Isotta Rossoni holds an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Oxford and a BA in Russian and International Relations from Queen Mary University of London. She is currently enrolled on a PhD program at Leiden Law School (NL), researching the intersections of sex work, migration and trafficking on the island of Malta.

What is the current focus of your research work?

The broad focus of my work is gender-based violence with particular attention being devoted to sexual violence in the context of migration and displacement. A key concern of my research is to identify gaps in the protection of vulnerabilised people, including in terms of access to health and rights. My PhD research, which is currently drawing to an end, focuses on migrant sex workers living in Malta, a specific sub-group within the migrant population, which continues to face challenges in access to healthcare and other services, as a result of a host of factors including stigma and restrictive sex work, migration and labour policies.

Why did you decide to go into your field of research?

 My interest was initially sparked during my MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Oxford back in 2014-2015. This is when I began reflecting on how migration law and criminal law intersect and considering the direct reverberations that this overlap has on individuals, apparent by way of example, in the widespread use of immigration detention by governments. Once I commenced hands-on work in the NGO field, I realized, through exposure to ongoing activist debates on violence, sex work and migration, that there was still a lamentable lack of evidence, particularly in the Maltese context. I therefore decided to embark on a PhD journey, as well as establish collaborations with medical professionals to explore the interconnections between violence, migration and sexual health in Southern Europe and beyond.

How has your understanding of sexual and gender-based violence evolved, in the context of migrants?

 What has changed over the years has been my growing realization that many of the policies and practices that states put in place to manage complex issues such as migration and sex work, have negative effects on migrants’ wellbeing and impinge on their protection. In this sense, I see research and advocacy as crucial. At the same time, I have become more and more aware of the importance of creating space, through research or via other means, for migrants to be involved, share their experiences and be a part of both the process and the devised solutions. Thanks to my PhD research in particular, which has focused on investigating how people whom we normally and loosely label “vulnerable” (e.g. irregularised migrants, sex workers) understand and experience vulnerabilities, my understanding of “vulnerability” has significantly expanded. I can now appreciate that “vulnerability” is a multi-faceted concept that goes well beyond common assumptions on gender, ability, nationality and other, and I am currently working on translating this knowledge into practical recommendations for policy-makers and practitioners.

What related challenges do those from low- and middle-income countries in particular face?

Sexual violence and gender-based violence more broadly, are tangible realities in every country around the world. However, for those hailing from low- and middle-income countries, greater hurdles often exist to accessing support, primarily as a result of limited funding for services, lack of or disrupted infrastructure due to conflict or instability and other. For those who migrate from low- and middle-income countries, journeys are generally perilous and involve exposure to a range of risks, which include high rates of sexual violence and related health complications. These risks often span the migration journey from start to finish, and intertwine with obstacles to accessing care and support due to shame, stigma, cultural beliefs, language barriers and other.

What are your hopes for progress in the future?

It would be wonderful to share hopes for a world with less violence, but wars and conflict around the world, alongside a steady rise in phenomena such as femicide in many countries, are evidence that this is wishful thinking. My hope for the future is that as researchers and practitioners we truly take on the “nothing about us without us” motto and meaningfully engage people in all our work, including via migrant-led and survivor-led research. If I think about this in its application to sexual health, an aspect that I see as crucial is investing more time and effort in unpacking how sexual health is understood by migrants from different countries, with varied cultural backgrounds and intersecting identities, and relatedly, what effective prevention could look like Bridges2Health&Rights. I also believe in the vital importance of engaging masculinities in prevention efforts.

Can you tell us about some of the projects you worked on and share any significant findings from these projects that have an impact on public health?

 With my colleagues at Bridges2Health&Rights, the NGO I recently co-founded, I am currently implementing phase 2 of Project SSKAPP [Skin and sexually transmitted infections KAP (knowledge, attitude and practice) survey and health promotion strategy using mobile and digital technologies in migrant populations] funded by the European Academy for Dermatology and Venereology (EADV). As part of phase 2, we are gathering data on SRHR among refugees and locally displaced people in Lebanon. A key focus has been that of exploring knowledge and access to cervical cancer screening. We are still in the process of gathering the data, but we are hoping that the evidence will help inform future interventions in the area of cervical cancer prevention in displaced populations in resource-limited settings. Another project I am currently working on is Project Reach-Out, funded by the EU4Health Program of the European Union. Reach-Out entails rolling out mobile units in Italy, Malta and Greece to engage in health promotion, and provide medical consultations and linkage to care/social support services for key populations facing challenges in accessing services such as sex workers, irregularised migrants and people who inject drugs.