Missing from the data, missing from the law: indigenous women and girls and the failures of anti-trafficking frameworks in Latin America

Abstract

This thesis investigates the overrepresentation of indigenous women and girls among human trafficking victims in Latin America, a topic that is largely underexplored in mainstream academic and policy discourse. Their absence from statistical data, which is typically aggregated only by age and gender, has resulted in anti-trafficking frameworks that fail to account for their unique vulnerabilities shaped by race, ethnicity, and social status. As a result, existing measures often neglect the specific risks faced by indigenous populations. Adopting a qualitative, interdisciplinary methodology grounded in decolonial and intersectional feminist theory, this research examines how colonial legacies continue to shape systems of oppression that contribute to circumstances like poverty and systemic violence. Therefore, the thesis critically assesses the regional and international anti-trafficking frameworks in place, arguing that a failure to adopt an intersectional decolonial approach weakens protection for marginalized victims. By including indigenous epistemologies in data collection, research and policy-making, it calls for a more inclusive and culturally informed response to trafficking. Such an approach would better protect those most at risk whilst simultaneously challenging the deeply rooted colonial legacies that persist within anti-trafficking mechanisms. Key words: Human trafficking, indigenous women, Latin America, decolonial theory, intersectionality, anti-trafficking