A case for a health promotion framework: the psychosocial experiences of female, migrant sex workers in Ireland

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers preventing women in prostitution from accessing co-ordinated health services in the Republic of Ireland. By examining the experiences of migrant women engaged in prostitution, the research contributes to knowledge pertaining to the psychosocial experiences of female sex workers’ access to healthcare. Design/methodology/approach The study interviewed migrant women across Ireland, using a biographical narrative approach and an adapted voice-centred relational model of analysis to determine the necessity for a health promotion strategy for this demographic. Findings The findings indicate migrant women work primarily indoors, hold precarious legal status and are in Ireland due to processes of globalisation, migration and economic necessity. The women discussed their entry into prostitution and their experiences within prostitution in the context of their psychosocial experiences. Research limitations/implications While the findings are from a small qualitative sample confined to the Republic of Ireland, it is the first study to prioritise migrant sex workers’ psychosocial experiences in Ireland. Practical implications The research concludes education and service development that respects the various social determinants impacting women in prostitution is missing but remains necessary in Ireland. It finds a gendered reform of policies using an ecological framework for health that can address issues of poverty, migration and the global trends of the sex industry. Social implications This means a national review of current services in health, social work and community development fields is timely. Originality/value This paper gives insight into the lives of migrant women involved in the sex industry and can make an important contribution to future research directions and practice in Irish and European prostitution contexts.

Not collateral damage: Trends in violence and hate crimes experienced by sex workers in the Republic of Ireland

“…That study included street and indoor parlour workers, yet sex work in Ireland has changed considerably since then, particularly with the rise of online sex work. Sweeney and Fitzgerald (2017) describe Irish sex work as having moved from brothel-based sex work and street work to escorting, with more isolated, independent and mobile working, with many sex workers travelling within Ireland to reach more customers. Their recent qualitative study on migrant sex workers' health found that fear of violence, robbery and refusal to pay for services 'combined with the need to remain invisible and on the margins due to their precarious legal status impacted migrant sex workers' health' (Sweeney and FitzGerald, 2017;Sweeney et al, 2019).…”

“…Barriers to reporting are heightened for migrant sex workers with concern that contact with the police may lead to deportation or other immigration action for those with irregular or illegal status (Mai, 2009). Sweeney and FitzGerald (2017) found that female, migrant sex workers in Ireland feared reporting crimes and abuse they experienced to the Garda ı (the Irish police force) due to the risk of self-identifying as sex workers, their precarious legal status in Ireland (risk of potential deportation) as well as language difficulties.…”

“…Escorting, independently via the Internet or working for an agency and other forms of online sex work, is the largest sector of the UK and Irish sex industries for workers of all genders (Ellison et al., 2019; Sweeney and FitzGerald, 2017), but it is the sector where a lacuna exists in relation to research on violent and other crimes (Sanders et al., 2018). Yet, emerging international research is beginning to provide a more detailed picture that resonates with emerging trends in sex workers’ experiences of violent and other crimes in this sector in Ireland (Moorman and Harrison, 2016; Sanders et al., 2016; Sanders et al., 2018).…”

“…Sweeney and Fitzgerald (2017) describe Irish sex work as having moved from brothel-based sex work and street work to escorting, with more isolated, independent and mobile working, with many sex workers travelling within Ireland to reach more customers. Their recent qualitative study on migrant sex workers’ health found that fear of violence, robbery and refusal to pay for services ‘combined with the need to remain invisible and on the margins due to their precarious legal status impacted migrant sex workers’ health’ (Sweeney and FitzGerald, 2017; Sweeney et al., 2019). In interviews, sex workers described actual incidents of crime such as rapes, physical assault and abuse or the risk of being a target of these.…”

The politics of injustice: Sex-working women, feminism and criminalizing sex purchase in Ireland

“…This limits their ability to access police protection, support services and other safety mechanisms (Visser et al, 2004). Criminalization impacts adversely sex workers’ lives beyond prostitution through threats of eviction and deportation (Sweeney and FitzGerald, 2017). The neo-abolitionist paradigm identifies groups who must become the focus for law reform and social control, namely ‘risky’ groups of purchasers and/or criminals and ‘at risk’ female sex workers.…”