Participatory Investigation into the Dynamics of Coercion and Resilience During and After the Sexual Exploitation of Indigenous Bolivian Women
Marta Furlan, PhD (she/her); Angela Robinson, PhD (she/her) & Ariel Alexander, MGL, MTS (she/her) | September 23 | 11:15 am-12:15 pm EDT
Topic: Research, International | Knowledge Level: Beginner
Although Indigenous women are disproportionately affected by sex trafficking globally and in Latin America, there is limited research on mechanisms of exploitation in specific contexts. This presentation shares a collaborative research investigation of the coercive mechanisms used to sexually exploit Indigenous women in El Alto, Bolivia. Through participatory, community-based research, the presenters explore how colonial legacies, structural discrimination, and intersecting inequalities create vulnerability and assess how Indigenous knowledge and traditions can contribute to prevention and coping strategies. They conducted focus groups with 12 Indigenous Bolivian women with lived experience of sexual exploitation, primarily single mothers of Aymara descent. This presentation includes a detailed description of their participatory approach to thematic analysis of transcripts, in which seven participants joined as co-authors to contextualize the interpretation of findings, shape the next stage of the research, and identify priorities for action. The results identified three interconnected themes: (1) Gendered Expectations and Abuse Drive Economic Need for Countryside Girls and Women; (2) Misleading Offers Facilitate Incremental Desensitization to Sexual Contact; and (3) Structural Preventive Action Needed in (Countryside) Communities and Schools. The findings reveal how traffickers exploit intersecting forms of marginalization associated with being Aymara, female, impoverished, single mothers. The findings underscore the importance of culturally-informed, multi-level prevention strategies that center Indigenous knowledge and community resilience while addressing structural inequalities. The presenters will discuss critical implications for state obligations to provide systemic and policy support for proactive prevention, victim protection, and reparation to Aymara women who have experienced sexual exploitation.
Presentation Objectives:
• Provide an overview of the research questions, methodology, and findings
• Share processes and recommendations for effective partnerships between university researchers, community organizations, and participant co-researchers with lived experience of exploitation
• Evaluate the implications for anti-trafficking policy and practice in Bolivia