Victimization in Off-Street Sex Industry Work

Abstract

The victimization experienced by street-based sex workers has led many observers to argue that prostitution is inherently dangerous. However, street-based workers form the minority of sex workers in Canada. Can their experiences validly be generalized to other types of prostitution? The research presented in this article examines whether female off-street sex workers face the same degree of victimization as female street-based sex workers in Vancouver, British Columbia. The results of a victimization survey examining interpersonal violence and other forms of victimization indicate that although violence and exploitation do occur in the off-street industry, some women sell sex without experiencing violence.

Sex Work and the Politics of Space: Case Studies of Sex Workers in Argentina and Ecuador

“…Sex workers perceived that working in the street was more dangerous, particularly because they were more vulnerable to client abuse. These findings are consistent with many other studies on sex worker victimization [4,18,44,79]. Many sex workers, however, viewed brothels and other sex work businesses as exploitative.…”

“…Much of the literature on different sectors of sex work suggests that sex workers experience less victimization within managed indoor sex businesses like brothels 4 than in street-based work, as well as possibly escort and private work [18]. Brothels in particular can protect sex workers from violence and theft in providing a safe, familiar location monitored by brothel management [43][44][45][46]. In Nevada, USA, many legal brothels have emergency buttons in the bedrooms so sex workers can call in security if a client becomes violent or refuses to wear a condom [43,46,47].…”

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“…Although previous research has examined sex workers, that literature has predominantly focused on negative consequences such as violence (O'Doherty, 2011), coping difficulties (Sanders, 2005), and health risks such as contracting HIV and substance abuse (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). The present study breaks new ground by examining factors related to the economics and marketing of sex workers.…”

Violence prevention and municipal licensing of indoor sex work venues in the Greater Vancouver Area: narratives of migrant sex workers, managers and business owners

“…Research on Canadian (Bungay et al 2012; Bungay et al 2011; O'Doherty 2011), US (Nemoto et al 2004) and Australian (Berg, Bates, and Harcourt 2011) indoor sex work venues also suggests that the ability of migrant and new immigrant workers to safely manage the work environment can be further constrained by language barriers, economic insecurity, immigration status and unfamiliarity with laws governing sex work. Finally, within the literature addressing the structural determinants of violence and harm experienced by sex workers, there is a growing body of evidence documenting the negative impact of the enforcement of criminal laws related to sex work (Rekart 2006; Shannon et al 2008; Weitzer 2009; Sanders and Campbell 2007; Katsulis et al 2010; Boittin 2013; Maher et al 2011; Deering et al 2014)…”

“…Research on socio-structural variation in experiences of violence and health inequities among sex workers in higher income settings has largely focused on street-based sex work scenes due to the high visibility of this segment of the sex industry (for Canadian exceptions see O'Doherty 2011; Lewis and Maticka-Tyndale 2000; Bungay et al 2012). While it is estimated that the majority of female sex workers work in indoor venues in Canada (Hanger and Maloney 2006), as in most countries worldwide, the preponderance of public attention, academic research and health outreach focuses on street-based sex work (Weitzer 2009).…”