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PhD Research – Escorts

I took part in some research last year by way of an email interview.  I am happy to contribute to this kind of academic/social research as long as the questions are general rather than specific but I never agree to any interviews with the media, ever.  Anyway, the lady conducting the research was kind enough to send me a summary of the findings and for those of you interested in such matters, I reproduce it here.  (I only hope the the Labour Dolls get to read it)

Beyond gender: an examination of exploitation in sex work’, dated April 2009.

Concluding comments
In brief, my research data leads me to conclude that there are a number of consequences of the current legal approach which have a negative effect; in some instances, exploitation of sex-workers was the direct result of particular legislation and in others, increased vulnerability to exploitation resulted indirectly, as the result of the relationships between law and social-stigma. For example, I argue that the current legal approach towards prostitution increases sex-worker‟s vulnerability to exploitation in four ways: first, by isolating sex-workers from working with other people, their safety is compromised; second; by penalising third-parties, sex-workers are prevented from accessing services that would help them to facilitate and organise their work more safely, and responsible organisers are discouraged from operating; third, the ambiguous legal status of prostitution and the negative effect this ambiguity has on social-stigma renders sex-workers at a disadvantage when it comes to negotiating with other people in the course of their work; fourth, sex-workers are often perceived (both by themselves and by potential exploiters) to be unprotected legally and are characterised therefore as „easy targets‟ for exploitation.
The effects of negative social stigma were also evident for most participants, regardless of gender. Although both men and women were adversely affected by social-stigma, for women, this appeared to have a greater impact and was mostly associated with the notion that women only resorted to sex-work because they had little choice. This places sex-workers, especially female sex-workers, in a weaker position in terms of negotiating with people around them. Furthermore, the stigma and confusion about the legalities of sex-work are exacerbated by media stereotypes and have been rekindled by recent discussions about the criminalisation of purchasing sex. Further criminalisation, either of clients or of sex industry organisers, would not only make sex-workers more directly vulnerable to exploitation, but would also add to the ambiguity as to what exactly constitutes legal behaviour within sex-work. In other words, even if further punitive measures were not directed at sex-workers themselves, the effect would be to add to an already complex set of laws that surround their work. If sex-workers are to be protected then the law should be clarified and simplified, and any legislation that is retained or introduced should focus only on identifiable exploitative behaviours rather than assumptions about the relationships between sex-workers and other people.
Dr. Suzanne Jenkins, Keele University, Staffs

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