Description:
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This report examines the quality of life issues that indoor sex workers face and the impact of law enforcement approaches on this population in New York City. The sample of this study includes 52 indoor sex workers. Researchers met sex workers of all genders through direct outreach at a gang clubhouse, through law enforcement officials, at a nightclub, via the internet, through other sex workers and through cooperating organizations. While the sample is not large, it is extremely varied, and many of the experiences described by this highly varied group of sex workers are extremely similar. The emergence of significant common themes suggests that the data reflects systemic phenomena and is not merely anecdotal. Additionally, service providers and advocates were able to corroborate much of the information we received and attest to the general reliability of the respondents. In many ways, the indoor sex workers in this sample were much like many of the working poor. Specific problems faced by respondents included violence, which is often disregarded by police; fear of arrest and its consequences; lack of supportive services; and extreme isolation. |
