From the private to the public: Continuum of sexual–racial violence against migrant women

Abstract

This article analyses the sexual–racial violence faced by migrant women in public spaces in the city of Barcelona. Based on a gendered perspective, this study conceptualises public space as an area where women’s rights to live a life free of violence are restricted and looks at sexism and racism as systems of oppression; further, the concept of a continuum of violence forms the theoretical basis of this article. Forty in-depth interviews were conducted with Latin American women living in the city of Barcelona. The study identified a continuum of violence that intensifies in the migratory context. Violence moves in a circular fashion from private to public spaces through a combination of sexism and racism perpetrated by (ex-)partners, strangers, and acquaintances. As a result, migrant women grapple with feelings of rejection and insecurity that hinder integration processes and condition their life in the city, experiences, and decisions regarding daily life.