Anti-trafficking discourses in Canada feature prominently in policy discussions of prostitution and sex work as well as national security and border integrity, including discussions of migration, migrant smuggling, refuge, and asylum. Yet, representations of trafficked persons have gone largely unquestioned in the country and anti-trafficking policies have garnered broad acceptance without detailed consideration of how such representations affect the rights and experiences of trafficked persons. In this context, anti-trafficking discourses are relied upon to justify a variety of conflicting political agendas. By placing existing discourses of human trafficking under scrutiny, including representations of trafficked persons from the perspective of frontline workers, government officials, law enforcement, and trafficked persons themselves in Western Canada, this study examines the politicized construction of trafficking discourses and thereby identifies how some anti-trafficking measures claiming to liberate “victims of trafficking” contribute to the insecurities faced by trafficked persons. Further, by examining recent immigration policy amendments alongside anti-trafficking discourses, this study considers the role of anti-trafficking discourses in shaping contemporary boundaries of inclusion and exclusion. In particular, the study highlights the insecurity trafficked persons experience as a result of measures emphasizing criminalization and deportation as well as the effect of criminalization for temporary migrant workers, particularly migrant workers experiencing exploitation in a context of socio-economic constraint.

Rent: Same-Sex Prostitution in Modern Britain, 1885-1957 chronicles the concept of “rent boys” and the men who purchased their services. This dissertation demonstrates how queer identity in Britain, until contemporary times, was largely regulated by class, in which middle-and-upper-class queer men often perceived of working-class bodies as fetishized consumer goods. The “rent boy” was an upper-class queer fantasy, and working-class men sometimes used this fantasy for their own agenda while others intentionally dismantled the “rent boy” trope, refusing to submit to upper-class expectations. This work also explains how the “rent boy” fantasy was eventually relegated to the periphery of queer life during the mid-century movement for decriminalization. The movement was controlled by queer elites who ostracized economic-based and public forms of sex and emphasized the bourgeois sexual mores of their heterosexual counterparts. Sex between adult men in private was decriminalized, but working-class men selling sex suffered harsher laws and more strictly enforced penalties under this new, ostensibly “progressive” legislation.

Courtesy stigma is the public disapproval evoked as a consequence of associating with a stigmatized individual or group. While there are few examples of research applying the concept of courtesy stigma to the professional associates of stigmatized persons, courtesy stigma has been shown to limit the social support and social opportunities available to family members who come to share some of the shame, blame and loss associated with their family member’s stigma(s). Research on the occupational health of persons performing frontline service work examines various sources of workplace demands and rewards, including the availability of public funding for the health and social service sectors, the devaluation of feminized forms of care-oriented work, and the downloading of responsibility for providing care to poorly paid or unpaid workers in the community and home. This research project blends the literatures on courtesy stigma and the occupational health of frontline service workers to understand the work experiences of those providing frontline social services to sex workers. A mixed methods design is used to study the workplace experiences of a small group of workers in a non-profit organization providing support and educational services to sex workers. The findings reveal that courtesy stigma is a discernable experience among this vulnerable group of service workers, affecting their work, community and family contexts. Courtesy stigma played a significant role in staff perceptions of others’ support for themselves and their work activities, leading to diminished opportunities for collaborative relationships, emotional exhaustion, altered service practices, and a low sense of workplace accomplishment. Thus, courtesy stigma forms part of the package of conditions that leads to high turnover, diminished workplace health, and a loss of service capacity in the frontline health and social service sector. The dissertation concludes with a consideration of the implications of the findings for the literatures on courtesy stigma and frontline service work, arguing that courtesy stigma is an underestimated determinant of occupational health for frontline service providers serving socially denigrated groups.

In this thesis my aim is to bring attention to the problem of sexual exclusion as experienced by members of the disability community and argue that this is an issue of justice. I do this by first discussing the value of sex. I maintain that sex is an integral part of a flourishing human life. Once this is established, I examine theories of justice and demonstrate how the systematic sexual exclusion of persons with disabilities can be understood as an injustice that must be addressed. Finally, I give an overview of some of the proposed solutions to the problem of sexual exclusion and conclude that the transformation of social attitudes is necessary for sexual justice. / Graduate / 0422 / trw.deboer@gmail.com

A presente tese explora as formas, naturezas e transformações da “relação prostituição”, em específico, daquilo que temos chamado como “políticas da prostituição feminina de rua”, tendo como foco a região central da cidade de Porto Alegre - RS, no percurso das últimas três décadas. A perspectiva narrativa e analítica desta pesquisa é construída a partir do encontro etnográfico com quatro mulheres militantes do movimento organizado de prostitutas em Porto Alegre, nascidas entre 1955 e 1965, que ainda hoje, como nos últimos 25 ou 30 anos, encontram na prostituição seus principais ganhos financeiros e simbólicos. Metodologicamente, trata-se de uma “etnografia da experiência interpessoal” realizada entre agosto de 2006 e janeiro de 2009, principalmente na cidade de Porto Alegre. Como resultados, destacam-se importantes transformações na organização e nas políticas da prostituição de rua, que implicam diferenças importantes entre gerações e ciclos de vida; a persistência da violência estatal e social; a “privatização” da prostituição; e a configuração de “zonas de tolerância simbólica”. Sugere-se a existência de uma bio-política da decência, do trabalho, da família e da cidadania, que, no caso brasileiro, se materializa numa política de eterna “estimulação/punição” (tolerância) sobre a prostituição/trabalho. Por outro lado, é evidente a complexidade, hibridez e importância das movimentações políticas, organizadas ou não, que reivindicam os direitos das prostitutas e simetrizam as relações. / This thesis explores forms, natures and transformations of “prostitution” as a relationship, more specifically of what has been called the “politics of female street prostitution” in Porto Alegre, in the last three decades. The analytical and narrative perspectives have been built through the ethnographic encounter with four women militant of the prostitute movement in Porto Alegre, born between 1955 and 1965 who, in the last 25-30 years, have found in prostitution their main economic and symbolic gains. Based on the methodological approach of ethnography of interpersonal experience this research has been carried out between 2006 and 2009. The results show the important transformations in the organization and the politics of street prostitution, that imply (a) important differences in generations and life cycles; (b) the persistence of state and social violence; (c) the privatization of prostitution; and (d) the constitution of symbolic tolerance zones. We suggest there is a biopolitics of decency, of work, of family, and of citizen rights that, in the Brazilian case, materializes itself into politics of permanent stimulation/punishment (tolerance) over prostitution/work. On the other hand, it becomes clear the complexity, the hybridism and the importance of organized or non-organized political movements, that claim rights and produce more symmetric relationships.

A presente tese explora as formas, naturezas e transformações da “relação prostituição”, em específico, daquilo que temos chamado como “políticas da prostituição feminina de rua”, tendo como foco a região central da cidade de Porto Alegre - RS, no percurso das últimas três décadas. A perspectiva narrativa e analítica desta pesquisa é construída a partir do encontro etnográfico com quatro mulheres militantes do movimento organizado de prostitutas em Porto Alegre, nascidas entre 1955 e 1965, que ainda hoje, como nos últimos 25 ou 30 anos, encontram na prostituição seus principais ganhos financeiros e simbólicos. Metodologicamente, trata-se de uma “etnografia da experiência interpessoal” realizada entre agosto de 2006 e janeiro de 2009, principalmente na cidade de Porto Alegre. Como resultados, destacam-se importantes transformações na organização e nas políticas da prostituição de rua, que implicam diferenças importantes entre gerações e ciclos de vida; a persistência da violência estatal e social; a “privatização” da prostituição; e a configuração de “zonas de tolerância simbólica”. Sugere-se a existência de uma bio-política da decência, do trabalho, da família e da cidadania, que, no caso brasileiro, se materializa numa política de eterna “estimulação/punição” (tolerância) sobre a prostituição/trabalho. Por outro lado, é evidente a complexidade, hibridez e importância das movimentações políticas, organizadas ou não, que reivindicam os direitos das prostitutas e simetrizam as relações. / This thesis explores forms, natures and transformations of “prostitution” as a relationship, more specifically of what has been called the “politics of female street prostitution” in Porto Alegre, in the last three decades. The analytical and narrative perspectives have been built through the ethnographic encounter with four women militant of the prostitute movement in Porto Alegre, born between 1955 and 1965 who, in the last 25-30 years, have found in prostitution their main economic and symbolic gains. Based on the methodological approach of ethnography of interpersonal experience this research has been carried out between 2006 and 2009. The results show the important transformations in the organization and the politics of street prostitution, that imply (a) important differences in generations and life cycles; (b) the persistence of state and social violence; (c) the privatization of prostitution; and (d) the constitution of symbolic tolerance zones. We suggest there is a biopolitics of decency, of work, of family, and of citizen rights that, in the Brazilian case, materializes itself into politics of permanent stimulation/punishment (tolerance) over prostitution/work. On the other hand, it becomes clear the complexity, the hybridism and the importance of organized or non-organized political movements, that claim rights and produce more symmetric relationships.

Syftet med denna systematiska litteraturöversikt är att undersöka forskningsläget kring hur människor som har prostituerat sig upplever orsakerna till vägen in i prostitutionen då det i samband med arbetet kan uppstå mycket fysisk och psykisk utsatthet. Genom att skapa en större förståelse kring processerna in i prostitution kan preventionsarbetet utvecklas och förekomsten av prostitution, samt den utsattheten som uppstår, minska. För att uppnå syftet har följande frågeställning använts: Hur ser forskningsläget ut gällande upplevelser av orsaker till vägen in i prostitution av individer som någon gång haft sex mot ersättning? Frågeställningen har besvarats genom en systematisk litteraturöversikt och analyserats genom en latent innehållsanalys. Studien är baserad på relevant forskning kring människors upplevelser av vägen in i prostitution från USA, Kanada, Slovenien, Spanien, Storbritannien och Holland. Genom kodning skapades huvud- och subteman kring upplevda orsaker av vägen in i prostitution. Resultatet visar att de upplevda orsakerna till prostitution främst har grundat sig i ersättning, individernas sociala nätverk, individernas livssituation samt ett intresse för arbetet. Ett särskilt framträdande tema i samtliga studier var ersättning. Aktörer som skola, socialtjänst och polis bör arbeta med att tydligt förmedla kunskap kring de medföljande riskerna av prostitution samt göra andra valmöjligheter tydligt tillgängliga för de som befinner sig i en svår ekonomisk eller social situation. / The aim of this systematic literature review is to examine the current existing research regarding how individuals who have been involved in prostitution perceive the causes of the way into prostitution, due to the connection between this type of work and the physical and mental vulnerability that it causes. By creating a bigger understanding of the processes into prostitution, the preventive work can develop and the occurrence of prostitution, and the vulnerable exposure that occurs, can decrease. To achieve the aim of the study, the following question has been used: What does the existing research say regarding perceptions of causes of the entry into prostitution by individuals who, at some point in their life, have had sex in exchange for compensation? The question has been answered through a systematic literature review and analyzed through a latent content analysis. The study is based on relevant research regarding individuals’ perceptions of the entry into prostitution from USA, Canada, Slovenia, Spain, Great Britain, and Holland. Through coding, main themes and subthemes were created regarding perceived causes of entry. The results show that the perceived causes of entry into prostitution is based in compensation, the individual’s social network, the individual’s life situation and an interest of the labor. A particularly prominent theme in all studies was compensation. Actors such as school, social services, and law enforcement should work with informing, and being clear about the following risks of prostitution and make other possible choices for making money available for the people living in a hard economic or social situation.

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In South African Law, sex work is currently mainly dealt with in terms of the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act 32 of 2007, although other legislation, such as the Aliens Control Act 3 of 1993 also contains provisions that are peripherally relevant to sex work. In addition, municipal by-laws play an important role in the regulation of sex work, especially outdoor sex work. These by-laws are often aimed at addressing the more visible aspects of outdoor sex work. This dissertation aims to analyse the policing methods used by the police when policing sex work in Sunnyside, and whether the police have the ability and capacity to enforce current legislation in this regard. The enormous incidents of dehumanization and abuse of sex workers by the police who are supposed to enforce the Sexual Offences Act 32 of 2007 and the previous legislation on sex work questions whether the police should be given more or less powers in dealing with this crime. This dissertation aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of relevant literature in order to provide a background for the discussion on the origins of sex work and the different legal models for dealing with sex work. The study also endeavours to establish a frame of reference for considering different legal models to deal with sex work and to identify different policies and legal approaches to sex work, and to consider the impact of the current laws regulating sex workers and the harm that result from this. The dissertation aims to explore and describe the challenges that the police in Sunnyside experience, and also to analyse the difficulties that sex workers often encounter. The knowledge generated in this study will enhance the existing knowledge in the policing of sex work, and will also serve to educate the police, criminal justice institutions, and the community about the nature and extent of the problems that policing agencies experience when policing sex workers in Sunnyside. / Police Practice / M. Tech. (Policing)