US-Mexican+Border

=Sex Work at the US-Mexican Border= toc

Introduction


It’s not appropriate to discuss a current social problem before exploring the history of its setting. Sex work doesn’t exist in a vacuum; its location has a lot to do with how and why sex work takes place. This rings true for the sex work that takes place at the US-Mexican border, to understand the characteristics of sex work at the border; it's best to begin by reviewing the history of the location. After reviewing the history, it will be easier to understand the structures supporting sex work, the demographics, and also be able to see how power, privilege, and oppression take its toll on the workers.

History of the US-Mexican border
For most of the earth’s natural history, all of its inhabitants roamed freely across the lands. Apart from natural borders such as cannons or rivers, there were no dividers; the land was endless. In recent history boundaries and borders have sprung up, bringing with them tension, war, misery, and death. The US-Mexican border is a primary example of the devastation a border can cause the surrounding area.

An essential element of borders is how they can create a sense of mysticism. Borders are only “real” because we all “agree” they’re real. Rachel St. John put it perfectly in her book Line in the Sand: A History of the Western U.S.-Mexico Border, when she analyzes the fantasy aspect of the US-Mexican border by saying, “The history of the border began in the early nineteenth century with a collective act of imagination” (John, 2001, pg. 2). This "collective act of imagination" concluded in Mexico losing a large piece of land to the United States and later the erection of a physical structure separating the two nations.

Lastly, the interesting thing about borders is how it not only separates, but it unites as well. It’s supposed to be repelling people yet it draws people from all walks of life for a variety of reasons (John, 2011). The US-Mexican border is teaming with life. The physical presence of the border creates a culture of survival draped in mystery. Sex work is just one element of the many layers found at the border.

What are the structures helping create the problem?
A pivotal element in the history of the US-Mexican border is The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA was implemented on January 1st, 1994. It was supposed to expand the movement of products, services, and investment among the three countries (Amadeo, 2016). For all that NAFTA was “supposed” to do, there was a lot it didn’t do. For starters it didn’t “create a social contract” and “offered neither aid for Mexico nor labor, health or environmental standards” (Faux, 2003). The best way to describe NAFTA is how Jeff Faux put it in his article How NAFTA Failed Mexico, “NAFTA is the nation-building template imposed on developing countries by recent corporate-dominated U.S. administrations and their client international finance agencies” (Faux, 2003). Mexico was a pawn in a much bigger game; a game Mexico never had a chance at winning.

Twenty-two years later, Mexico’s foundation has been shaken, and the ripple effects are still felt today. The value of the peso has plummeted, jobs have vanished, irregular migration has skyrocketed, and the Drug War has created chaos for two decades. All those who travel North must pass through the border; few have the proper documentation to get across safely. For many, the border proves to be impenetrable. Those stuck at the border are usually a result of the following situations: coerced/deceptive migration, deportation, voluntary mobility, migration to a risk environment, organized sex tourism creates a market for trafficked females (hosting migrant workers), and lastly being held at border in ‘holding cells’ after being deported from the US (Goldenburg, Silverman, Engstrom, Borojquez-Chapela, Strathdee, 2013,) Those who are mobile at the border have few job opportunities, some can get “good” work and find a position at maquiladora while most have to turn to a life of crime to be able to survive. Sex work is often the most secure form of work.

Demographics
The demographics of those involved in sex work are typically women between the ages of 18 (sometimes younger) and 46, with the average being around 30. A large concentration of sex workers are found in Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, El Paso, and Nuevo Laredo. A majority of the sex workers are single with children and have been doing sex work for an average of eight years. Most of these women have low educational attainment and low literacy rates which attribute to their inconsistent knowledge of HIV/STIs (Cepeda & Nowotny, 2014). A lot of these women say they are in sex work because they have multiple financial dependents, and they’re stuck at the border, unable or unwilling to go home (Castillo, & Delgado, 1999).

Privilege, Power & Oppression
The question remains, what other factors contribute to the culture of sex work at the border? The answers lay in the culture of the country. Mexico has a culture based on power dynamics,; Machismo, and Marianismo. Machismo, is a hegemonic masculinity “characterized as male power, aggression and honor” (Goldenburg, Silverman, Engstrom, Borojquez-Chapela, Strathdee, 2013, pg. 36). Marianismo is the domestic and inferior nature of women (Goldenburg, Silverman, Engstrom, Borojquez-Chapela, Strathdee, 2013). Men are the head of the household with ultimate authority and financial means. Women are to stay in the home, and their primary desire should be in raising their children. Like the Virgin Mary, they should be “pure” and give everything up for their children. Women who diverge from this set path don’t fair well and must endure society's scorn. The position of power men holds in Mexican society allow them to move about freely without the fear of reproductions. They know their place in society is safe.

The highly patriarchal Mexican society creates very harsh conditions for sex workers at the US-Mexican border. This is why some women who enter sex work at the border refuse to go home. They can’t face the scorn or humiliation that awaits them from a society that looks down upon women who diverged from their assigned roles of doting mother and wife. Because of this uneven power dynamic, sex workers are dealt the harsh hand of oppression. They are exposed to a variety of risks that keep them in their positions, with little possibilities of ever escaping sex work.

What issues do sex workers face?
Sex workers face a variety of consequences through their line of work, they have to deal with violence, the lack of condom usage, sadists, verbal abuse, competition for clients, no insurance, working as many days and hours as possible, paying cops “quotas”, psychological distress, substance use, incarceration, soaring STI/HIV rates and severe violence from intimate partners (Cepeda & Nowotny, 2014; Bucardo, Semple, Fraga-Vallejo, Davilla, & Patterson, 2004). Though there are a couple of locations along the border where sex work is legal, there are still very few laws and regulations to protect sex workers. It’s far worse for those in areas where sex work isn’t regulated.

Solutions?
If Mexican culture is going to change soon, if NAFTA isn’t eradicated and the concept of borders doesn’t disappear then what can be done about sex work at the US-Mexican border? According to the current research, there is hope. In 'Right Here is the Gateway': Mobility, Sex Work Entry and HIV Risk along the Mexico-US Border suggest that the “solution should not be “male-focused” but rather on educating families and schools. ” This article promotes an “intervention [centers around] counseling session tailored to the needs, values, beliefs, and behaviors of the target population. (Bucardo, Semple, Fraga-Vallejo, Davila, & Patterson, 2003, pg. 36). This method of aid emphasizes the importance of cultural attunement when providing services to a population.

Takeaways and recommendations for educators
When discussing any significant topic such as sex work, it’s important to backtrack and understand the history of the location. Take care to review the norms of the society in which it is taking place. If possible try and include how globalization plays a role in the issue. And end by mentioning any research-based interventions that could aid the population