English: In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. The Protocol obliged states to criminalise human trafficking, prosecute traffickers, and assist victims. Twenty years later, it is one of the most ratified UN instruments and human trafficking is a major issue of international concern and activism. However, it has also attracted considerable criticism for leading to serious human rights violations of trafficked persons and other vulnerable groups.

In 2020, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Protocol, the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women led a series of conversations about the Protocol and anti-trafficking work, their successes and failures, and opportunities for improvement.

In this episode, we speak with Laura Agustín, author of 'Sex at the Margins: Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry'. We discuss migrant women's decision to go abroad and find work, the ways in which they do this, and the ordinary language they use to describe their experiences vs. the extraordinary language that NGOs and policy-makers use. We also discuss social actors' preoccupation with sex work and the rise of the 'rescue industry'.