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Digital Exclusion and the Structural Barriers to Safety Strategies among Men and Non-Binary Sex Workers Who Solicit Clients Online Koenig, Brett; Murphy, Alka; Johnston, Spencer; Pearson, Jennie; Knight, Rod E.; Gilbert, M.; Shannon, K.; Krüsi, Andrea

Abstract

Background: Evidence shows that online solicitation facilitates sex workers’ ability to mitigate the risk of workplace violence. However, little is known about how end-demand sex work criminalization and the regulation of online sex work sites shape men and non-binary sex workers’ ability to maintain their own safety while soliciting services online. Methods: We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with men and non-binary sex workers in British Columbia between 2020–2021 and examined their ability to enact safety strategies online in the context of end-demand criminalization. Analysis drew on a structural determinants of health framework. Results: Most participants emphasized that sex work is not inherently dangerous and described how soliciting services online facilitated their ability to enact personal safety strategies and remain in control of client interactions. However, participants also described how end-demand criminalization, sex work stigma, and restrictive website policies compromise their ability to solicit services online and to enact safety strategies. Conclusions: Alongside calls to decriminalize sex work, these findings emphasize the need to normalize sex work as a form of labour, promote access to online solicitation among men and non-binary sex workers, and develop standards for online sex work platforms in partnership with sex workers that prioritize sex worker safety.

Item Metadata

Title
Digital Exclusion and the Structural Barriers to Safety Strategies among Men and Non-Binary Sex Workers Who Solicit Clients Online
Creator
Koenig, Brett; Murphy, Alka; Johnston, Spencer; Pearson, Jennie; Knight, Rod E.; Gilbert, M.; Shannon, K.; Krüsi, Andrea
Contributor
Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity; British Columbia Centre on Substance Use; University of British Columbia. Division of Social Medicine
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2022-07-21
Description
Background: Evidence shows that online solicitation facilitates sex workers’ ability to mitigate the risk of workplace violence. However, little is known about how end-demand sex work criminalization and the regulation of online sex work sites shape men and non-binary sex workers’ ability to maintain their own safety while soliciting services online. Methods: We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with men and non-binary sex workers in British Columbia between 2020–2021 and examined their ability to enact safety strategies online in the context of end-demand criminalization. Analysis drew on a structural determinants of health framework. Results: Most participants emphasized that sex work is not inherently dangerous and described how soliciting services online facilitated their ability to enact personal safety strategies and remain in control of client interactions. However, participants also described how end-demand criminalization, sex work stigma, and restrictive website policies compromise their ability to solicit services online and to enact safety strategies. Conclusions: Alongside calls to decriminalize sex work, these findings emphasize the need to normalize sex work as a form of labour, promote access to online solicitation among men and non-binary sex workers, and develop standards for online sex work platforms in partnership with sex workers that prioritize sex worker safety.
Subject
sex work; sexual and gender minorities; men’s health; occupational health; violence; structural interventions; stigma; criminalization; digital technology
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2023-01-11
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0423030
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/83632
Affiliation
Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies; Medicine, Faculty of; Non UBC; Medicine, Department of; Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of
Citation
Social Sciences 11 (7): 318 (2022)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/socsci11070318
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher; Other
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Rights

CC BY 4.0