NCJ Number
166629
Date Published
1996
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Data from street prostitutes in Glasgow, Scotland were used to examine the dynamics of the commercial sexual encounter, with emphasis on the use of power between prostitutes and their clients and the potential for violence.
Abstract
The data were collected in 1991 and 1992. Two hundred six women prostitutes were contacted directly in the red light district during the times that they were working. They provided qualitative data. A subsample of 68 women were interviewed using a short standard instrument that gathered quantitative data. Results revealed that the interviewed women ranged from 16 to 51 years in age and had a median age of 24 years. They had worked in prostitution from 2 weeks to 30 years; the median was 2 years. They worked an average of 5.2 nights a week and provided 7.1 men with sexual services per night. Nearly all had been confronted at least once by violent clients; many had been attacked by clients more than once. The analysis suggested that the commercial sexual encounter is fraught with issues of power and control and the potential for conflict, which may or may not occur through violence. Legal restrictions on prostitution are likely to continue, so it would be desirable to implement policies that minimize the likelihood of violence. Several changes might accomplish this. Table and 40 references