The Definition of Globalization: Labor Migration and Sex Work - Essay Example

In the current era, trend of sex work along with labor migration has increased at the global level. Globalization has brought about various changes in the world system and practices. Poor people tend to migrate to other regions of the world to find better work, while rich people travel across the globe as tourists to visit and enjoy different places. Migrations for labor and for tourism both have given rise to various other practices in the globalized world. One major practice that has become a global problem is related with sex work termed as sex tourism. This paper aims to explore practices of sex tourism in different localities of the world with the combining phenomena of globalization, migration, labor market, laws, policy, and sex organizations. Today our world has become a borderless global village that has brought people and cities closer to each other. Globalization can be defined as a phenomenon that has shrunk the world and has brought people closer who come across each other with differentiating concepts and ideas. They exchange their thoughts and experiences and in this way different people contribute to solve others` problems and provide each other chance to discover and get involved in to distinguishing practices (Brennan, 2012). In the light of anthropologists` opinion today world affairs are exemplified by innovative responsibility for the aims in practical life. Further, an assumption made by the sociologists highlight that innovative ideas and new life style has emerged from technology and changes in the societies. (Brennan, 2012) However, these assumptions of anthropologists about social change role of globalization have some limitations for instance, it has explained that neo-liberalism and financial capital is different in different cities of the states. Social models and assumptions are vague along with distinguishing experiences and thoughts in relation with local circumstances of the cities (Dick, 2010). Another major limitation heighted by anthropologists about social models is that they are prepared to be implemented or considered for a particular practice, but practitioners attempt to utilize societal model in multidimensional manner. Researchers have further explored that globalization has influenced each sector of socio-political life and has brought both sorts of consequences negative and positive. Without a doubt with the passage of time women has got liberty to live with freedom in the society and a large number of women have got involved in labor market to earn money (Dick, 2010). At first place, globalization has played role to promote gender equality and has given liberty and considerable position to women in the society along with various opportunities to gain fame and money in the business world. Despite, awareness and various successful women liberty movements, inequality still exists in most societies of the world (Gardner, 2008). Moreover, it has explained that woman is considered as a natural object of sexual abuse since beginning and the emerging trend of international labor market, women`s involvement in business world has given rise to sex tourism (Gardner, 2008). Sex tourism can be understood as the practice of travelling young women and small children to the foreign countries in order to involve them in sexual activities with the rich tourists, who pay them good money for a night. It is an illegal vast business that has spread in various corners of the world most specifically in the US, Cuba and some other Asian countries (Green, 2003). It has become a common practice because of strong bond between tourism and prostitution, while globalization has worked as a catalyst to increase the rate of sex tourism and to further strengthen the sex work business across the globe. Today hundreds of young girls, women and children are migrated to other countries to get involved in sexual activities. Media and other organizations represent these people as sluts or prostitute who enter in this business for the sake of generating money within short period. Media represent sex work and workers both in context of women and highlight sex activities as the lust and wicked strategies of women to gain and physical pleasure (Kempadoo, 1999). Further researchers have explored that media has various to represent images of female sex workers and mostly they are represented as major reason behind increasing crime rates. Media shows their bad images and immoral thoughts, but the conditions that bring girls into these professions are never disclosed. Whereas, sex workers represent themselves as poor and nomadic individuals, who usually blame their fates and males of their families who led them step in the sex work. Additionally, women who are involved in this business claim that the men who give hype to this business should be equally accountable for this sex related disputed issues. It is claimed that men contribute equally to promote sex work in foreign countries (Kempadoo, 1999). It is a globalized gender discrimination that draws more negative image of women than those men who equally participate to establish sex industry across the globe. Some sex worker women expressed that association of their work with various other phenomena like STDs, human trafficking, mental illness and drug abuse has created more complexities in their lives. Additionally, media and other representative portrayed bad images of these women who are forcefully pushed into this business (Parrenas, 2002). However, everyone is aware of the fact 90% women step in this profession due to poverty in order to feed their children or younger siblings. These women have to suffer a lot and they usually go through worst phase of their lives, when they have to stay away from their homes and families (Parrenas, 2002). For instance, case study of Philippines` women showed that children had to suffer a lot when their mothers leave their children behind under other women custody (Parrenas, 2002). In this situation, their children become victim of depression and as a result their behavior starts getting aggressive towards other people. Global forces are at its peak and without a doubt sex work is mainly related with the phenomenon of globalization. Researchers have further explored that business of sex work has further expanded with the uprising trend of travelling across the countries through affordable travelling packages (Kempadoo, 1999). Additionally, technology has open further gates for virtual sex industry establishment, while political and institutional agents of the countries have been provided with the opportunities to secretly progress their business through e-sources. For example, researchers have highlighted the example of Jamaica where globalization has greatly influenced sex industry along with economical and political sectors that have contributed to increase sex tourism business in the state. It is evident from the increased rate of trade and exchange of the state (Kempadoo, 1999). Additionally, it has observed that demand and supply of sex services in Jamaica are well organized along with sufficient supply of benefits and costs to all those who are contributing to develop this business for the tourists. Some other researchers have discovered that sex work has not been solely associated with the women, but today global forces have also victimized young children through sex abuse. Involvement of children in sex related activities is considered a serious crime and a commercialized violence against women. It is a worst form of child abuse that has emerged only because of strong effect of globalization (Brennan, 2012). It considered serious crime because no child step in this businesses intentionally because children are innocent and they are unaware of the fact that this could be another way of running business at global level. Further, it has explored that child sex abuse can create long term effects on cognitive development of the children and it can even threaten their socialization processes in serious negative manner (Brennan, 2012). Involvement of children in sex tourism activities has imposed various challenges for countries and authoritarian bodies. It is believed that child sex tourism is an unethical practice that jeopardizes social justice of the communities and it endangers both present and future of the children. This sex related activities with children are at peak in the United States that has created various problems for child welfare organization. These organizations have weakened because of the strong sex tourism network that has beaten all other sectors of the political and economic sectors. However, further it has explained that this business has taken away people from humanity and their cultural norms and values (Brennan, 2012). Additionally, it has attracted thousands of women and children towards this business. Statistical analysis of victim children showed that more than three hundred thousand children age between 9 to13 live on roads, they are suspected for being involved in sexual activities (Brennan, 2012). These children stay deprived from basic necessities of life such as food, shelter and education and they are continually proceeding towards insecure dark future. From the above discussion, it could be concluded that globalization is a phenomenon that has given rise to many innovative activities throughout the world. However, this definition of globalization has some limitations along with some assumptions, but it is clear that whatever practices have emerged due to globalization have both brighter and darker side. Labor migration and sex work have given rise sex tourism, which has attracted thousands of people towards this business. However, this business has adversely affected various sectors of lives and endangered lives of those who have been forcefully involved in this business such as poor women and innocent children. Nonetheless, practices of sex tourism in different countries of the world have imposed crucial challenges to regulatory bodies, which are unable to control this developing business because of its strong network and involvement of stronger contributors. Reference List Brennan, D. (2012). Selling Sex for Visas:Sex Tourism as a Stepping Stone to International Migration. Retrieved March 25, 2012, from Uwlax.edu: http://www.uwlax.edu/faculty/giddings/ECO336/globalwomanpt3.pdf Dick, H. (2010). Imagined lives and modernist chronotopes in Mexican nonmigrant discourse. American Anthropologist Association , 37 (2), 275-290. Gardner, K. (2008). Keeping connected: security,place, and social capital in a Londoni’ village in Sylhet. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (7), 477-495. Green, L. (2003). Notes on Mayan Youth and Rural Industrialization in Guatemala. Critique of Anthropology , 23 (1), 51-73. Kempadoo, K. (1999). Sun, sex, and gold: tourism and sex work in the Caribbean. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield. Parrenas, R. (2002). The Care Crisis in Philippines: Childern and Transnational Families in the New Global Economy. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Read More