| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 254-272 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | French History |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 1 Apr 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The lack of consent among Moroccan women was compounded by economic exploitation which the French army used to force compliance with their regulations. Upon recruitment, each woman signed a contract with the female concessionaire, essentially the brothel manager, agreeing to a year of military sex work for the French army, with the understanding that this year could be renewed at their discretion. The manager was firmly in charge of her brothel; BMCs could be distinguished by the woman who ran it, such as ‘Anita’s BMC’ or ‘Aïcha’s BMC’. Travel costs from North Africa to France and then within the metropole were funded by the French Army, as well as the return journey if the woman met the requirements of her contract. However, if the woman wished to terminate this contract before the year was up, they would ‘have to repay the price of their outward journey and pay the price of their return voyage to North Africa themselves’. This would have been extortionately expensive and served to hold Moroccan women to economic ransom: as indentured sexual labourers, they were forced to keep working.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for the Study of French History.