In recent years, many researchers and social workers have claimed that being labelled “a victim” is a heavy burden to carry. It is argued that the position of “the victim” lack both agency and dignity. One of the most visible groups categorized as victims in Norwegian public debate is Eastern European women in prostitution, being understood both as possible victims of trafficking and as victims of prostitution per se. Based on interviews with Eastern European women working in prostitution in Norway, I will discuss how they relate to the discourses on trafficking and prostitution, and how they through that relates to the category of “the victim”.

May-Len Skilbrei is a sociologist, who has researched prostitution, women performing unskilled labour, and feminist theorizing concerning western feminisms’ capacity to incorporate ‘other’ women. She works at FAFO in Oslo, where she leads the research unit on trafficking and female migration. Skilbrei initiated and leads the Network for prostitution research in the Nordic countries, funded by NordFa’s Gender and Violence programme. She is currently working on the multidisiplinary research project Prostitution, Gender and Migration(PROGEMI). Skilbrei’shomepage.