The aim of this study in social work was to investigate Swedish part-time sex workers' experiences of selling sex, of the Swedish Prohibition of Purchase of Sexual Services Act, of people's attitudes toward selling and buying sexual services and the consequences thereof. In the analysis the Erving Goffman stigma theories were used. Three part-time sex workers described their day-to-day experiences of selling sex as well as holding an ordinary job. None of them experienced that the Prohibition of Purchase of Sexual Services Act had an immediate effect on them in their work, what bothered them most was the attitudes toward sex work from society, friends and relatives. The negative attitude forced them to live a double life. None of the sex workers had the impression that the legislation had any concrete effects on their customers. One sex worker expressed the view that the law itself could be a trigger for some customers and that it also helped preserve a negative and disparaging attitude toward sex workers in society. The study concluded that prostitution is a multifaceted phenomenon that has been a victim of simplification in many previous studies, partly for ideological purposes, and recommended a more individual perspective on the matter.

In Sweden prostitution is by many considered to be a social problem that primarily affects women. To counteract prostitution is a political priority and as a result the purchase of sexual services is prohibited by law. Since the law that prohibits the purchase of sexual services entered into force it has been continuously debated and widely disputed. The aim of this thesis is to compare the image of prostitution found in the travaux préparatoires of the law with four sex workers’ view of the phenomenon. A discourse analysis is performed to establish which images of prostitution appear in theory and in practice. The results show that the images of prostitution in the travaux préparatoires of the law differ widely from the views expressed by the interviewees. The discourses identified in the travaux préparatoires unanimously emphasize the injurious effects of the prostitution and the exposed situation of the sex workers. In the discourses identified in the interview material the businesslike aspects of prostitution and the sex workers’ autonomy is emphasized. The results raise questions about the completeness of the travaux préparatoires and bring the need for studies where different groups of sex workers are questioned to the fore.

Orientador: Maria Filomena Gregori / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T10:09:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cruz_AnaPaulaGaldeano_D.pdf: 2888775 bytes, checksum: dbcf916322339d7c86835b45dd0fcae8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Esta tese investiga a participação da sociedade civil na discussão das políticas de segurança e prevenção da violência em São Paulo. Através da pesquisa de campo em bairros socialmente distintos - Sapopemba, Zona Leste e Campo Belo, Zona Sul -, o trabalho discute as narrativas da violência entre os moradores, suas opiniões sobre os (assim considerados) ?agentes da insegurança? e as possíveis soluções para resolver os problemas. O universo empírico central são os Conselhos Comunitários de Segurança, onde policiais, representantes das prefeituras, ?moradores comuns?, líderes de associações de bairros e entidades de defesa dos direitos reúnem-se para falar sobre seus problemas locais. No conflito multifacetado de narrativas destacam-se mudanças relacionadas à linguagem dos direitos e as bases desiguais do debate - estereótipos feitos pelos critérios de classe, gênero, etnicidade, idade e, às vezes, religião. No intuito de contribuir para uma discussão mais ampla dos obstáculos institucionais e simbólicos na elaboração de políticas, a pesquisa acompanhou favelas que foram objeto de operações policias (Operação Saturação) e os encontros da Comissão Independente e Mista, formada em caráter extraordinário para investigar as mortes que se sucederam aos ataques da facção Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) em maio de 2006. / Abstract: This dissertation investigates civil society participation in debates on public security and violence prevention in São Paulo. Through fieldwork in two socioeconomically distinct neighborhoods - Sapopemba and Campo Belo - I seek to understand citizens' narratives of violence and their opinions about the (so called) ?perpetrators? and the possible solutions to solve the problems. The principal site of fieldwork were the Local Security Councils in which policemen, municipal officials, ordinary people, community leaders and human rights organizations get together to talk about local problems. In this multifaceted conflict of narratives, I highlight changes in the language of rights employed in, and the inequalities that underlie the debate - stereotypes of class, gender, ethnicity, age, and sometimes religion. To contribute to a wider discussion about the institutional and symbolic obstacles to establish a public prevention policy, I also did fieldwork in favelas targeted for police operations (Operação Saturação) and at the meetings of the Joint Independent Commission (Comissão Independente e Mista), an ad-hoc body charged with investigating the murders that followed the May 2006 wave of attacks perpetrated by the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) faction. / Doutorado / Doutor em Ciências Sociais

This dissertation investigates to use and increase existing vibrancy to revitalize an urban environment. The urban response is to consolidate existing functions within Rua De Bagamoyo, as a night- life precinct through the introduction of gaming as an extension of the existing night- life activity. The architectural response is to focus on a building that houses a casino and facility for prostitutes that challenges the private-public relationships of place by extending the street into the built form and the form into the street through a series of threshold spaces that explore the notions of visual and physical access. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Architecture / unrestricted

The diploma thesis deals with a topic related to the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically the impact on the sex business, resp. to people who move in this segment of commercial sexual services. The work aimed to analyze and describe the possible effects in the defined areas, which arose from the available studied sources (mainly foreign). The impacts were examined using qualitative methods in the areas (psychosocial and socio-economic, health, safety, change of sex business, and legalization of sex business) about those who move in this area and earn their living, family security, and benefits other liabilities (e.g., debts). The analyzed areas and the described impacts resulting from the semi-structured interviews were compared in discussion with the results of foreign research reports or with Czech sources of helping organizations, and were suggested possible ways to mitigate these impacts or may be prevented by future measures.

L’infection au VIH s’accompagne souvent de dérégulations du compartiment des lymphocytes B qui nuisent à la génération de réponses efficaces. En effet, détectées tôt après l’infection, ces dérégulations perdurent, ne sont pas totalement restaurées par la thérapie, et mènent souvent à des manifestations auto-immunes et lymphomes. Une étude longitudinale de notre groupe, effectuée avec des cellules mononucléées du sang circulant provenant de patients VIH+ avec différents types de progression clinique, a démontré qu’un niveau élevé de BLyS chez des individus VIH+ progresseurs était associé à une dérégulation des fréquences de populations de cellules B avec augmentation de cellules innées de la zone marginale (MZ) présentant des caractéristiques d’immaturité et d’activation. Au contraire, chez des individus VIH+ non-progresseurs avirémiques ou contrôleurs d’élite, les niveaux de BLyS étaient dans la normale et ce sont les fréquences de cellules B MZ plus matures qui étaient diminuées. La résistance au VIH pourrait aussi impliquer le contrôle de BLyS et son impact sur les cellules B. De ce fait, nous avons préalablement recruté une cohorte de travailleuses du sexe (TS) à Cotonou (Bénin) dans laquelle nous avons identifié des femmes qui demeurent séronégatives malgré une exposition soutenue au virus. Nous avons mesuré les niveaux de BLyS dans le sang et dans les lavages cervico-vaginaux (CVL) de TS VIH- et les avons comparés à ceux mesurés chez des TS VIH+ et un groupe contrôle de non-TS VIH- . Nous avons trouvé que les niveaux de BLyS dans le sang et le CVL des TS VIH- étaient inférieurs à ceux des TS VIH+ et des non-TS VIH-. Le niveau d’expression de BLyS à la surface des lymphocytes T, monocytes et cellules dendritiques de TS VIH- était augmenté, mais à un niveau moindre que les TS VIH+. Chez les TS VIH+, les hauts niveaux de BLyS étaient concomitants avec une dérégulation du compartiment B caractérisée par une hyperglobulinémie, une augmentation de la fréquence de populations avec un profil immature/inné et une plus grande proportion de plasmablastes IgG vs IgA. Au contraire, les niveaux inférieurs de BLyS dans le sang des TS VIH- coïncident avec un compartiment B préservé, révélant que les lymphocytes B MZ peuvent être impliqués dans l’immunité naturelle au VIH. Ces résultats démontrent l’importance du contrôle des niveaux de BLyS et du maintien de l’intégrité du compartiment B dans la résistance au VIH. / HIV infection leads to B cell dysregulations that disrupt efficient immune responses. Detected early after infection, these dysregulations are lasting, are not totally resolved by therapy and often lead to auto-immune defects. We have shown that excess BLyS in plasma and on the surface of blood dendritic cells (DC) of HIV-infected progressors coincides with B cell dysregulation and increased frequency of “precursor” innate marginal zone (MZ)-like B cells. In contrast, BLyS levels were normal in elite-controllers and frequency of precursor MZ-like B cells was unaltered. Instead, percentages of MZ-like B-cells presenting a more “mature” profile were decreased in the blood of these individuals, suggesting peripheral recruitment of these cells could be beneficial to the control of disease progression. Based on this, we hypothesize that control of BLyS status and innate B cells could be relevant to the understanding of natural immunity to HIV. We previously established an ongoing cohort of heavily HIV-exposed female commercial sex workers (CSWs) in Cotonou (Benin) and identified individuals who remain HIV-uninfected after several years of active prostitution. Herein, we have measured BLyS levels in the blood and cervico-vaginal lavages (CVLs) of HIV-uninfected CSWs and have compared them to those of HIV-infected CSWs and control uninfected non-CSWs. We found that BLyS levels in the blood and CVLs of HIV-uninfected CSWs were lower when compared to HIV-infected CSWs and even to controls. BLyS surface expression on T-cells, monocytes, and DC of HIV-uninfected CSWs was increased, but to a significantly lower extent than those measured in HIV-infected CSWs, albeit higher than controls. In HIV-infected CSWs, high BLyS levels were concomitant with a dysregulated blood B-cell compartment, characterized by hyperglobulinemia, increased frequency of populations presenting immature and/or innate profiles and a higher proportion of IgG+ than IgA+ plasmablasts. In contrast, contained BLyS levels in the blood of HIV-uninfected CSWs coincided with a rather preserved B-cell compartment, which reveals that “mature” MZ-like B-cells could be involved in natural immunity against HIV. These results highlight the importance of a better understanding of B cell populations and BLyS in the context of HIV resistance.

Background: Prostitution has been documented in most societies, although the context in which it occurs may vary greatly. In Queensland, Australia, sex workers can operate from legal brothels or privately but all other sectors of the sex industry are prohibited. It is assumed that regulation of the sex industry through legalization leads to better health and social outcomes for sex workers and their clients. However, this assumption has rarely been subjected to empirical scrutiny. Aims: This research examined the occupational health and safety of female sex workers in Queensland and explored the relationship between legislative change, workplace violence, mental health and job satisfaction. Sex workers interviewed in 2003 (after legalisation) were compared to a prior study of this population conducted in 1991 (before official regulation of the sex industry). Further, in-depth analysis of the 2003 cohort compared sex workers employed in legal and illegal sectors, to assess violence, health status and job satisfaction. Methods: Cross-sectional, convenience sampling was used to collect data from female sex workers in 2003. This data was compared with data collected earlier (in 1991) and explored differences in the two samples using bivariate analysis. Similar recruitment strategies on both occasions were used to recruit women from all known sectors of the Queensland sex industry. The 1991 comparison sample (Boyle et al. 1997) included 200 women (aged between 16 and 46 years), and in 2003, 247 women (aged 18 to 57) participated. The 2003 sample included workers from legal brothels (n=102), private sole-operators (n=103) and illegal street-based sex workers (n=42). Using data collected in 2003, this study assessed the relationship between physical and mental health and job satisfaction and two main independent variables, i.e., current work sector and recent workplace violence. Bivariate analysis of physical health and independent variables showed no significant relationships and therefore further analysis was not undertaken. However, analysis of mental health and job satisfaction showed complex interactions between multiple variables and therefore linear modeling was performed to adjust for confounding. Results: Analysis of the 1991 and 2003 samples showed little apparent change over time in self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs). There were substantial changes over time in the types of sexual services being provided to clients, with the 2003 sample more likely to provide 'exotic' services. Violence experienced ever in their lifetime differed; in 1991, 29% reported having ever been raped compared with 42% in 2003 (p= &lt0.01). In 2003, 50% of illegal sex workers reported having ever been raped by a client compared with 12% of private sex workers and 3% of brothel-based sex workers (p=&lt0.01). Overall, the sex workers reported roughly equivalent job satisfaction to Australian women. A desire to leave the sex industry was most strongly correlated with reduced job satisfaction (p=&lt0.01). Satisfaction was also relatively low among those whose family was not aware of their sex work (p=&lt0.01). Similarly, the mental and physical health of this sample was comparable to age-matched women from the general population. Wanting to leave the sex industry was most strongly associated with poor mental health (p=&lt0.01), as was recent sexual or physical assault by a client (p=0.06) and the woman's main work sector (p=0.05). Illegal sex workers reported substantially lower mental health scores than their counterparts in legal sex work. Conclusions: Self-reported STI diagnosis was high in these samples but the prevalence appears not to have changed over time. Comparing 2003 to 1991, there were trends towards safer and more diverse sexual practices. It is likely the sex industry has 'professionalized' and now includes more sex workers providing specialist, 'exotic' services. This sample of female sex workers reported high rates of violence, with those working illegally at greatest risk. Analysis suggests a complex interaction between variables contributing to mental health and job satisfaction. In general, it appears that the majority of sex workers enjoyed at least as much job satisfaction as women working in other occupations. It also appears that this sample had equivalent mental health to women from the general population, although the sub-group of illegal workers generally had poorer health. Job satisfaction and the extent of workplace hazards (especially risk of violence) were also strongly associated with different sectors of the sex industry. It is probable that legalisation has benefited some (perhaps most) but there are health and safety concerns for those outside the legal framework. Legislative reform should focus on violence prevention, promoting reporting of violent events to police, and further exploration of the impact of legislation on the health of workers in the sex industry.

Sex work is a highly debatable subject in the field of psychology but little has been said about sex work and resilience. Challenges associated with criminalisation of sex work are rife but sex work continues to exist. This study explored the ability of heterosexual street based female sex workers (FSW) to ‘bounce back’ from challenges they face. The study employed qualitative paradigm and a transcendental phenomenological design was used. Snowballing sampling was used to select twelve FSW who participated in semi structured interview. Thematic analysis was used to extract recurrent themes across participants. Participants reported being victimised and physically and verbally abused by clients and the public. FSW showed their resilience by rationalising their role with having a purpose in working as FSW, obligation as bread winners and regarding sex work as legitimate work. They adopted psychological survival techniques and used various safety techniques to cope. The results emphasised importance of employing resilience and strength based approaches in researching and developing training and psychological programmes for sex workers. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Women in the sex industry struggle with emotional turmoil, drug and alcohol addiction, poverty, and spiritual disillusionment. Their lived experiences as stigmatized individuals engender feelings of powerlessness, which inhibits their attempts to leave the sex industry. This study illuminates how personal narratives develop throughout the process of shedding stigmatized identities and how mutual support functions as a tool in life transformation. Social identity theory and feminist standpoint theory are used as theoretical frameworks of this research, with each theory adding nuanced understanding to life transformations of female former sex workers. Results indicate that women in the sex industry share common narratives that reveal experiences of a "Living Hell", transitional language, and ultimate alignment with traditional norms. Implications of SIT and FST reveal the role of feminist organizations as possible patriarchal entities and adherence to stereotypical masculine ideology as an anchoring factor in continued sex work.

Aj The goal of the diploma thesis is to find out what is the life career of women who provide paid sexual services. The thesis only applies to women who provide sexual services for financial compensation and are over 18 years old. Although we know from research that a large portion of women started providing sexual services for money before the age of 18, we are not getting into direct contact with teenage sex workers. In my work, I focus on the biography of women providing paid sex services. From their perspective, and how they view their lives. The sample of respondents was adapted to the topic and we approached both the clients of Bliss without RISK, z. s. as well as those who no longer working in the sex business. I used the in-depth interview method to get a basic picture of the interviewee's family, personal, and work situation. Furthermore, I focused on capturing their view of the life stage when they worked in the sex business. I tried to identify the moments that led to the entry and exit of this profession. Keywords: Sex business, Bliss without RISK (R-R), Sex worker, Life career, Paid sexual services