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Trafficking in Human Beings and Foucauldian Biopower: A Case Study in the Expansion of the Human Rights Phenomenon

2.3.2012, Maisteritutkielma

Trafficking in human beings has become one of the most talked about criminal concerns of the 21st century. This thesis asks how has the anti-trafficking campaign been translated in human rights language. Can human rights actually bring salvation to the victims of trafficking? The translation process has been a complicated process involving various actors, including scholars, feminist NGOs, local activists and global human rights NGOs. It is argued that in order to understand the measures of the authorities, and to assess the usefulness of human rights, it is necessary to adopt a Foucauldian perspective and to observe the measures as biopolitical defence mechanisms. Human rights have not become useless for the victims of trafficking, but they must be conceived as a universal tool to formulate political claims and challenge power.

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