This report describes the evolution of a prototype portable amenity kiosk to be used
by female outdoor sex workers. Following recommendations by Benoit and Millar (2001
pg. 96), I have worked collaboratively with Prostitutes Empowerment, Education and
Resource Society (PEERS) to find solutions to two serious problems affecting the
outdoor sex trade:
1. The lack of safety, security and well being for on-street sex workers;
2. The persistent negative perception of sex workers by the public, linked to
depression and low self-worth.
Through small focus groups with sex workers held at PEERS, interviews with social
service providers and deep phenomenological immersion in the community, this research
has attempted to elicit a strategy for making life on the street safer and better. Central to
this thesis is the idea of a portable kiosk that would facilitate a cooperative, rather than
territorial model of soliciting.
This kiosk or Office idea was introduced at the outset of the meetings with sex trade
workers. The concept was presented as a way to improve safety, self-worth, sense of
place and level power relations between sex trade workers and their clients. The focus
groups revealed that the participants were unanimously in favour of this cooperative or
team based model and were forthcoming with design suggestions. The final design that
emerged was a small, well-lit shelter with seating for three, safe storage for valuables,
and a small toilet. The kiosk will be a stand-alone base for a self-selected, nonhierarchical
group of five women per shift. It will be serviced and resituated in low
impact areas every two weeks, freeing any given location from becoming a permanent
host.
This report explains my rationale for the project, outlines some of the preconditions
that can lead to the deplorable experience of working on the street and the often repeated
cycle of the “whore stigma,” resulting in sex workers being “sequestered” in the most
desolate and dangerous parts of town. It argues that the sculptural design of the kiosk and
its concomitant referential associations will help mitigate these conditions.
Soliciting is illegal, and the issues of abetting this activity in relation to the police, city
officials, local business, and the community at large are discussed. Finally, the obdurate
physical presence of the kiosk as material discourse is the culmination of the findings of
this research project although it still poses many questions. The stage is now set for field
testing by PEERS, public discussion and introduction to the wider community.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/1391 |
| Date | 29 April 2009 |
| Creators | Wise, Robert |
| Contributors | Hallgrimsdottir, Helga Kristin |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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