Professional Interactions with Sex-Trafficked Migrant Women in Spain: Everyday Discretion, Practices, and Challenges

Author: Gunella, Chiara & Mancinelli, Fabiola

Abstract: In Spain, multiple actors support migrant women who have experienced sex trafficking, including professionals from social work, healthcare, law enforcement, and advocacy. This study examines how these professionals translate policies of protection and control into everyday practice, examining how discretion is exercised and the factors that shape it. Drawing on 32 interviews and a street-level bureaucracy lens, the study shows that intervention logics vary according to organizational culture, institutional stigma, and the emotional and cultural frames of both professionals and survivors. The findings indicate a need for stronger inter-institutional collaboration, more critical reflection on the concepts of the “ideal victim” and “ideal survivor,” ongoing training, and culturally grounded practice. The study contributes to improving cross-institution cooperation and survivor-centered practice in line with SDG 5 and SDG 16.

Keywords: service providers, street level bureaucrats, sex trafficking, qualitative study, victimhood