Even at this stage of my International Relations journey, the term ‘globalisation’ has been mentioned numerous times. Globalisation is argued to have produced various economic benefits for ‘developed’ and so-called ‘developing’ countries (Collier & Dollar 2002). But what about the down side? Being encouraged to think critically about all aspects of the IR field led me to my topic - the impacts of globalisation on ‘Third World’ countries. Previously being approving of the benefits of globalisation, I now find myself with a contrasted view to this way of thinking, with my research leading to the below findings.
I have learnt that globalisation itself is a contested topic, and there are various academic sources that investigate its meaning. For …show more content…
Globalisation promotes interdependence between countries and advances the transfer of commodities, including cheap labour (Shangquan 2000: 1). As part of the drive towards ‘modernisation’ and global economic integration, many female workers are relocating around the world, following the promise of better work opportunities. However as the nature of capitalism inevitably involves the exploitation of workers for increased profit (Marx in Robinson 2004: 3), many of these women are then trafficked into the profit-rich sex industry, currently the third most profitable illegal industry in the world (Aulette et al 2009: 100). Importantly, increasing rates of inequality and extreme poverty in developing nations has been attributed to the processes of globalisation, and these processes are seen to contribute to the rise in sexual exploitation (Acker 2004: 20). It has been noted that one cause for women being particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation is due to recent increases in migration from or between ‘developing’ nations in pursuit of various forms of income, including unskilled labour and the informal sector which women tend to occupy more than men, where workers rights can be weak or even non-existent (World Vision Australia 2009). Additionally, there are contributing factors such as law enforcement corruption, government complicity, inadequate legal frameworks, pre-existing gender inequalities, and also lack of resources to be able to address transnational crimes, all of which can be arguably more pronounced in underdeveloped areas (World Vision Australia
I have learnt that globalisation itself is a contested topic, and there are various academic sources that investigate its meaning. For …show more content…
Globalisation promotes interdependence between countries and advances the transfer of commodities, including cheap labour (Shangquan 2000: 1). As part of the drive towards ‘modernisation’ and global economic integration, many female workers are relocating around the world, following the promise of better work opportunities. However as the nature of capitalism inevitably involves the exploitation of workers for increased profit (Marx in Robinson 2004: 3), many of these women are then trafficked into the profit-rich sex industry, currently the third most profitable illegal industry in the world (Aulette et al 2009: 100). Importantly, increasing rates of inequality and extreme poverty in developing nations has been attributed to the processes of globalisation, and these processes are seen to contribute to the rise in sexual exploitation (Acker 2004: 20). It has been noted that one cause for women being particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation is due to recent increases in migration from or between ‘developing’ nations in pursuit of various forms of income, including unskilled labour and the informal sector which women tend to occupy more than men, where workers rights can be weak or even non-existent (World Vision Australia 2009). Additionally, there are contributing factors such as law enforcement corruption, government complicity, inadequate legal frameworks, pre-existing gender inequalities, and also lack of resources to be able to address transnational crimes, all of which can be arguably more pronounced in underdeveloped areas (World Vision Australia