Sex Workers on Sunday: what people say themselves about exchanging money for sex

So many people want to talk about ‘prostitution’ – in the abstract – and argue over whether it is good or bad in principle, without caring much about what the people involved say themselves. Or often those arguing have talked to one or two people whose personal stories they extrapolate to a gigantic category they call Prostitutes or Sex Workers or Victims of Trafficking or Prostituted Children. Some journalists do ask people selling sex what they think of their own lives, however, and the answers are similar in different parts of the world and in different languages. Here are a few recent examples from sex workers, none of whom want to be rescued. Note the bar girl iin the photo is the protagonist: in front, pointing to others, talking about them.

Ireland-UK: Revealed: the life of a ‘working girl’ in Ireland today

My marriage wasn’t successful. I came back to escorting last year, arriving in Ireland in June. I travel extensively, stay in lovely places and put up with some odd things in return. “I find my work very easy, but that’s probably down to the way I work, I only accept clients I like and can reference. My clients tend to be in their forties and married.”

Zambia: The economics of sex work

“People look down on us. It is not our wish to do this, but I don’t feel bad. We do what we do and even married women go out and sleep with other men [for extra income]. We are proud, and we need to make money to live. . . When [our boyfriends] come here we’re good housewives, but when they are gone, we are not,” Miriam said.

Bangalore: Prostitutes don’t want to be treated like commodities

“Working as a construction labourer would hardly feed me or my children. The money I make in this at least helps me educate my daughter.” Sadana Mahila Gumpu held a public hearing, welcoming sex workers from across the state to share their experiences.

Spain: “Queremos trabajar sin molestar y sin ser molestadas”

“A mí todavía no me han sancionado porque he tenido la precaución de no estar expuesta abiertamente. Pero he visto a compañeras a las que las han incordiado por el simple hecho de estar paradas o caminando. Y si, por ejemplo, te ven en una cafetería o en alguna gasolinera cercana, donde vamos para tomar un café o comer un bocadillo, ya presuponen que estás ejerciendo la prostitución. Incluso las han perseguido si han visto a una chica ir de acompañante en un coche. Hasta que se bajan de él”, asegura Lucía, que define la actuación de algunos agentes de la Policía Local como “acoso”.

France: A Lyon, le trottoir bat le pavé

Karen, la porte-parole des prostituées lyonnaises, voit également dans ce projet une injustice sociale empreinte d’hypocrisie. «On sait très bien que les hommes d’affaires et les footballeurs pourront continuer à monter avec des filles dans les palaces. Ce ne sont pas eux qui vont être contrôlés et condamnés : c’est mon petit client qui fuit son quotidien dix minutes par semaine.»

Canada: Sex worker says island brothel idea ‘ridiculous’

Sex worker Julie Grant says . . . idea of creating a red-light district on Toronto Island is out of touch and unreasonable. “To take a ferry to an island away from everybody is inconvenient for us because we work on call,” Grant said. “I don’t think a red light district is a good idea either, in most places you have no idea it’s happening.”

–Laura Agustín, the Naked Anthropologist

5 thoughts on “Sex Workers on Sunday: what people say themselves about exchanging money for sex

  1. redpesto

    Agustin:

    “Or often those arguing have talked to one or two people whose personal stories they extrapolate to a gigantic category they call Prostitutes or Sex Workers or Victims of Trafficking or Prostituted Children.”

    Curiously, I’ve read far more articles about (female) sellers than about (male) buyers (when it comes to heterosexual commercial sex), or that we understand the clients only through the experience of the sex worker (or through a ‘gatekeeper’ of some kind, e.g. an anti-sex industry feminist).

    Reply
  2. Wendy

    The reaction in Ireland to that first piece has been predictable. One “feminist” organisation dismissed the woman’s opinions on the basis that she had spoken anonymously and that her views couldn’t be taken as representative of women in the industry. Of course, they didn’t respond by citing non-anonymous sex workers saying yes, in fact we do want our industry criminalised, thank you very much.

    The rescue organisation Ruhama who are referred to in that article wrote a letter objecting to their portrayal and insisting that they actually value the dignity of women in the industry. Ruhama is led by the same Catholic orders that used to run Magdalene Laundries in Ireland.

    Reply
  3. Pingback: Dr Laura Agustín and Thai sex workers: Anti-trafficking Rescues are Our Biggest Problem « WoWasis TravelBlog

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