Resisting “Manufactured” Vulnerability: Discretionary Policing and Migrant Sex Workers’ Resistance Strategies in Malta
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Leiden University
Netherlands -
Leiden University Netherlands
Abstract
Sex work in Malta operates within a complex legal framework where the act of selling sex is legal, but associated activities are not. Legal ambiguities create a semi-legal space in which sex workers navigate both legal and extralegal risks, often lacking formal protections while being subject to discretionary policing, social stigma, and potential exploitation. Nevertheless, in this same context, workers develop tactical adaptations to mitigate risks, evade enforcement, and maintain economic stability. Drawing on 26 interviews with migrant sex workers in Malta, this article highlights the vulnerabilities of this group as a result of discretional and transactional policing, and the different strategies they employ to resist criminalization. Despite recognizing the resourcefulness of (migrant) sex workers, the authors acknowledge the limited space for resistance available to those engaging in sex work and call for urgent legal and policy reform.
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Author Biographies
Isotta Rossoni is a PhD candidate at the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society at Leiden University. For the past decade, she has also worked as researcher, trainer and grant-writer for a range of NGOs on issues at the intersection of migration and criminal justice, with particular attention for sexual and gender-based violence in the context of migration and displacement. She recently co-founded her own NGO called Bridges2Health&Rights.
Maartje van der Woude is Professor of Law & Society at Leiden Law School, The Netherlands.