A typology of female sex work in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile

Abstract

In Chile, sex work takes place covertly in a variety of venues and locations. Formative research using time-location sampling methods is important in order to understand the nature of this diversity. This study used qualitative methods to develop a typology of female sex work in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile, using semi-structured interviews, focus groups and ethnographic fieldwork during visits to sex work venues. The study identified seven types of venue, which reflect the context and regulatory framework of the country and the structural vulnerabilities that affect female sex workers in Chile. These venues and locations include: cafés con piernas (coffee with legs); nightclubs, topless bars and cabarets; brothels; hotels; street and highway soliciting; massage parlours; and private residences. Formative research methods were helpful in identifying and characterising the venues and locations in which sex work occurred. Barriers to accessing and mapping specific locations were also identified. Recommendations for addressing these barriers include working with non-governmental organisations to map venues and initiate contact with the populations of interest. A comprehensive typology of sex work in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile, is an essential element for future time-location sampling and bio-behavioural research in the context of second-generation surveillance for HIV and sexually transmitted infections in Chile.

The Current Landscape of Prostitution and Sex Work in England and Wales

“…Some settings identified in other contexts were not identified in our study, e.g. café's con piernas as identified by Belmar et al (2018), and 'highway' prostitution as identified in various places including Chile (Belmar et al 2018) and the United States (Harcourt and Donovan 2005). Some settings/services, such as escorting, webcamming and sugaring, have been identified in this and other studies from the global North, but were not found to feature in studies on the global South.…”

“…Many of these settings and services, including street/ outdoor prostitution and brothels, have been identified in previous literature on England and Wales and the wider UK (see e.g. Sanders et al 2018;Brooks-Gordon et al 2015), and in other countries (Harcourt and Donovan 2005;Buzdugan et al 2010;Belmar et al 2018). Some settings identified in other contexts were not identified in our study, e.g.…”

“…bondage, discipline, lap dancing and 'opportunistic' (occasional, perhaps spur of the moment exchanges of sexual acts for money) under 'indirect'. Belmar et al (2018) looked at female sex workers in Santiago, Chile with the aim of supporting HIV/ STI programme planning. Based on interviews with service providers and other stakeholders, combined with ethnographic work and observation, they distinguish by venue/location in which the sexual act/service takes place.…”

“…Or the focus is on certain groups of sellers, e.g. women only, as done by Belmar et al (2018) and Buzdugan et al (2009) above, or men or transgender sellers only, migrants only, and so on. There are also typologies and categorisations of trafficking, including for sexual exploitation, developed for the UK (Cooper et al 2017) and United States (Polaris Project 2017), and for buyers of sexual services in the UK (Sanders et al 2009).…”

Vidas vivibles

“…A diferencia de lo que ocurre al otro lado de la cordillera de los Andes, las producciones argentinas o brasileñas han constituido un complejo y denso debate académico y activista sobre la prostitución y/o el trabajo sexual (Piscitelli, 2014, Leite, Murray y Lenz, 2015Morcillo, 2016;Daich, 2017). Las publicaciones de los últimos años en Chile se han interesado en explorar y tipificar los escenarios del trabajo sexual (Belmar et al, 2018); tal como señalamos anteriormente a propósito de contribuir a deconstruir estereotipos, han estudiado la prevalencia del VIH en estas trabajadoras (Carvajal et al, 2017) y el cuidado de su salud sexual (Ramírez et al, 2017). También han analizado los efectos del discurso jurídico en el control social de las prácticas profesionales del sexo en el período de las primeras regulaciones (Gálvez Comandini, 2014, 2017) y en la definición de esta actividad y de las mujeres que lo ejercen en distintos períodos históricos (Espinoza-Ibacache e Íñiguez-Rueda, 2017, 2018).…”