scholarly journals Selling sex in Luganville: Ni-Vanuatu sex workers' experiences of, and limits to claiming their sexual and reproductive health rights in Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kate Florence Burry
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Female Sex Workers ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Sex Industry ◽  
Sex Worker ◽  
Northern Island ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Health Rights ◽  
Selling Sex

<p>This thesis is a foundational piece of research into ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ experiences within the sex industry of Luganville, on the northern island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. This research identifies and unpacks ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ limits to claiming their sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), limits which are intricately associated with gender paradigms and hierarchies in Vanuatu.  Those interviewed were male and female sex workers, an ex-sex worker, ‘middle men,’ who manage sexual transactions, a client and an ex-boyfriend of a local sex worker. Discussions focused on the technicalities of Luganville’s sex industry, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the extent to which sex workers are able to exercise agency during interactions with clients. Thus, this thesis reveals both the intricate workings of the sex industry in Luganville, and the considerable extent to which sex workers are limited in making decisions about their wellbeing, leading to significant accounts of abuse.  The theory of ‘body work’ informs this thesis’ analysis of how ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ bodies are understood as a constitution of their self. This analysis reveals the extent to which sex workers are divested of personhood, thereby limiting their ability to have their rights as persons realised. This thesis also draws on the complex process of, as the author conceptualises, gender and developman in Vanuatu; that is, the ways in which Vanuatu has mingled with, co-opted, and rejected introduced commodities, ways, and beliefs in particularly gendered ways. In this way, this thesis is not only unique in investigating the sex industry in Luganville. This thesis also provides a deep analysis of sex work as a part of gender and developman in Vanuatu, and what that process reveals about sex workers’ agency in particular, and modern configurations of gender in Vanuatu in general.</p>

scholarly journals Selling sex in Luganville: Ni-Vanuatu sex workers' experiences of, and limits to claiming their sexual and reproductive health rights in Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kate Florence Burry
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Female Sex Workers ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Sex Industry ◽  
Sex Worker ◽  
Northern Island ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Health Rights ◽  
Selling Sex

<p>This thesis is a foundational piece of research into ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ experiences within the sex industry of Luganville, on the northern island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. This research identifies and unpacks ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ limits to claiming their sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), limits which are intricately associated with gender paradigms and hierarchies in Vanuatu.  Those interviewed were male and female sex workers, an ex-sex worker, ‘middle men,’ who manage sexual transactions, a client and an ex-boyfriend of a local sex worker. Discussions focused on the technicalities of Luganville’s sex industry, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the extent to which sex workers are able to exercise agency during interactions with clients. Thus, this thesis reveals both the intricate workings of the sex industry in Luganville, and the considerable extent to which sex workers are limited in making decisions about their wellbeing, leading to significant accounts of abuse.  The theory of ‘body work’ informs this thesis’ analysis of how ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ bodies are understood as a constitution of their self. This analysis reveals the extent to which sex workers are divested of personhood, thereby limiting their ability to have their rights as persons realised. This thesis also draws on the complex process of, as the author conceptualises, gender and developman in Vanuatu; that is, the ways in which Vanuatu has mingled with, co-opted, and rejected introduced commodities, ways, and beliefs in particularly gendered ways. In this way, this thesis is not only unique in investigating the sex industry in Luganville. This thesis also provides a deep analysis of sex work as a part of gender and developman in Vanuatu, and what that process reveals about sex workers’ agency in particular, and modern configurations of gender in Vanuatu in general.</p>

Selling Sex as an Edgework: Risk Taking and Thrills in China’s Commercial Sex Industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1306-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen Yuk-ha Tsang
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Female Sex Workers ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Sex Industry ◽  
Female Sex Worker ◽  
Sex Worker ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Selling Sex

Academic discussions of the sex industry need to consider sex worker’s experience within the conceptual framework of “edgework.” Edgework is voluntary risky activity that combines danger with excitement and emotional pleasure. This article argues female sex worker must weigh possible outcomes in terms of the resulting benefits or consequences. The notion of edgework articulated by Stephen Lyng proposed there is a fine line for risky behavior going from pleasurable and manageable to turning dangerous and chaotic. This description of edgework applies to female sex workers, and needs to be extended to individualization in the Chinese context. Research data collected from two distinct ethnographies in Dongguan (195 sex workers) and Hong Kong (39 sex workers). The research findings provide insights into the experiences and motivations of an underexamined niche segment of sex workers. A significant number of sex workers embody the perspective of edgework to maintain self-esteem in difficult circumstances. For example, edgework explains several aspects of sex work including notions of excitement and personal pleasure, developing skills within the craft, developing interpersonal networks with peers, and gaining personal happiness through fulfilling sexual desire.

scholarly journals Informal settlements, Covid-19 and sex workers in Kenya

Urban Studies ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 004209802110446
Author(s):  
Rahma Hassan ◽  
Teela Sanders ◽  
Susan Gichuna ◽  
Rosie Campbell ◽  
Mercy Mutonyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Workers ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Female Sex Workers ◽  
Urban Poverty ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Sex Industry ◽  
Sex Worker ◽  
Urban Informal Settlements ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Selling Sex

This paper highlights the challenges faced by female sex workers living and working in the urban informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, during the Covid-19 outbreak and the aftermath of the pandemic. Using data collected through phone interviews during the immediate crisis, we document the experiences of urban poor sex workers, illustrating the acute problems they faced, including precarious housing with the reality of eviction and demolition. The paper highlights the ramifications of the Covid-19 crisis for the sex industry and predominantly women working within this informal, illegal economy. Through our empirical data we illustrate how the nature of selling sex has changed for sex workers in this context, increasing risks of violence including police abuses. We argue that examining the Covid-19 crisis through the lens of one the most marginalised populations graphically highlights how the pandemic has and will continue to deepen pre-existing structural urban inequalities and worsen public health outcomes among the urban poor. Sex worker communities are often located at the intersections of structural inequalities of gender, class, race and nation and the socio-spatial fragmentations of how they live make them some of the most vulnerable in society. We close with comments in relation to sexual citizenship, exclusionary state practices and the feminisation of urban poverty.

scholarly journals Incidence of unintended pregnancy among female sex workers in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. e021779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances H Ampt ◽  
Lisa Willenberg ◽  
Paul A Agius ◽  
Matthew Chersich ◽  
Stanley Luchters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Unintended Pregnancy ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Female Sex Workers ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Pregnancy Intention ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries

ObjectivesTo determine the incidence of unintended pregnancy among female sex workers (FSWs) in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).DesignWe searched MEDLINE, PsychInfo, Embase and Popline for papers published in English between January 2000 and January 2016, and Web of Science and Proquest for conference abstracts. Meta-analysis was performed on the primary outcomes using random effects models, with subgroup analysis used to explore heterogeneity.ParticipantsEligible studies targeted FSWs aged 15–49 years living or working in an LMIC.Outcome measuresStudies were eligible if they provided data on one of two primary outcomes: incidence of unintended pregnancy and incidence of pregnancy where intention is undefined. Secondary outcomes were also extracted when they were reported in included studies: incidence of induced abortion; incidence of birth; and correlates/predictors of pregnancy or unintended pregnancy.ResultsTwenty-five eligible studies were identified from 3866 articles. Methodological quality was low overall. Unintended pregnancy incidence showed high heterogeneity (I²>95%), ranging from 7.2 to 59.6 per 100 person-years across 10 studies. Study design and duration were found to account for heterogeneity. On subgroup analysis, the three cohort studies in which no intervention was introduced had a pooled incidence of 27.1 per 100 person-years (95% CI 24.4 to 29.8; I2=0%). Incidence of pregnancy (intention undefined) was also highly heterogeneous, ranging from 2.0 to 23.4 per 100 person-years (15 studies).ConclusionsOf the many studies examining FSWs’ sexual and reproductive health in LMICs, very few measured pregnancy and fewer assessed pregnancy intention. Incidence varied widely, likely due to differences in study design, duration and baseline population risk, but was high in most studies, representing a considerable concern for this key population. Evidence-based approaches that place greater importance on unintended pregnancy prevention need to be incorporated into existing sexual and reproductive health programmes for FSWs.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42016029185

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