Counts, records and rescues: counting (and searching) practices of victims of sexual trafficking

Abstract

Trafficking, especially sexual trafficking, has received an increasing attention in the last years. Many reports have been developed in order to give an account of the phenomenon: they generate numbers and create registers to help in the search of those victims. This article focuses on the practices of counting and searching of victims of sexual trafficking in order to open a debate on the (in)conmensurability of certain social phenomenon, our “epistemological vulnerability” to, finally, propose a wider conception of “to count”. The text is based on a bibliographical and documentary revision as well as on in-depth interviews with agencies (NGOs and the police) that work with victims of sexual trafficking in Spain.