Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Oppression Or Occupation: An International Analysis Of Sex Work And Sex Trafficking, Carver Wolfe

International Relations Summer Fellows

Although there is some debate over the exact number of victims of sex trafficking, it is agreed that it is an issue that affects primarily women and girls around the world. This paper will examine modern-day slavery and the unresolved, century-old debate surrounding sex trafficking and sex work. While abolitionists advocate for the total eradication of all sex work, whether it is consensual or not, libertarians support the right to voluntary sex work while condemning the coercion and exploitation that surrounds all forms of trafficking. I will use an analysis of international conventions and will begin a comparative analysis by …

Intersectional India: Caste, Feminism And Development In The 21st Century, Anika Backelin-Harrison

International Relations Summer Fellows

My paper explores the intersections between caste and feminism in the 21^stcentury, questioning India’s future if it remains divided by ascribed status. Beginning with independence in 1947, I dissect India’s history post-colonialism and how the feminist movement gained headway during periods of political upheaval. Within the feminist movement, Indian women remain divided on the basis of caste, therefore stalling gains for true equality. India’s hope for development, increased security and peaceful negotiations will not come to fruition if the caste system persists, especially in the feminist movement.

Following India’s independence, women have been used as a marker for …

Investigating Asylum And Assimilation Procedures In European Countries As It Relates To The Independence Of Women, Katherine R. Avetta

International Relations Summer Fellows

This project investigates and analyzes immigration policy, specifically focusing on asylum seeking women, in European countries including, but not limited to, Germany and Sweden. Many European nations have limited immigration policy that ultimately negatively affects immigrants from Middle Eastern and African nations, especially female migrants fleeing those nations in order to gain independence and freedom from torture and gender based persecutions. However, what little policy European countries do utilize inevitably hinders women from gaining independence and rather mirrors the male dominated socio-cultural societies from which these very women fled. Through the examination of articles and policy, this project will analyze …