Violence against Migrant Women. Reflections on Patriarchy, Migration and Gender-Based Violence

Abstract

The article aims to demonstrate that the condition of migrant women, analyzed through the lens of gender-based violence, represents the persistence of patriarchy in contemporary societies. Focusing specifically on the Italian case, the analysis shows that migrant women have been invisible in the public debate on migration for decades, and have only emerged in the last twenty years in relation to the phenomenon of gender-based violence. In fact, their representation as victims of violence makes them vulnerable and subject to the public powers of the host state, and reinforces and legitimizes security policies against migrants. The argument proceeds in three steps: 1) A philosophical-political reconceptualization of the nexus between gender, migration, and violence; the argument draws on Hannah Arendt's philosophical analysis of the deprivation of citizenship rights of stateless persons and Toni Morrison's sociological reconstruction of the processes of Othering. 2) A critique of international humanitarian law from an intersectional and postcolonial perspective; through Jane Freedman and Simon Turner's theories on vulnerability and victimization, the article aims to demonstrate how discourse on gender-based violence prevents genuine processes of empowerment and escape from violence. 3) The application of this approach to reception practices, starting from Leaving Violence Living Safe project, promoted by the anti-violence centers of the D.i.RE network in collaboration with UNHCR.