Sex Industry Research Articles

The question of digital prostitution’s criminalization and decriminalization: International-legal experience

Regulation of the digital sex industry is a topic of debate at both national and international levels. While there is an increasing interest in decriminalizing sex work, digital prostitution remains illegal in many countries. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the international experience of criminalizing and decriminalizing digital prostitution, and to pay attention to the problematic issues that arise during this process. The objective of the study is to explore the international experience of criminalizing and decriminalizing digital prostitution, while the subject of the study is the social relations that emerge during this process. The research methodology employs various methods, including philosophical, logical, special-legal, system analysis, and formal-dogmatic methods. The research concludes that different countries treat the criminalization and decriminalization of digital prostitution differently. Sex workers in this industry advocate for decriminalization as it puts power directly in their hands and eliminates legal barriers. Countries that have decriminalized digital prostitution believe that sex work is legitimate work and should be treated with respect. However, countries have different models of criminalizing prostitution, including the legalization of digital prostitution with criminal liability for deviations from established state rules.

Trajectories of Vulnerability and Resistance Among Independent Indoor Sex Workers During Economic Decline

Economic decline, such as we have witnessed in recent years, has disproportionately affected women and evidence demonstrates how financial hardship encourages entry to the sex industry. This worsens the working conditions within sex industry markets but, despite this, evidence documenting the effects of recent austerity measures on the sex industry is lacking. This article draws on qualitative longitudinal research following the 2007–2008 financial crisis to explore work trajectories and experiences of vulnerability through time among independent indoor sex workers in the UK. Participants’ experiences demonstrate worsening conditions in the mainstream labour market, particularly for women and, within this constraining context, sex work represents a choice to mitigate economic vulnerability. Yet this creates increased competition in the sex industry alongside declining demand, which compromises economic security and worker wellbeing. Exploring sex workers’ experiences over time contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between women’s work practices and vulnerability during economic decline, which is necessary to inform policy responses.

How do providers assess young people for risk of sex trafficking? Observed indicators, follow-up, and assessment questions from a sample of social service providers

The extent to which service providers across systems identify and assess potentially sex trafficked youth is understudied. The purpose of this study is to determine whether and how providers observe relevant indicators and assess for sex trafficking risk among minors (ages 12–17), young adults (ages 18–29), and families of minors. A cross-sectional, web-based survey was disseminated to service providers, who represented child welfare, youth justice, and social services (e.g. runaway youth, sexual violence), in a region of a Midwestern state (United States). Participants (N = 267) were asked whether they provided direct services to minors (ages 12–17, n = 245), adults (ages 18–29, n = 148), and/or families/foster families of minors (ages 12–17, n = 163), resulting in three respective client groups. Survey items assessed the extent to which providers (1) identified possible sex trafficking indicators across 5 domains; (2) took follow up actions; and (3) asked risk assessment questions. T-tests were conducted to examine differences between those who reported receiving sex trafficking trainings, compared to those who did not. Results suggest that the most commonly identified indicators included depressive symptoms, shame and guilt, lack of social support. Least common indicators included torture, false IDs, hotel involvement. A third of minor-aged providers did not ask sex trafficking risk assessment questions. Providers reported asking fewer clients about online sex trading than in-person forms. There were statistically significant differences among providers who received training. Implications, including provider strategies for assessing online sex trading and organizational protocols to enhance sex trafficking identification, are discussed.

여성인권 보장을 위한 성매매 법제에 관한 연구

According to Korea's current law, both sex sellers and sex buyers, who are parties to prostitution, are punished, but those forced to sell sex due to hierarchy and power are excluded from the punishment, and the burden of proof of the damage is placed on women in prostitution. Although prostitution is currently illegal, the market size of prostitution is estimated to be more than 30 trillion won, and it is becoming more organized and intelligent. At the same time, the problem of human rights violations such as exploitation and violence against sex-selling women is accelerating. This shows that the current method of regulating prostitution has limitations in eradicating prostitution, blocking demand, and protecting the human rights of prostitution women. Above all, the current punishment clause for both parties of prostitution is abused as a means of threatening women even if they are victims of various crimes such as sexual violence and abuse. In addition, if prostitution women fail to prove the damage that they were forced to trade sex by others, they will eventually be punished, which makes them hesitate to report. In this situation, practical solutions are needed to effectively block the growing demand for prostitution and to protect prostitution women, and as part of this, it is essential to consider the Nordic model of punishing sex buyers and brokers without punishing sex sellers.

The Global Distribution and Epidemiology of Psychoactive Substance Use and Injection Drug Use Among Street-Involved Children and Youth: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Globally, street-involved children and youth (SICY) who work and live on/of the streets are at higher risk of increased psychoactive substances and injecting drug use. Objectives: The present study aimed to identify the prevalence, distribution, sociodemographic factors, and risk-taking behaviors associated with psychoactive substances and injecting drug use among SICY. Methods: Studies in English published from December 1 1985 to July 1 2022, were searched for on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science to identify primary studies on psychoactive substances and injecting drug use among SICY. The pooled-prevalence estimates were obtained using a robust fixed-effects model. Results: The most commonly reported life-time and current psychoactive substance was tobacco followed by cannabis, LSD/ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and injection drug use. The results showed that life-time and current prevalence of methamphetamine and cannabis use, as well as life-time prevalence of cocaine, LSD/ecstasy, heroin, tobacco, and injecting drug use increased as age rose while current prevalence of cocaine and tobacco use decreased as age rose. SICY who were male, homeless, had parents who had died, had history of substance use among family members or best friends, had experienced violence, had casual sex partners, had a history of working in the sex trade, and had unprotected sex were all related to psychoactive substance use and injecting drug use. Conclusions: Research examining this population suffers from lack of studies, therefore, improving the knowledge for interventions aimed at reducing risk behaviors, particularly those related to the transmission of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV is of great importance.

Transactional Desire: Exploring Male Student Sex Workers in China

ABSTRACT This paper presents a descriptive study of Chinese male student sex workers through a grounded theory analysis of 25 semi-structured one-to-one online interviews. We found that the internet and introductions by peers were the two primary channels for Chinese male students to enter the sex industry. Most students were motivated to be involved in commercial sex by a mixture of consumption and sexual desires. Student sex workers motivated mainly by sexual desire often selected clients and considered commercial sex as “transactional hookups.” Student sex workers used strategies, including concealing, separating sex and love, simulating boyfriend experiences, and terminating romantic relationships, to deal with the stigmas they encountered. Sexual health and sexually transmitted disease prevention-oriented sexuality education in China had positive impacts on male student sex workers, but we also found the need for more comprehensive sexuality education. As emerging adults, college students are in a life stage distinct from adolescents and adults. We believe student sex work, as well as emerging adult sex work in general, needs to be differentiated from voluntary adult sex work in both scholarly research and public discussions of the legal status of sex work, especially in cases where students are not informed about the risks of engaging in commercial sex.

It’s Not Just Me, It’s Us, Together: The Embodied of the Wounded Healer in the Role of Sex Trade Survival Mentors—A Critical Mentoring Perspective

Mentoring is one of the unique forms of rehabilitation used to engage with women in the sex trade. The role creates personal and professional challenges; one concerns the mentors themselves dealing with a past in the sex trade, embodying within it a sign of social disgrace. Echoing the concept of the "wounded healer," the present study examines how mentors who are sex trade survivors perceive their role in supporting the rehabilitation of women in the sex trade and the meanings that they give it. The research is based on a qualitative approach from a critical-feminist point of view. Eight female mentors and sex trade survivors, working in different settings, participated in the study. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Based on content analysis, the study points to four components of mentoring vis-à-vis the rehabilitation of women in the sex trade: (1) mutual identification and shared destiny; (2) corrective experience; (3) hope; and (4) saving lives. In addition, mentoring serves as a bridge for the mentors, eliciting opportunities for growth transforming out of their pain. The research findings are discussed in the context of the theoretical framework of critical mentoring, and how a relationship and a therapeutic alliance can turn mentoring into a critical healing practice, in relation to four principles: (1) equality; (2) critical empathy; (3) recognition; and (4) solidarity. The paper encourages the use of mentoring-based interventions in the process of rehabilitating women in the sex trade.

Hentai and the Pornification of Childhood: How the Porn Industry Just Made the Case of Regulation

One of the most popular genres of online pornography today is hentai, sexualized animation, and cartoons in the style of Japanese anime. Data from Pornhub, the world’s best-known pornography website, as well as a recent report from a British regulatory agency and our research, show that much of hentai appeals to children and depicts child-like characters engaged in sexual violence. In almost every instance, this violence targets female characters. Hentai, we show, encourages adults to see minors, especially girls, as legitimate targets of sexual violence. Until the day when these depictions of sexual violence are eradicated, we call for three ameliorative steps: age verification legislation; civil lawsuits; and sex education through a porn-critical lens.

Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism

Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism

Importance of participatory narrative inquiry in sensitive research

This paper engages and persuades social researchers to use Participatory Narrative Inquiry (PNI) in their sensitive social research. PNI is a pertinent approach which situates effective communication at the heart of social inquiry – it includes a form of personal interaction based on language, thought, and action which produced an appropriate climate that allows people to clarify their situation and generate personal solutions. Yet, PNI is rarely used in sensitive research. This study provides a window into its use in sensitive research from a perspective of a social researcher who has used it in exploring lived experience of young rural women who sell sex for livelihood in the suburbs of Mwanza town, in Tanzania. PNI afforded a space for a group of six young rural women who are in sex industry to tell stories so as to make sense of their complex situations and redefine themselves. PNI significantly helped the participants to speak about things that they would never have had a chance to speak about, reflect upon issues that would belong to the realm of taboo, and talk about subjects that they would not have been willing or able to speak about directly without the process of narrative inquiry.

Development of the sex industry and the spread of prostitution in advanced European civilization

This paper presents a comprehensive sex industry typology based on primary data collected between 2020 and 2022. Contemporary sex industry typologies in Europe tend to be sector-specific or have been developed from specific disciplinary perspectives or themes (e.g. sexual health programs, income). Set within the typological context of the international sex industry, this paper seeks to address this gap. Data was obtained from online surveys, questionnaires and consultations with stakeholders including individuals currently or previously involved in selling sex, service providers/NGOs, police, local government representatives and others. The data is complemented by insights from a systematic literature search. This work aims to assist program and policy planning in the Europe context. Our method can help develop typologies in other contexts.

Longitudinal study of pregnancy intention and its association with pregnancy occurrence among female sex workers in Benin and Mali

BackgroundThe intention of becoming pregnant has an evident impact on the prenatal and postnatal period. For female sex workers (FSWs) in West Africa, among whom pregnancies are frequent as are HIV and sexually transmitted infections, a better understanding of their pregnancy intention and its influence on pregnancy occurrence could help prevent unwanted pregnancies and adverse effects on wanted pregnancies.MethodsWe recruited 330 FSWs in Benin and 322 in Mali and followed them for 12 months. We evaluated their pregnancy intention at recruitment and 6-month follow-up, using a multidimensional prospective measure that we developed. We assessed pregnancy occurrence with a pregnancy test and a retrospective questionnaire at 6 and 12 months. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the association between intention and pregnancy. We carried out an analysis to take losses to follow-up into account using the inverse of probability of censoring weights and a cluster analysis to corroborate that the multidimensional measure of pregnancy intention fitted the data.Results407 FSWs were included in the first 6-month analysis and 284 at 12 months. Mean age was 30.9 years. The pregnancy intention distribution was similar between the two periods: 15.2% in the first period and 16.3% in the second had a positive intention. One out of four were ambivalent and almost 60% (57.7% and 56.3%) had a negative intention. For 38.2% of the FSWs, the intention changed between the two periods. The global incidence rate (to first event) was 19.1 pregnancies per 100 person-years. There was a borderline significant trend (p = 0.0529) of decreased pregnancy incidence with decreasing intention. Compared to positive intention, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for ambivalent and negative intentions were 0.71 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.32–1.60] and 0.46 (95% CI 0.21–1.01), respectively.ConclusionThe level of pregnancy intention influences its occurrence among FSWs and nearly one out of six wants a baby despite working in the sex trade. Programmatically, early identification of these women could facilitate provision of quality antenatal and postnatal care. Given other health risks associated with sex work this care may decrease potential risks of adverse maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes.

Neglected with No Social Protection: The Plight of Sex Workers during COVID-19 in South Africa

This study aims to shed new light on the sex industry by questioning the lack of government assistance for female sex workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and looking at their rights from a feminist perspective. The study employed the conflict theory to understand the manifestation of sex work as a profession and its associated drivers. It used a phenomenological approach to understand the lived experiences of sex workers in their own words. A sample of 11 female commercial sex workers operating in the towns of the uMhlathuze Local Municipality, South Africa, was interviewed. The study found that assistance from government and non-government organisations was available. Still, sex workers had no access to it due to their occupation falling outside the legal beneficiary framework. During the pandemic, the criminalisation of commercial sex work exacerbated poverty, inequality, and socio-economic desperation among those in the profession. The study recommends that government strengthens resources to support sex workers and introduce safety net programs to restore livelihoods and dignity in criminalised settings. Various interventions are required to change the legal framework regarding sex work and view the profession from a legalised, regulated and as valid occupation.

Laughing in the Face of the Law: Humour as a Thermostat Activating Social Change for Porn Workers

The vulnerability of sex workers in the porn industry is a heated debate within feminism. The UK 2014 Audiovisual Media Services Regulations and 2017 Digital Economy Act, which burden the production of online pornography, provoked sex workers’ Face-Sitting and Kink Olympixxx protests. This paper investigates how throughout these protests, humour communicates sex workers’ discomfort on this legislation. Arguing that humour is a thermostat that senses public uneasiness and slowly activates social change, this paper examines the two protests highlighting how sex workers employed unrefined bawdy humour to unearth their neglected rights and move towards more adequate rights.

‘Cam Girls and Adult Performers Are Enjoying a Boom in Business’: The Reportage on the Pandemic Impact on Virtual Sex Work

Introduction: Webcamming as a digital practice has increased in popularity over the last decade. With the outbreak COVID-19 and lockdowns across the globe, cam sites experienced an upsurge in both performers and viewers, and the main platform OnlyFans, increased its market share and saturation. The objective of this study was to explore the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent economic hardship, on indirect and digitally mediated sex work. In doing so, it also explored the mediatisation of the creators of erotic content and their marketing on OnlyFans. Method: Data was collected from news media outlets on the effects of the outbreak of the virus on the online sex industry. Mainstream media news articles (N = 40) were drawn from 19 different sources that discussed changes occurring in the digitally mediated sex market during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was drawn from across the political spectrum and type of media source to include broadsheet, tabloid, and regional news as well as broadcast media. The dataset was divided into two and independently analysed by two different researchers analysing 20 sources each. Analysis was conducted using Grounded Theory, an inductive approach frequently used due to aid concept development, as the aim was to develop theory on the mediatisation of the experiences and process of virtual sex work without drawing on sex workers’ own resources at a time crucial to their income. Results: The findings revealed reportage of increased engagement in digital sex work in three areas: expansion of the online sex service sites; new digital sex workers joining the industry; and those who provided online sex services prior to the pandemic. A continuum of experiences emerged and the results show how online sex workers reportedly monetised the loneliness of clients and how new fetishes such as illness and Covid fetishes emerged. Conclusions: Given the remarkable success of adult websites amid the pandemic, this research provides new evidence on the reportage of the use of cam sites, and OnlyFans in particular. The findings provides new data on how digital sex workers’ experiences were represented during the pandemic and reveal a nuanced picture behind the upsurge in online work. News media outlets are crucial in the social construction of online sex work and have the power to affect peoples’ perception of this work. Additionally, press articles can provide a space where sex workers’ voices can be heard. It is therefore a key area to examine in relation to the public opinion of sex work, which in turn affects public policy, and its decriminalisation and eventual destigmatisation. These findings add to our understanding of erotic services and contribute to the growing literature on the mediatization of sex work. The study contributes new knowledge to the topic although further investigation is needed to achieve potential mainstreaming and destigmatisation for digital sex workers.

An Evaluation of Indoor Sex Workers' Sexual Health Access in Metro Vancouver: Applying an Occupational Health & Safety Lens in the Context of Criminalization.

The criminalization of sex work has been consistently shown to undermine workers' Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), including sexual health. Drawing on the 'Guide to OHS in the New Zealand Sex Industry' (the Guide), we assessed barriers to sexual health best practices among indoor sex workers in Metro Vancouver, Canada, in the context of ongoing criminalization. Part of a longstanding community-based study, this analysis drew on 47 qualitative interviews (2017-2018) with indoor sex workers and third parties. Participants' narratives were analyzed drawing on a social determinants of health framework and on the Guide with specific focus on sexual health. Our findings suggest that sex workers and third parties utilize many sexual health strategies, including use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and peer-driven sexual health education. However, participant narratives demonstrate how structural factors such as criminalization, immigration, and stigma limit the accessibility of additional OHS best practices outlined in the Guide and beyond, including access to non-stigmatizing sexual health assessments, and distribution of diverse PPE by third parties. Our current study supports the need for full decriminalization of sex work, including im/migrant sex work, to allow for the uptake of OHS guidelines that support the wellbeing and autonomy of all sex workers.

Transactional sex among rural, justice-involved Appalachian women who use drugs.

Transactional sex is associated with an array of other health risk behaviors and adverse health outcomes, including HIV. However, despite concerns regarding a potential HIV outbreak, there is limited understanding of transactional sex among rural Appalachians who engage in high-risk behaviors. Thus, the current study describes the prevalence and correlates of transactional sex among a sample of rural, justice-involved Appalachian women who use drugs. Participants (N = 400) were randomly selected, screened, and interviewed face-to-face at 3 rural Appalachian jails in Kentucky. Bivariate analyses were used to examine differences between those who reported trading sex for drugs, money, goods, or services in the year prior to incarceration and those who had not, and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine independent correlates of transactional sex. On average, participants were 33 years old with 11 years of education. They were predominantly White (99.0%), about half (43.7%) reported lifetime transactional sex, and 25.9% reported past year transactional sex. Past year transactional sex was positively associated with experiencing money problems, substance use problem severity, injection drug use, unprotected sex with a casual partner, and number of sexual partners in the year prior to incarceration. Results suggest that transactional sex is fairly common among rural Appalachian women who use drugs and are justice-involved and may signal other HIV-related risk behaviors. Given limited service availability throughout rural Appalachia, findings emphasize a need for increased access to risk-reduction interventions, including jail-based interventions, to educate vulnerable, hard-to-reach populations on the risks associated with HIV.

Overcoming communicative separation for stigma reconstruction: How pole dancers fight content moderation on Instagram

This article investigates how stigmatized groups get organized to fight stigmatization through content-moderation practices on social media platforms. We apply a communicative understanding of stigmatization and stigma management, theorizing stigmatization as disruptive for a stigmatized group’s communicative connections to (non-)stigmatized groups. This communicative separation makes it particularly difficult for the stigmatized to organize the beneficial relations to other (non-)stigmatized groups needed to reconstruct stigma jointly. In this article, we investigate how stigmatized groups reconstruct their stigma despite communicative separation. Empirically, we build on a netnographic case study of pole dancers protesting a shadowban on Instagram. Shadowbanning represents a stigmatization practice that moderates content based on its association with sex work. The analysis shows how pole dancers and other stigmatized groups manage stigmatization through a process of stigma maintenance and stigma reconstruction. By emphasizing their difference to sex work through assimilating fitness jargon and distancing themselves from the sex industry, the pole dancers maintain the stigma but regain their communicative abilities by siding with Instagram. This victory initiates a shift in emphasizing solidarity and allows pole dancers and other stigmatized groups to embrace the stigma, forge new ties, and reach out to (non-)stigmatized groups to reconstruct stigma jointly. This study extends the stigma management literature by showing the interlinkage between different stigma-management strategies and their implications for overcoming communicative separation. We conclude by discussing the hardships of organizing stigma reconstruction and stigmatized groups’ strategies to overcome them.

Transgender women sex workers' experiences accessing sexual health care in Iran: a qualitative study.

This study aimed to examine the experiences of transgender women who work in the sex industry regarding their access to health care facilities for sexual health. Transgender women sex workers are recognised worldwide as a high-risk group for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In Iran, between January and May 2022, we employed a snowball sampling technique to recruit a diverse group of 22 transgender women sex workers aged 19-42 years. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these participants to provide insights into their experiences with accessing sexual health care. The data was analysed using thematic analysis, revealing four overarching themes: experiences of violence, contextual barriers to health, socioeconomic challenges and HIV/STI risk practices, and 11 sub-themes. The results demonstrate that many participants experienced difficulties in accessing sexual health services due to violence, discrimination, financial difficulties and lack of awareness about STIs. Sex workers face extraordinarily challenging occupational risks, including sexual and physical abuse, mental health issues, and HIV and STIs. Targeted public intervention programs and research for this group are urgently needed. Outreach programs engaging with underserved transgender women sex workers have the potential to enhance access to healthcare services, and contribute to the reduction of HIV transmission rates.

Sex Industry: Analysis of Sex Work and Sex Workers in Zamboanga City, Philippines

Sex Industry: Analysis of Sex Work and Sex Workers in Zamboanga City, Philippines