Anti-Sex Trafficking Movement of Bangladesh and the Theories of Transnational Social Movements

Abstract

Using reports, interview data, and participant observation, this research examines the anti-sex trafficking movement in Bangladesh, analyzing the effects of internationalization and the growth of regional and transnational efforts to curb sex trafficking in women and children. This research examines the ability of activists of two organizations of Bangladesh to shift their engagement among national, regional, and transnational levels to take advantage provided by complex internationalism and examines the connection between current wave globalization and sex-trafficking. Results indicate that international institutions and transnational coalitions played an important role in shaping the regional networks of activists within South Asia which fostered the development of a larger regional anti-sex-trafficking movement. Results also indicate that much of the soft and hard laws growing up around sex trafficking are the results of actions by South Asian governments, international forums, and NGO activism and not exclusively by northern intervention.