Women and Borders: Refugees, Migrants and Communities (International Library of Migration Studies Book 9)

Borders - whether settled or contested, violent or calm, closed or open – may have a direct, and often acute, human impact. Those affected may be people living nearby, those attempting to cross them and even those who succeed in doing so. At the border, vulnerable refugee and migrant communities, especially women, are exposed to state-centred boundary practices, paving the way for both their alienation and exploitation. The militarization of borders subjugates the very position of women in these marginalized areas and often subjects them to further victimization, which is facilitated by patriarchal socio-cultural practice. Structural violence is endemic to these regions and gender interlocks with their perimeters to reinforce and shape violence. This book locates gender and violence along geographical edges and critically examines the gendered experiences of women as global border residents and border crossers. Broadly, it explores two questions. First, what are women's experiences of engaging with borders? Second, where are women positioned in the theory and practice of marking, remarking and demarking these margins? Offering a nuanced and thorough approach, this book suggests that research on borders and violence needs to focus on how bordered violence shapes the embodiment of gender identity and norms and how they are challenged. It examines an array of issues including forced migration, trafficking, and cross-border ties to explore how gender and borders intersect. Tags: Gender Studies, Emigration & Immigration, Political Science, Human Rights, International Relations, General, Social Science, Women's Studies Cover 1 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Acknowledgements 11 Notes on Contributors 13 Introduction: Borders, Violence and Gender 19 Theory and Practice of Bordering 19 Juxtaposing Border and Gender 25 Gendered Violence is Omnipresent 27 1. Gendering the European Borders: The Role of Female Migrants and Refugees 39 Male and Female Borders 40 Vulnerable Groups Crossing 44 Concrete Border 46 European Union, Gendered Borders 49 2. The Refugee’s Passage: Liminality, Gendered Habits and the Emergence of Difference in Flight 57 Separation: Internal Checkpoints and Neoliberal Lebanon 62 Borderlands of Chronic Liminality 65 Acute Liminality: Trial by Water Crossing 67 Incorporation, Camps and Biopolitical Striations 71 Old Gendered Habits and New Habits of Differentiation 74 3. Pregnant Crossings: A Political Economy of Care on Europe’s External Borders 81 Introduction: Gendered (In)Visibilities 81 Fragments and Networks of Care at the Border 83 Undocumented Motherhood at the Border 92 Conclusion: Childbirth and Political Economies of Care at the Border 97 4 Acknowledging and Addressing the Risks of Gender- Based Violence that Follow Refugees Across Borders: Escalation of Domestic Violence in Refugee Populations 105 Gender Equality and Non- discrimination 108 Engaging Men and Boys in Preventing Gender- based Violence 112 Normative Framework for Humanitarian Intervention in GBV Prevention and Response 114 Collateral Repair Project: Community- based Model for Violence Prevention 116 Collateral Repair Project: Human Rights and Violence Prevention 118 Next Steps 124 Conclusion 125 5 Trapped in a Cycle of Abuse and Violence: A Case Study of Nigerian Women in Italy 131 Introduction 131 Trafficking in Persons: Definition and Worldwide Status 133 Nigerian Women: A Special Case 134 Key Elements 138 Limitations of the Protection Programs 140 Conclusion and Recommendations 143 6. Unhindered Flow of Gendered Suffering through the India- Nepal Open Border: Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation 149 India- Nepal Border: The Openness 151 The Problematique 151 Human Trafficking 153 The Narratives 160 Conclusion 165 7. Migration, Border Crossing and Women: Female Migrant Sexualities Between Objectification and Empowerment 169 Sexual Objectification as a Liability 170 Sexuality as an Asset 178 8. Gendered Everyday Bordering: An Ethnographic Case Study on the Border Between Finland and Russia 193 What, Where and Why? 193 Everyday Bordering in Transnational and Precarious Conditions 195 Everyday Transnational Care and Gender 200 National Celebrations as Everyday Bordering 203 Discussion 209 9. Gendered Geographical Edges: Border, Contestation and Women in Kashmir 215 Border in Kashmir 218 Life Along the Border 220 Conclusion 230 10. Kakching Gardens: Experiments in Normalcy in Manipur 235 Introduction 235 Manipur; Sensitive Space 239 Kakching Gardens: Beautifying the Militarized Landscape 243 Women, Men, Selfies 247 Conclusion 251 Select Bibliography 255 Index 263 Introduction / Seema Shekhawat, Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra And Emanuela C. Del Re -- 1. Gendering The European Borders: The Role Of Female Migrants And Refugees / Emanuela C. Del Re -- 2. The Refugee's Passage: Liminality, Gendered Habits And The Emergence Of Difference In Flight / Leila Hudson -- 3. Pregnant Crossings: A Political Economy Of Care On Europe's External Borders / Vanessa Grotti, Cynthia Malakasis, Chiara Quagliariello, Nina Sahraoui And Daniela Arias Vargas -- 4. Acknowledging And Addressing The Risks Of Gender-based Violence That Follow Refugees Across Borders: Escalation Of Domestic Violence In Refugee Populations / Melinda Wells, Suhail Abualsameed And Suse Prosser -- 5. Trapped In A Cycle Of Abuse And Violence: A Case Of Nigerian Women In Italy / Carolina Montenegro -- 6. Unhindered Flow Of Gendered Suffering Through The India-nepal Open Border: Trafficing And Commercial Sexual Exploitation / Seema Shekhawat -- 7. Migration, Border Crossing And Women: Female Migrant Sexualities Between Objectification And Empowerment / Andreanne Bissonnette And Elisabeth Vallet -- 8. Gendered Everyday Bordering: An Ethnographic Case Study On The Border Between Finland And Russia / Olga Davydova-minguet And Pirjo Pöllänen -- 9. Gendered Geographical Edges: Border, Contestation Andn Women In Kashmir / Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra -- 10. Kakching Gardens: Experiements In Normalcy In Manipur / Duncan Mcduie-ra Edited By Seema Shekhawat And Emanuela C. Del Re. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 237-243) And Index. "Borders - whether settled or contested, violent or calm, closed or open - may have a direct, and often acute, human impact. Those affected may be people living nearby, those attempting to cross them and even those who succeed in doing so. At the border, vulnerable refugee and migrant communities, especially women, are exposed to state-centred boundary practices, paving the way for both their alienation and exploitation. The militarization of borders subjugates the very position of women in these marginalized areas and often subjects them to further victimization, which is facilitated by patriarchal socio-cultural practice. Structural violence is endemic to these regions and gender interlocks with their perimeters to reinforce and shape violence. This book locates gender and violence along geographical edges and critically examines the gendered experiences of women as global border residents and border crossers. Broadly, it explores two questions. First, what are women's experiences of engaging with borders? Second, where are women positioned in the theory and practice of marking, remarking and demarking these margins? Offering a nuanced and thorough approach, this book suggests that research on borders and violence needs to focus on how bordered violence shapes the embodiment of gender identity and norms and how they are challenged. It examines an array of issues including forced migration, trafficking and cross-border ties to explore how gender and borders intersect."--Bloomsbury Publishing. A recurring feature of the dominant representation of the migration crisis along Europe's southern border in the Mediterranean and in the Balkans is that of the harrowing portrayal of women and small children captured on their migration journey. These images are meant to epitomize human suffering and victimhood, and to invoke in their viewers strong feelings of empathy, which, however, somehow have a distancing and silencing effect. These images do not matter as such for the persons and their individual stories that they document, but rather for the abstract emotional narratives they capture. Over-represented, yet silenced, women entering the European Union (EU) today through its external borders represent, we argue, the powerful gendering of migration which operates in densely crossed borderlands