NCJ Number
224407
Date Published
2008
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This chapter presents a feminist analysis of the relationship between sex, work, and violence that challenges binary thinking (sex as work or sex as violence) in relation to sex work in the United Kingdom, and it argues for an analysis of sex work that disrupts binaries and fosters collaborations with women in the sex industry based on principles of participatory action research (PAR).
Abstract
This chapter argues that the illegality of sex work, particularly street-based sex work, makes sex workers vulnerable to violence, abuse, and homicide. Social stigma, taboo, and prejudice against women sex workers are embedded in social structures, processes, law, and the public mindset that fuels reducing the limitations imposed on the citizenship rights and social justice for women who sell sex. This is reinforced by the current Home Office Coordinated Strategy on Prostitution, especially for women working on the street. This chapter focuses on opening up public forums and channels to researchers and policymakers whereby women in the sex industry can speak for themselves about their lives, their motivations, their circumstances as sex workers, and what they want for their futures. Although this chapter wishes for a society in which the socioeconomic circumstances of women do not propel them to exchange their bodies for money, a roof, or a meal, at the same time it promotes the importance of respecting the choices that women make, especially when they have limited options for escape from poverty. What is needed is PAR in which women involved in sex work talk about their victimization, abuse, economic needs, and the ways in which the legal and social environments compound their struggles. From such PAR, a more empathetic and just system can emerge that provides women a safe and supportive environment for whatever choices they make. 4 figures, 5 notes and 61 references