Sex Workers and Stigma

Sex workers in Malawi fight stigma and AIDS

     Before the stigma of sex work, there is the stigma of sleeping with multiple partners - or dressing provocatively, or wearing too much makeup, or being a woman. Terms like “slut” and “whore” are used to degrade women and to create a social hierarchy. Margaret Anstee, a member of the United Nations, was accused of getting a secret abortion andhaving a second career as a prostitute; she was actually the head of a UN Peacekeeping mission at the time. Those who are attached to the stigma of being a sex worker have gone as far as to commit suicide – in one case, an Irish immigrant was bullied severely, called an “Irish slut” and harassed by fellow students until she finally hanged herself. The stigma connected to being a sex worker harms everyone involved. Harm can mean anything from lowered self-esteem, to a ruined reputation, to a ruined life, or to death – and any or all of these things are applicable in a person’s life all because sex workers are seen as unclean, tainted, and undeserving of decency and respect. The consequences of this sex worker stigma are dire, and as such it should be eradicated completely.  Sex workers should be given basic rights and rehabilitation instead of being criminalized and dehumanized, as they currently are by people all over the world.

     The sex work industry has no opportunity for a safe working environment; as prostitution is illegal in most places, sex workers cannot go to the police for help or else face being arrested. A prostitute is almost 18 times more likely to be murdered than other women the same race and age. Sex workers should be offered help because they are so vulnerable instead of stigmatized and imprisoned. In family court, parents are considered unfit to raise a child if they are found to have any “moral misconduct”, such as being associated with sex work or any other “questionable” lifestyle, even if there is no danger to the child or children. Families are ripped apart because of the stigma surrounding sex work – the workers are seen as tainted, unfit to have a family, as if they chose to sell themselves out of any other reason than desperation for security and any way to earn a living.

      Sex workers in China were shackledand forced to march in “shame parades” as late as 2006. Police released the women’s names, among other information, to the public so that they could be identified, despite the fact that the women tried to hide their faces with surgical masks. The women wore bright yellow prison smocks and were sentenced to fifteen days in prison. If the basic rights of sex workers are so readily violated because of their profession alone, despite what problems they might be facing, then they are not considered people. They are less than human in the eyes of the law, the police, and the public.  Sex workers are not given basic human rights – in New York City, as recent as this year, carrying condoms was evidence of one being aprostitute, though since then the police have limited what is considered as evidence. Because of the stigma of being a prostitute, because of the fear of arrest from being a prostitute, people risked their health and their lives. Many sex workers who practiced unprotected sex during this time were more liable to contract any number of diseases, including HIV, because they did not want to be labelled a criminal. They were only trying to protect themselves while they worked.
     The stigmatization of sex work and all of the misery that stigma has caused will take generations to be eradicated. One way to erase this stigma is to offer a rehabilitation service to sex workers, to help them get back on their feet, or out of dangerous conditions. The Sonagachi project, a cooperative of sex workers in India, is mostly run by the sex workers that benefit from it. Its purpose is to give safer conditions to all sex workers in the area – insisting upon condom use, helping abused workers seek justice, and promoting activism. Things like this help humanize sex workers – they are seen as individuals by police officers in India, and they are treated with more respect, often taking up spokesperson positions. Other such organizations could be formed worldwide to help protect all sex workers. Another solution is that other jobs could be created for sex workers – safer jobs. International Sanctuary and The International Princess Project both create jobs for women in India who were trafficked for sex, and the women make jewelry and lounge wear, respectively. This same concept could be used to create jobs for all sex workers looking for a job in a safe, controlled environment. In both of these businesses, women can see the end result of their labor, and make money from crafting. All of the profit goes towards healthcare and housing for the women working and the families that they support. In this way, sex workers can become people who need help in the eyes of everyone, instead of insults and statistics.