Women as Victims and Survivors in the Context of Transnational Crime

Women and girls who are victimized should be afforded fundamental rights such as protection, justice, and support at a minimum. Work on prevention is also a key issue. To create a safer world for women and girls, the international community must address ways to reduce women’s vulnerability and discover strategic solutions to reduce exploitation and abuse. Solutions to manage or reduce women’s victimization need to address two distinct levels: (1) on the micro-level--national and local campaigns to raise awareness and recognition of individuals, involuntary and dehumanizing nature of women’s victimization should be conducted; and (2) on the macro-level--concerted efforts to reduce power differentials and close economic gaps between the first and third world can alter the conditions that facilitate economic and sexual exploitation of women and girls. The extent of women’s victimization should serve as a barometer for the country’s compliance with human rights laws, or conversely, as its record of human rights violations. Transnational crime presents intricate problems of victimization for all vulnerable people, but is it has had a disproportionately adverse impact on women. This paper was presented at the module on “Women as Victims and Survivors” organized by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. It was part of a workshop on “Women in Criminal Justice” presented in the 10th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and The Treatment of Offenders in Vienna, Austria. The paper discusses the definitions and strategy issues related to women’s victimization and transnational crime and observations and policy recommendations in the context of victims to survivors. Bibliography, list of selected readings, and endnotes