Providing Services to Women in Situations of Prostitution and Human Trafficking during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain, Italy, and Portugal

Authors

  • Olaya García-Vázquez
  • Carmen Meneses-Falcón

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14197/atr.201223219

Abstract

This short article discusses the challenges faced by women engaging in prostitution/sex work or in situations of trafficking for sexual exploitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. These included housing and food insecurity, violence, failure by the police to identify them as trafficked persons, lack of social assistance, and the inability to renew residence and work permits. The article also presents the support provided to women by the NGO Hermanas Oblatas in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

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Author Biographies

Olaya García-Vázquez

Olaya García-Vázquez is a PhD student at Universidad Pontificia Comillas. She has worked on different projects, including the four-year thesis project Impact on the health and well-being of victims of human trafficking funded by Oriol-Urquijo Foundation and later by the Spanish Ministry of Universities (Grant no. FPU19/03754). She has research expertise in the fields of migration, gender issues, and human trafficking with different organisations, such as the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, Ghent University, and University College London.

Carmen Meneses-Falcón

Carmen Meneses-Falcón is a Professor of Anthropology and Social Research Methods at Universidad Pontificia Comillas. She has a long history of researching and managing projects related to human trafficking and prostitution. She was a researcher in the EU-funded project Financing Organised Crime Activities.

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Published

29-09-2023

How to Cite

García-Vázquez, O., & Meneses-Falcón, C. (2023). Providing Services to Women in Situations of Prostitution and Human Trafficking during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Anti-Trafficking Review, (21), 141–144. https://doi.org/10.14197/atr.201223219