Information and Communication Technologies in Commercial Sex Work: A Double-Edged Sword for Occupational Health and Safety

Abstract

Over the previous decade, there has been a notable shift within sex work marketplaces, with many aspects of the work now facilitated via the internet. Many providers and clients are also no longer engaging in in-person negotiations, opting instead for communications via technological means, such as through mobile phones, email, and the internet. By analysing the qualitative interviews of indoor-based providers, clients, and agency managers, this paper addresses the occupational health and safety concerns that indoor sex workers experience in the digital age, as well as how technology use can both support and hinder their capacity to promote their health and safety. Using thematic analysis, we arrived at three salient and nuanced themes that pertain to the intersection of sex work, technology use, and occupational health and safety: screening; confidentiality, privacy, and disclosure; and malice. As socio-political context can affect the occupational health and safety concerns that providers experience, as well as their capacity to prevent or mitigate these concerns, we highlight our findings in light of prevailing societal stigma and a lack of legal recognition and protections for sex work in Canada.

The needs and preferences of Eastern Canadian sex workers in mitigating occupational health and safety risks through the use of Information and Communication Technologies: A qualitative study

“…As reported in previous research [ 5 , 6 , 38 – 40 ], the risk of violence during an encounter was a central concern across sex workers of all genders in this study. To minimize the risk of violent clients, sex workers reported using rigorous screening protocols at the time of booking to assess the risk of seeing a client [ 9 , 41 ]. Some participants in this study also used electronic bad date lists to view which clients posed a danger during an encounter, as an additional step in their screening process.…”

“…Sex work, like many occupations, has its own unique set of occupational health and safety (OHS) challenges. Some of these challenges include violent clients, clients refusing to use condoms, harassment (either on the street or online), and the risk of their occupation being revealed to friends, family, and the general public (this risk is also known as “being outed”) [ 1 – 9 ]. These occupational challenges can be mitigated through harm reduction.…”

“…Research around ICT usage by sex workers has taken place in India (8 studies), Australia (5 studies) and the UK (5 studies), resulting in 18 studies in total [ 15 ]. Comparatively, in Canada, there is a paucity of research around ICT usage by sex workers, especially as applied to Eastern Canada [ 5 , 9 , 23 , 24 ]. This articles examines the needs and preferences of sex workers in Eastern Canada when using ICTs in the mitigation of OHS risks.…”

“What will we do if we get infected?”: An interview-based study of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the health and safety of sex workers in the United States

“…Starting in the mid-1900s, activists, theorists, and researchers have advanced an understanding of paid sexual encounters as a form of labor ( Renegade & Pottenger, 2019 ; Vanwesenbeeck, 2001 ), an idea codified in the expression ‘sex work’ as an alternative to monikers like ‘prostitution’ ( Carol, 1997 ). In this study, we explicitly conceived of sex work as a form of employment in order to investigate the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, including – as others have advocated – within the context of occupational health and safety (OHS) ( Jiao, Bungay, & Jenkins, 2021 ; Ross, Crisp, Månsson, & Hawkes, 2012 ). Importantly, OHS in the context of sex work and other kinds of informal work is increasingly understood to encompass not only on-the-job considerations but also associated mental health implications, access to health insurance and care, education and skill-building opportunities, and public policy ( Loewenson, 2002 ; Lund, Alfers, & Santana, 2016 ; Tsoutouras & Lund, 2016 ).…”

Co-designing a digital health tool to deliver occupational health and safety strategies for sex workers

“…The broad wording of the Bill may extend this prohibition to the communication of OHS information [19,27,28]. It has been established that Canadian sex workers use the Internet to exchange OHS strategies [19,29,30]. In 2018, in the United States [22,23,31], the Fight Online Sex Tra cking Act (FOSTA) and the Stop Enabling Sex Tra ckers Act (SESTA), collectively known as FOSTA/SESTA, were passed.…”