Decriminalization of Sex Work: Feminist Discourses in Light of Research

Comte, Jacqueline

doi:10.1007/s12119-013-9174-5

Cited by 60 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Under decriminalization, regulation of the sale of sexual services is present, but often moves to the local or municipal level, frequently through a nexus of non-sex-work-specific laws and codes. In 2003, New Zealand passed the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA), with the aim to improve the working conditions, health and safety of sex workers (Comte 2014). The revised law allows adults to sell from their own homes, in brothels, and from the street and other unregulated spaces; it also allows up to four workers to sell services from a shared space without requiring a brothel license.…”

Section: National Policy Approaches To Regulating Prostitutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Well, It Should Be Changed for One, Because It’s Our Bodies”: Sex Workers’ Views on Canada’s Punitive Approach towards Sex Work

et al. 2017

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Abstract:Background: The regulation of sex work is contentious in all countries, including for governments, the public, and sex workers themselves. Research shows sex workers' perspectives are ignored during policy formation in most cases. This is despite the fact they have unique insider knowledge and are directly affected by the policies that are enacted. Methods: We analyzed the accounts of a heterogeneous sample of adult sex workers (N = 218) residing in different urban cities in Canada to find out their views on current laws and their recommendations for reform. The interviews were conducted in 2012-2013 prior to the implementation of the 2014 Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act. The paper thus provides an opportunity to compare the changes desired by Canadian sex workers with changes put into law by the Act. Results: Although the interview questions did not directly ask about the current legal system, 121 expressed an opinion. Three main themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: (1) the challenges that criminalization posed to sex workers; (2) the workers' suggestions for legal reform; and (3) potential issues with legal reform. Conclusions: We discuss the contributions our qualitative findings make to the scholarship on sex work regulation and call for further research that includes sex workers' voices in decision-making regarding changes to policies affecting their lives.

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Section: National Policy Approaches To Regulating Prostitutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Well, It Should Be Changed for One, Because It’s Our Bodies”: Sex Workers’ Views on Canada’s Punitive Approach towards Sex Work

et al. 2017

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“…Competing perspectives on sexual labour have been discussed in depth elsewhere. 35 While we do not intend to repeat these discussions here, it is pertinent to note that polarized conceptions of prostitution, as consonant with exploitation of women, versus sexual labour viewed as a form of work, have tended to dominate policy debates in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and other western states. The former perspective sees the application of the criminal law as a means of addressing prostitution as gendered exploitation, whereas the latter suggests that liberalization of the laws relating to prostitution is necessary to support the human rights of sex workers.…”

Section: Feminist Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the Gaze and Well Beyond Wolfenden: The Practices and Rationalities of Regulating and Policing Sex Work in the Digital Age

Scoular

Pitcher

Sanders³

et al. 2019

Journal of Law and Society

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Drawing on the largest study of the United Kingdom online market in sexual labour to date, this article examines the legal and regulatory consequences as aspects of sex work increasingly take place within an online environment. Our research shows that while governmental policy has not kept abreast of these changes, the application of current laws (which have, since the 1950s, focused on public nuisance and, more recently, trafficking and modern slavery) are pernicious to sex workers and unsuited to recognizing and responding to the abuses and exploitation in online markets in sexual labour. These injustices are likely to be exacerbated if policies and policing do not better align with the realities of these markets in the twenty‐first century. This demands a more nuanced regulatory approach which recognizes that people may engage in sex work of their own volition, but which also addresses conditions of labour and criminal exploitation.

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“…The literature identifies three main ideological stances that have dominated the 'feminism sex wars' and these are: the abolitionism perspective, the sex-positive feminism, and the liberal perspective (Comte, 2014). Feminism is a complex subject with different 'pockets' of ideologies as mentioned above (Hekman, 2014).…”

Section: Sex Work and Feminismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are of the opinion that prostitution is as form of male unfair domination over women as most sex workers are women. Prostitution (preferably sex work) is viewed as an institution that was created by a patriarchal system to keep women inferior thereby dehumanising and making them sex objects (Comte, 2014).…”

Section: Abolitionism Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring resilience among female sex workers in Johannesburg

Mamabolo¹,

Mbatha²

2018

Routledge International Handbook of Sex Industry Research

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Sex work is a highly debatable subject in the field of psychology but little has been said about sex work and resilience. Challenges associated with criminalisation of sex work are rife but sex work continues to exist. This study explored the ability of heterosexual street based female sex workers (FSW) to 'bounce back' from challenges they face. The study employed qualitative paradigm and a transcendental phenomenological design was used. Snowballing sampling was used to select twelve FSW who participated in semi structured interview. Thematic analysis was used to extract recurrent themes across participants. Participants reported being victimised and physically and verbally abused by clients and the public. FSW showed their resilience by rationalising their role with having a purpose in working as FSW, obligation as bread winners and regarding sex work as legitimate work. They adopted psychological survival techniques and used various safety techniques to cope. The results emphasised importance of employing resilience and strength based approaches in researching and developing training and psychological programmes for sex workers.

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Decriminalization of Sex Work: Feminist Discourses in Light of Research

Cited by 60 publications

References 57 publications

“Well, It Should Be Changed for One, Because It’s Our Bodies”: Sex Workers’ Views on Canada’s Punitive Approach towards Sex Work

“Well, It Should Be Changed for One, Because It’s Our Bodies”: Sex Workers’ Views on Canada’s Punitive Approach towards Sex Work

Beyond the Gaze and Well Beyond Wolfenden: The Practices and Rationalities of Regulating and Policing Sex Work in the Digital Age

Exploring resilience among female sex workers in Johannesburg

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