In our final episode of season 3, Michelle Alm Engvall, social researcher, MA in Anthropology and Humanitarian Action; Megan Denise Smith, Protection and Gender Specialist, Independent Consultant and PhD candidate in Political and Social Sciences at Universitat Pompeu Fabra; and Esther Neira, PhD candidate in Anthropology at Queen’s University Belfast, discuss the intersections between transactional sex (TS) and humanitarianism. They contextualise the differences between transactional sex and sex work to then discuss some of the current measures and policies put in place by the humanitarian agencies to address the needs of those who engage in TS within humanitarian settings. Based upon their experiences within their humanitarian sector and academia, they talk about the challenges that researching this topic implies, the gaps between the humanitarian industry and academia, and how to build better bridges between both.
References:
IASC (2018). “Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action”. Available at: https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/iasc-reference-group-gender-and-humanitarian-action/iasc-gender-handbook-humanitarian-action-2018.
UNHCR (2021). “Operational Guidance: Responding to the health and protection needs of people selling or exchanging sex in humanitarian settings”. Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/legacy-pdf/60dc85d74.pdf.
WRC (2016). “Working with Refugees Engaged in Sex Work: A Guidance Note for Humanitarians”. Available at:https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Refugees-Engaged-in-Sex-Work-Guidance-Note-Oct-2016-Modified.pdf.
Alm Engvall, M. (2019). “Sex Work and Humanitarianism: Understanding Predominant Framings of Sex Work in Humanitarian Response”. MA Thesis. Available at: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1343555&dswid=-8294
Alm Engvall, M., Heidari, S., Hilhorst, D., Kahn, C., and Smith, M. (2022) Rethinking Transactional Sex in Humanitarian Settings: Reflections on the Way Forward. International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) Blog on Global Development and Social Justice (BLISS).