This is a qualitative study inquiring ”What does it entail to be a sex worker in Sweden today?” Four female sex workers were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. Using methods for reflexive analysis, interpreting the interviews and their context theoretically through notions of Competence and Stigma, the results of this study shows that sex workers may be both competent agents and stigmatized. This informs the understanding of sex work, stigma and how learning, subjective room for action and social agency can be aggravated or hindered by stigma. The results are viewed in the context of Swedish legislation against sex purchase in relation to previous research which shows that said legislation is problematic. This study recommends; further studies on varieties of competence, room for action and social agency among sex workers; further studies on how sex workers subjective room for action is affected by the Swedish law against sex purchase; further studies on how the Swedish law against sex purchase affect sex workers prospects for learning; studies on how stigma and discrimination against people in socially vulnerable and/or excluded groups affect individual learning; as well as updated estimations on the prevalence of male, female and transgender sex workers in Sweden. It is also suggested that Sweden could look to other countries for constructive ideas on how to reform sex purchase laws. In this context, New Zealand and Germany are mentioned specifically.

Changes to the global economy over the past few decades along with growing support for neo-liberal policies in Canada have led to an increase in precarious, low-wage frontline service work. These kinds of occupations often involve sustained interaction with clients and have high job demands, low job control and insufficient monetary reward. Further, many of these jobs also tend to be gendered (i.e., they involve a large degree of ‘emotional’ labour or care work that is predominantly carried out by female workers). Working conditions such as these can have a negative impact on the mental health of frontline service workers leading to psychological distress and depression. Chronic stress or cumulative stressful life events can also increase vulnerability to depression. While these stressors can be exacerbated by poor working conditions, they can also exist independently of them. Comparative research across two or more frontline service occupations, similar in broad strokes but differing in workplace characteristics, is especially needed to understand how structural and contextual factors in the workplace and over the life course interact to produce depression. This thesis presents data from my supervisor (Dr. Cecilia Benoit) and colleagues’ 4-wave longitudinal study entitled “Interactive service workers’ occupational health and safety and access to health services” (Benoit, Jansson, Leadbeater & McCarthy, 2005). This is a study of three types of frontline service jobs – two in the formal economy (hairstyling and food and beverage service) and one in the shadow/informal economy (sex industry). Results of this secondary analysis demonstrate that not only do working conditions have a significant impact on the mental health of frontline service workers but that stressful life events also have very strong explanatory power in understanding why certain workers experience depression more than others. The findings indicate that sex workers have the highest levels of depression, in comparison to stylists and servers. Yet sex workers report protective factors in their jobs, including higher comparative decision latitude, that contradict much of the current literature on sex work. The thesis concludes with policy recommendations and gives direction for further research in the area of frontline service work and depression.

In this thesis, I problematize the United States’ response to the global phenomenon characterized as human trafficking. The framing of trafficking as policy issue takes place in the context of politicized claims about the nature and prevalence of trafficking, its relation to the sex industry, and the kind of response that is required. U.S. anti-trafficking policy was built and shaped in the context of fears about immigration, global labor, and the sex industry. As a result, trafficking has been used to justify oppressive domestic reactions such as border crackdown, scrutiny of immigrant and sex worker communities, and victim “protection” that barely differs from prosecution. The United States has also leveraged anti-trafficking measures such as the policy prescriptions in the Trafficking in Persons Report and sanctions for countries that fall in the bottom tier to build a global response to trafficking that suits the hegemony of the United States rather than the needs of vulnerable populations. Through the government-subsidized “rescue industry”—an army of U.S.-based NGO’s and humanitarian groups—the United States has effectively exported an imperialistic response to trafficking based on Christian ethics and neoliberal economics around the world. These policies are distinctly out of touch with the experiences and needs of the supposed “victims of trafficking,” those attempting to survive at the bottom of global capitalist labor markets. As a result, I characterize anti-trafficking as a form of structural violence, and emphasize the need for an alternative movement that addresses the actual problems experienced by global laborers and the complicity of the United States in creating the conditions for labor exploitation.

Pendant mes recherches, j'ai habité le QUARTIER LATIN de Bangui (RCA), également appelé SOWETO, où les femmes étaient cheffes de famille. Les autres habitant-e-s de la ville les appellent les « FEMMES LIBRES, CAR TELLEMENT ELLES ONT USE DE LEUR LIBERTE, C’EST DEVENU PEJORATIF ». Pour vivre, elles partaient travailler chaque nuit dans les espaces de loisirs des expatriés français, dans les bars, dans les restaurants et dans les boîtes de nuit du centre-ville, comme employées domestiques, serveuses, prostituées et cuisinières. L'objet de cette thèse est l'analyse des rapports de pouvoir qui traversent les échanges économico-sexuels entre des hommes expatriés français et des femmes centre-africaines à Bangui. La recherche amènera à analyser le travail sexuel et domestique des femmes centre-africaines dans les espaces de loisirs et de consommation des expatriés comme étant au cœur de la construction de la communauté expatriée et de la constitution d’une classe de femmes qui, entre contraintes et recherche d’autonomie, négocient la valeur de leurs vies dans la ville.« SI LES GENS DISENT QUE TU ES UNE PUTE, TU ENTENDS MAIS TU FERMES TES OREILLES, PARCE QUE, TOI, TU SAIS POURQUOI TU LE FAIS : POUR L'AVENIR. C'EST UN TRAVAIL. TU LE FAIS POUR CE QUE TU AS DECIDE D'ETRE DANS TON CŒUR ». / During my fieldwork, I lived in the LATIN QUARTERS in Bangui (Central African Republic), named SOWETO, where women are head of household. Other people call them « FREE WOMEN, BECAUSE THEY USE THEIR FREEDOM SO MUCH, IT BECOMES PEJORATIVE ». To earn their living, they work every night in the recreational areas of French expatriates, bars, restaurants and downtown nightclubs, as domestic workers, waitresses, prostitutes and cooks. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze power relations that structure sexual-economic exchanges between French expatriate men and Central-African women in Bangui. The research will lead to analyze sexual and domestic work of Central-African women as the heart of the construction of the French expatriate community, and of the existence of a class of women who, between constraints and search for autonomy, negotiate the value of their lives in the city.« If people say that you are a whore, you hear them but you shut your ears, because inside you, you know why you do it: for the future. It’s a job. You do it for what you have decided to be in your heart ».

Human trafficking for sexual exploitation, as the most documented type of trafficking both internationally and in South Africa, was the focus of this study as it poses significant challenges to response efforts whilst remaining a crime of vast impunity. At the centre of this study was the researcher’s curiosity-infused endeavour to understand the lived experiences of multipronged stakeholders who have first-hand experience of the investigation into human trafficking for sexual exploitation. A qualitative approach and the use of hermeneutic phenomenology within a broader postmodernist and constructivist positioning served as the catalyst for generating novel insights. Numerous formal and informal conversations over the 5-year research period, site visits to multiple sex trade locations around South Africa and 91 in-depth and unstructured interviews with participants from 15 different vantage points were conducted. Five themes were identified from participants’ lived experiences as they related to the investigation of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. These were Theme 1: Sex Trade, Human Trafficking and Organised Crime; Theme 2: Combating Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation; Theme 3: Victims of Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation; Theme 4: Corruption and Compromise; and Theme 5: The Social Context and Scope of the Problem. A rich and in-depth presentation of participants’ lived experiences from an emic point of view was made. Knowledge generated include the revelation of problematic claims by preservationists around the nature of the sex trade in South Africa, insights into complexities intrinsic to human trafficking for sexual exploitation and multi-layered challenges associated with investigations into the crime. At the apex of the study was the deconstruction of complex systems theory and its application to the phenomenological essence of participants’ lived experiences. A proposed application of the theory was suggested for a more agile, robust and effective multipronged investigation strategy to combat human trafficking for sexual exploitation. A strong argument is made for a ‘whole’ and non-reductionist approach to investigations that continuously considers both the complexity of the crime and the day-to-day realities of the stakeholders who contribute to the multipronged investigation into human trafficking for sexual exploitation. / Ukurhweba ngabantu ngeenjongo zokubaxhaphaza ngokwesondo, lolona didi lorhwebo lokuxhaphaza ekubhalwe ngalo kakhulu kwihlabathi jikelele nakuMzantsi Afrika. Esi sifundo sigxile kolu rhwebo njengoko lucela umngeni kwimizamo yokusabela lo gama ilulwaphulo mthetho olungalawulekiyo. Esizikithini sesi sifundo yayingumdla womphandi ukuqonda ngamava abo bathatha inxaxheba ekuphandeni ngorhwebo lokuxhaphaza ngokwesondo. Kukhethwe ufundo oluqwalasela umgangatho nokusetyenziswa kwesimbo sokutolika iimeko ezikhoyo kwilizwe elisemva kwelale mihla siphila kuyo njengeyona nqobo eya kuveza iimbono ezingaqhelekanga. Kwabanjwa inqwaba yeencoko ezisesikweni nezingekho sikweni ezenziwe kwisithuba seminyaka yophando engaphaya kwemihlanu, kwatyelelwa kwiindawo zorhwebo lokuxhaphaza ngokwesondlo ezikhoyo eMzantsi Afrika, kwabanjwa nodliwano ndlebe olunzulu lungaqingqwanga olungama-91 nabantu abakwiindawo zomdla ezili-15. Kwabonakala imixholo emihlanu esuka kumava abathathi nxaxheba malunga nophando ngorhwebo lokuxhaphaza ngesondo. Le mixholo yile: Umxholo woku-1: Urhwebo Lwesondo, Urhwebo Lokuxhaphaza Abantu, Nolwaphulo Mthetho Olucwangcisiweyo; Umxholo wesi-2: Ukulwa Urhwebo lokuxhaphaza abantu Ngenjongo Yesondo; Umxholo wesi-3: Amaxhoba Orhwebo Lokuxhaphaza Abantu Ngenjongo Yesondo; Umxholo wesi-4: Ubuqhophololo Nokunikezela; kunye noMxholo wesi-5: Imeko Yezentlalo Nomthamo Wengxaki. Kwenziwa inkcazelo enzulu netyebileyo yamava abathathi nxaxheba evelelwa ngokwendlela abantu bendawo abacinga nabazibona ngayo izinto. Ulwazi olufunyenweyo luquka izimvo eziyingxaki zabantu abakhuthaza ukugcinwa kwezinto zinjengoko zinjalo, malunga nohlolo olululo lorhwebo ngesondo eMzantsi Afrika, izimvo ngobunzima obubuthume kurhwebo lokuxhaphaza abantu ngenjongo yesondo kunye nemingeni emininzi eyayanyaniswa nophando lolwaphulo mthetho. Encochoyini yesi sifundo kukuhlakaza ingcingane exhakaxhaka yeenkqubo nokusetyenziswa kwayo kwiimeko ezikhoyo kumava abathathi nxaxheba. Kwacetyiswa indlela yokusebenzisa le ngcingane ekwenzeni icebo elinamandla nelisebenzayo lokulwa urhwebo lokuxhaphaza abantu ngenjongo yesondo. Kuthethelwa indlela yokusebenza ‘epheleleyo’ nengacuthi nto ekuqhubeni uphando v olusoloko luthathela ingqalelo ubuxhakaxhaka bolwaphulo mthetho namava emihla ngemihla abathathi nxaxheba abafaka isandla kuphando oluvelela iinkalo ezininzi kurhwebo lokuxhaphaza abantu ngenjongo yesondo. / Ukushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi, njengohlobo lokushushumbisa oluqoshwe phansi ngokudlula zonke ezinye izinhlobo emhlabeni wonke kanye naseNingizimu Afrika, yikona okugxilwe kukho kakhulu kulolu cwaningo njengoba kuyikona okungadala izingqinamba ezinkulu emizamweni yokubhekana nakho kube futhi kuyilona hlobo lobugebengu olungajeziswa kangako. Okunguwona mgomo walolu cwaningo yimizamo yomcwaningi egqugquzelwa ngukufuna kwakhe ukwazi ukuze aqonde lokho okubonwe ngababandakanyekayo abahlukahlukene abebebhekene ngqo nokuphenywa kodaba lokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi. Kusetshenziswe indlela yokwenza ephathelene nokuqoqwa kwemininingwane engamaqiniso nokusetshenziswa kohlobo locwaningo olwahlukile kulolo olubheka ukwenzeka kwezinto ngokwemvelo maqondana nokuhleleka kwezinto ngokwesikhathi esilandela esezinto zesimanjemanje, nangendlela elandela umumo othize, njengegqugquzela ubukhona bokuqonda okuhlaba umxhwele ngokungajwayelekile. Kube khona izingxoxo eziningi ezihleliwe nezingahlelwanga ezenzeke esikhathini esiyiminyaka emihlanu yocwaningo, kwavakashelwa izizinda eziningi ezindaweni okuhwetshelwana kuzo ngocansi eziseNingizimu Afrika, kwaphinde kwaba nezingxoxo ezingama-91 ezijulile ngokuphonsa imibuzo engahleliwe ngokusemthethweni kubabambiqhaza abavela ezindaweni eziyi-15 ezilungele lolu cwaningo. Kuhlonzwe izingqikithi ezinhlanu eziqhamuke kulokho okubonwe ngababambiqhaza ngokuhlobana kwabo nophenyo lokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi. Yilezi, Ingqikithi 1: Ukuhweba Ngocansi, Ukushushumbiswa Kwabantu Nobugebengu Obuhleliwe; Ingqikithi 2: Ukulwisana Nokushushumbiswa Kwabantu Ukuze Baxhashazwe Ngokocansi; Ingqikithi 3: Izisulu Zokushushumbiswa Ukuze Zixhashazwe Ngokocansi; Ingqikithi 4: Inkohlakalo Nokwenza Okungahambisani Nawe; neNgqikithi 5: Indikimba Kwezenhlalo Nobubanzi Benkinga. Kube sekwethulwa ngokucebile nangokujulile okubonwe ngababambiqhaza ngokwencazelo ehambisana nohlobo lwesifundo. Ulwazi olutholakele lubandakanya ukuvela kwalokho okuyinkinga okushiwo yilabo abalwela ubukhona bohwebo lwezocansi eNingizimu Afrika, ukuqondwa kwalokho okungekho lula ukukuqonda okuphathelene vii nokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi kanye nezingqinamba ezishiyana ngokwezigaba ezihambisana nophenyo lwalobu bugebengu. Ekujuleni kocwaningo kube khona ukuhlaziya okubanzi ngokuhlakaza izinhlelo zezinzululwazi okungekho lula ukuziqonda nokusetshenziswa kwazo kulokho okusemqoka okubonwe ngababambiqhaza. Kuhlongozwe ukuba kusetshenziswe isu elisheshayo, elishubile nelizosebenza ngempumelelo elihlukene izigaba eziningi ezibheka konke elizolwisana nokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi. Ukudingida kabanzi ngendlela 'ephelele' nengancike ndawo okumele ilandelwe uma kuphenywa nezobheka kokubili ukungabi lula kobugebengu okubhekenwe nabo kanye nokubonwa imihla ngemihla ngababambiqhaza abasiza ngokuthile ophenyweni olubheka okuningi okwahlukahlukene maqondana nokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi. / Criminology and Security Science

La « prostitution » constitue actuellement un problème public en France, au croisement de luttes pour la réinsertion sociale ou la prévention sanitaire, contre les agressions ou pour l’obtention de droits. Différents collectifs se mobilisent pour imposer des définitions concurrentes entre deux pôles : l'abolition d'une « violence » et la reconnaissance d'un « travail ». De ces définitions découlent des revendications sur la réglementation de l'activité et la représentation du groupe.Partant de ce constat, cette thèse décrit la construction socio-historique du « travail sexuel » : la lutte d'un groupe minorisé pour s'approprier le pouvoir de définir le problème dont il fait l'objet. L'analyse part de la revendication de l'« invention » de la catégorie en 1978 aux États-Unis, jusqu'à l'adoption de la « loi visant à renforcer la lutte contre le système prostitutionnel » en avril 2016 en France. Elle se fonde d'une part sur un corpus documentaire pour retracer la diffusion et les usages de la catégorie, d'autre part sur une trentaine d'entretiens avec des personnes impliquées dans ces mobilisations pour restituer leurs parcours et leurs positions.La thèse montre d'abord des usages et des sens variés du « travail sexuel » selon les contextes, s'inscrivant notamment dans le mouvement féministe, la lutte contre le VIH/sida ou les débats sur l'immigration. Elle montre aussi une appropriation partielle du problème avec l'émergence d'un mouvement de « travailleur·se·s sexuel·le·s » au niveau international et en France. Elle montre enfin les difficultés de ce mouvement à imposer sa définition du « travail » et les déplacements qui en résultent des espaces et des objets de la lutte. / “Prostitution" is currently a public problem in France, at the intersection of struggles for social rehabilitation or health prevention, against assaults or for rights. Different groups are mobilizing for competing definitions between two poles : the abolition of "violence" and the recognition of a "work". From these definitions follow claims for the regulation of the activity and the representation of the group. On this basis, the thesis describes the socio-historical construction of "sex work" : a struggling group for the power to define the problem which constitutes itself as a minority. The analysis begins at the "invention" of the category, which is claimed in 1978 in the United States, until the "loi visant à renforcer la lutte contre le système prostitutionnel" adopted in April 2016 in France. It is partly based on documents to track the circulation and the uses of the category, and on thirty interviews with people involved in these protests to restore their career and their positions. The thesis first shows various uses and meanings of "sex work" in different contexts, thus joining the feminist movement, the fight against HIV / AIDS or debates on immigration. It also shows a partial ownership of the problem with the emergence of an international and french movement of “sex workers”. Finally, it shows the difficulties this movement finds to impose its definition of "work" and resulting displacements about spaces and objects of the struggle.

The goal of this master's thesis is to understand the link between legalization of prostitution and human trafficking. The thesis is divided into three major sections. The theoretical part defines major terms, such as human trafficking and prostitution. This section also describes the issue of human trafficking and prostitution in the context of the Czech Republic and in the context of Germany. The empirical part/section is based on interviews with a number of social workers in Germany, and its primary goal is to elicit whether legalization of prostitution in Germany caused an increase in the number of victims of human trafficking. Lastly, the final part, the discussion, compares findings of interviewed social workers with findings in scientific articles. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

“Area restriction” is the umbrella term used for this thesis to consider geography-based, individually- assigned orders issued by criminal justice agents to remove and restrict targets from particular city spaces. This research focuses on 13 Canadian cities that use arrest-and-release area restriction strategies to managing street sex work(ers). Despite heavy criticism for their punitive nature, area restrictions have received little academic attention. This project takes an exploratory and descriptive approach to the issue in order to develop a platform for future research. Using qualitative, non-experimental methods it also critically analyzes the implementation, logic and reported impacts of the strategies while drawing implications for how area restrictions relate to citizenship statuses of sex workers by mapping exclusions onto the city. Multiple data sources were included but the most significant and compelling information comes from interviews with police officers and community agency workers. Findings suggest that area restriction strategies contribute to substantial social divides between sex workers and other community members, but also between sex workers and important services, resources and their community. At the same time, the strategy is reported as a “temporary relief” measure that is ineffective at lessening sex trade activity and often leads to displacement and dispersal of sex work(ers). However, collaborative efforts in some cities show promise for achieving goals of ‘helping sex workers off the street.’ Realistic recommendations for area restriction strategies are made that lead to more inclusive approaches that are considerate of needs and concerns of all interest groups linked to the “prostitution problem.”

En marge du débat éthique sur le statut juridique des échanges sexuels tarifés, ce mémoire a pour but d’explorer les présupposés théoriques sous-jacents à la conceptualisation de la prostitution comme mesure de la marchandisation de la personne. Au-delà de la question de la grille de rapport de pouvoir à appliquer pour définir la prostitution, nous proposons de questionner quelques présupposés théoriques sous-jacents à la conceptualisation de la prostitution comme étant une forme de marchandisation de la personne. Dans la mesure où la prostitution est distinguée des autres activités à partir de ce statut symbolique qui lui est accordé, notre recherche consiste à questionner les bases théoriques de cette caractérisation normative. La littérature féministe sur le sujet de la prostitution est cristallisée autour de la question de sa criminalisation et de sa stigmatisation sociale, mais elle ne se réduit pas à un débat polarisé entre abolitionnistes et règlementaristes. Nous allons dans un premier temps tenter de dégager les différentes problématisations du sujet de la prostitution et les perspectives épistémiques sur la recherche et la conceptualisation des échanges sexuels tarifés. Nous allons par la suite dégager les paradigmes normatifs qui constituent historiquement la prostitution comme la mesure de l’objectification des femmes. Enfin, nous restreindrons notre analyse à la définition de Pateman de la prostitution dans The Sexual Contract. L’objectif sera de déterminer si la conceptualisation du contrat de prostitution en tant que symbole de la marchandisation de la personne induit des limites dans la compréhension des rapports de pouvoir qui lui sont sous-jacents. Plus précisément, nous étudierons les présupposées normatifs au fondement de la distinction entre le contrat de prostitution et les autres formes contractuelles d’assujettissement. / This paper aims to explore the normative assumptions underlying the conceptualization of prostitution as a measure of the commodification of the person. I propose to question some of the theoretical assumptions underlying the conceptualization of prostitution as a form of commodification of the person. Insofar as prostitution is distinguished from other activities on the basis of this symbolic status, my research consists in questioning the theoretical bases of this normative characterization. Feminist literature on the subject of prostitution focuses on the issue of the criminalization of prostitution and its social stigmatization, but it is not reduced to a polarized debate between abolitionists and regulationists. I will first identify how the subject of prostitution has been problematized from different theoretical frameworks and present epistemic perspectives on the conceptualization of the problem of prostitution. I will then identify and analyze the normative paradigms that historically constitute prostitution as the measure of women objectification. Finally, I will focus on Carole Pateman’s definition of prostitution in The Sexual Contract. My aim is to identify in which extent the conceptualization of the prostitution contract as the symbol of body commodification is relevant to understand the power dynamics underlying this type of agreement. More specifically, I will study the normative assumptions underlying the distinction between the prostitution contract and other contractual forms of subjection.

“What is certain is that the question of […] re-making a landscape of prostitution in the city […] needs to be viewed as part of a changing, global discourse on the nature of contemporary cities” (Aalbers & Sabat 2012, p. 114).Prostitution – associated with well-known Red-Light Districts – has for a long time been seen as “a significant urban activity that relates to other economic and social functions of the city [and contributes] […] to the cognitive image of a city held by both residents and non-residents, even those who have never frequented them” (Ashworth, White & Winchester 1988, p. 201). It is therefore no surprise that within the neoliberal framework of inter-city competition, these once notorious districts, commonly associated with crime and violence, ascended into spaces of entertainment and consumption, neatly aligning with entrepreneurial city branding strategies. The Reeperbahn, Hamburg’s famous mile of sin, located within the district of St. Pauli is no exception to this rule. As a place traditionally located outside Hamburg’s social and physical city limits, it is nowadays frequented by thousands of tourists and party seekers, drawn in by the area’s myths and shady reputation (Khan 2012). Actively fostering the (economic) attractiveness of the so-called Kiez has long been part of Hamburg’s city politics and was reinforced with the creation of the Hamburg Brand Marketing Strategy in 2002, where the Entertainment Mile Reeperbahn alongside Hamburg’s Pulsating Scenes became two of the key success modules in branding the city. The repercussion this has had not only for the district and its inhabitants but specifically for the red-light industry has largely been understudied.This Master’s Thesis therefore, aims at studying the general effects of city branding, such as displacement and conflict over spatial uses in the face of Over-Tourism and re-development strategies. Looking at the specific case of the Reeperbahn, it closes the gap of the somewhat understudied effects of gentrification on St. Pauli’s unique culture. By interviewing different local stakeholders, conducting a broad literature review as well as undertaking field work, the Hamburg-St.-Pauli-Brand-Dialectic will be analyzed subsequently, showing, how the Hamburg Brand and the city as a whole have profited from St. Pauli’s reputation and what consequences this has had in turn for the district.