The Geography of Sex Work in the United Arab Emirates - Geographies of Privilege - page 22

9 . Note that the population of Dubai consists of only 8% Emiratis or locals (Government of Dubai,
Statistical Center 2009). The remainder of the population is made up of noncitizens. Of these non-
citizens, it is estimated that 70% are unskilled laborers from Asia and Africa, but most commonly
from South Asia (for more statistics on demographics in the Gulf please see Andrzej Kapiszewski
2001). Male unskilled workers are typically labeled “migrants,” female unskilled workers are re-
ferred to as “help” or “caretakers” while skilled workers, mostly of Western origin earn the more
melodious term expat according to my interlocutors.
10 . Iusequotestoindicatethecontestednatureofatermthathasnouniversaldefinition,rathervarious
actors define the term trafficked in ways that are most convenient for their policies, academic dis-
courses, or activist procedures. There has been an increasing amount of debate about the definition
of trafficking, which is most often used to refer to the movement or transport of illegal contra-
band,specificallyarmsanddrugs.“Traffickinginpeople”isdefinedasthetransportationofpeople
across long distances (which may or may not include crossing an international border) through
some form of deceit, coercion, or force. It is for these reasons and more that it is important not to
conflate the often sliding definitions of terms such as trafficking , migration , or labor . For an in-
depthdiscussionofthestrategicdeploymentoftheterm trafficking intheGulf,pleaseseeMahdavi
and Sargent (2011).
11 . Though several interlocutors described the presence of male sex workers in Dubai, I was unable to
find any men during my time in the field. Therefore, while I acknowledge the presence of male sex
workers in Dubai and the Gulf more broadly speaking, in this article I am focusing on women who
work in the sex industry.
12 . I place “trafficking victims” in particular in quotations to indicate the arbitrary nature of “victim-
hood.” I do not deny that trafficked persons are often subjected to unscrupulous and criminal fig-
ures,andthatmigrants,traffickedornot,oftenarevictimsofmacro-andmicroinstancesofviolence
and exploitation. I am wary, however, of the term victim , because of the unequal power dynam-
ic that is implied. By positioning trafficked women as “victims,” the attention and power is then
shifted to “rescuers,” who set the terms for who gets to “count” as a victim and what they are un-
derstood to be a victim of. For an in-depth explication of the politics of the rescue industry, see
Soderlund (2005).
13 . For a full discussion of gendered trafficking paradigms please see Mahdavi and Sargent (2011).
14 . Though as Kempadoo (2009) notes, much of this panic can be traced back to panics over “white
slavery” as well as controversy about sex work across borders that have their roots in the late nine-
teenth and early twentieth century.
15 . Foranin-depthexplicationoftheproblemsinherentwiththeEuroAmericanframingofthe“rescue
industry” please see Agustín (2007).
16 . For further information about the kefala system and its shortcomings please see Longva (1995) or
Gardner (2010).
17 . InDubaionly8%ofthepopulationarelocalEmiratis,thereforetheydonothaveenoughmanpower
to staff infrastructure such as law enforcement, and thus must import this labor.
18 . For more information about the “1,2,3 Agreement” please see http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-15/
world/us.uae_1_nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-nuclear-cooperation-nuclear-power-
plants?_s=PM:WORLD