no prior schooling, which made them easy targets to be lured into working these jobs. They were convinced that this was their only way out, or they had families dependent on them for income. Others had left their families behind to start working as prostitutes, but couldn't return because they would be shamed if they returned home. Regardless of whether or not these girls knew what they were getting into, they were all victims of sex trafficking from an extremely young age. Working as prostitutes meant that "sexual abuse had lost its terror” and their experiences became normalized, creating a cycle. The recruitment of other young girls to work these jobs through means of coercion and pressure made the cycle never-ending and impossible to escape until they no longer fit the ideal criteria to continue "The Trade". Further, consent was a nonexistent concept while working these jobs, since they were saying "yes" as soon as they started working. The girls didn't really have a choice after they became part of "The Trade" and were led to believe there was no going back. They were convinced that this was what they wanted, and because they were getting paid,d they knew what they were getting into. None of these girls had a choice; they were forced to make impossible decisions for themselves that all had horrible outcomes, and they were pushed by adults who didn't have their best interests in mind.
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