Far Too Close: The EU’s Paradigm of Protective Exclusionism: A critical discourse analysis of the EU’s narrative of border control and human trafficking

In recent years, migration has been subject to intense securitisation, which can especially be observed when analysing the development of the European borderscape. Extreme measures such as barbed fences, illegal pushbacks and militarised borders have contributed to poor conditions and many casualties on and around the EU’s external borders. Additionally, human trafficking rates have increased significantly over the past decade and is globally prioritized among the most pressing human rights issues. Research in the field of development and border studies has shown that strict borders negatively impact human trafficking dynamics. Moreover, feminist security research observes a forced protection rhetoric fuelled by a masculine hegemony, that has significant negative impact on the living experience of female trafficked sex workers. To test this hypothesis, a critical discourse is conducted on discourse published by the EU, Frontex and Europol in order to analyse how the EU mediates the...Show moreIn recent years, migration has been subject to intense securitisation, which can especially be observed when analysing the development of the European borderscape. Extreme measures such as barbed fences, illegal pushbacks and militarised borders have contributed to poor conditions and many casualties on and around the EU’s external borders. Additionally, human trafficking rates have increased significantly over the past decade and is globally prioritized among the most pressing human rights issues. Research in the field of development and border studies has shown that strict borders negatively impact human trafficking dynamics. Moreover, feminist security research observes a forced protection rhetoric fuelled by a masculine hegemony, that has significant negative impact on the living experience of female trafficked sex workers. To test this hypothesis, a critical discourse is conducted on discourse published by the EU, Frontex and Europol in order to analyse how the EU mediates the two incompatible goals of border control and human trafficking. The results showed two distinctive narratives based on xenophobic and exclusionary securitisation politics and the social construct of masculine protection. These results suggest that a new intersectional approach should be adopted in order to ensure safe migration, human rights and female agency.Show less

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Far Too Close: The EU’s Paradigm of Protective Exclusionism: A critical discourse analysis of the EU’s narrative of border control and human trafficking