This study tackles the socio-economic impact of sex work, the international changes in people’s relocation from one nation to another, the state of health, nature of employment and how the law is covering the prostitution. The study has compiled various studies, arguments and opinions about the sex work from various different authors. the context goes deeper and explains about the key factors in the prostitution industry which drive changes such as demographic, ideological, technological and economic factors. In elaboration, it points out changes such as rise in economic interdependence in various nations through trade, increment in migration rate as well as movement of capital and globalization in technology. Ultimately, the study entails the new law governing the sex workers, how the law has advanced and its significance to the social lives of the sex workers specifically.
From the study undertaken by Kegan Paul in Europe, all the above-mentioned factors had an impact on the sex work industry. World bank records (march 2005) claims that a transitional change has been observed in the economic sector where the rate of un employment grew rapidly, the structure of employment changed and most of the ladies were forced to move to urban areas to seek for paying job vacancies hence coerced to the sex industry. This industry is said to have had a positive demographic change although from the reports of International Labor Organization World Employment Report 2001, it is not clearly specific the rate of percentage growth in it. Probably, growth of population in sex industry has been brought about by insufficient formal sectors of employment.
Referring from the Pmc Articles, the reports indicated that, from 1990 to 2000, the population of men in the sex work increased, due to an increment in demand across the world. For instance, United Kingdom there was a double demographic change in that decade. Further, the reports claimed that commercial sex will remain to increase across nations due to increased divorce cases, traveling across nations and as long as most of the adults keep away from fellow couples Cooper, Day and Green (2011), after researching from London sex industry, they found that due to changes in demography, it contributes more on economic factors such as poverty and inequality. Due to socio economic inequalities such as earnings, women earning less than men, while the young citizens earning less than older citizens and the foreigners earning less than the locals. Therefore, this implies that some people have much more disposable income than others, some have greater opportunities hence others are more desperate in life. Referring from United States and United Kingdom, those income disparities have highly contributed to the growth personal services such as domestic activities. more so, income disparities have influenced low self esteem among the low-income earners compared to the rich hence involving themselves in the sex work to earn living.
Enrenreich and Hochschild (2003), from New York in their Metropolitan Books, they claimed that there are numerous factors which influence people to join sex industry which vary from nation to nation and culture to culture. Growth of sex industry was highly contributed by the social media through circulation of sexy images especially through advertising and in secular songs, phonography’s over in the internet and growth of entertainment sector. Particularly, they argued that, despite the tireless efforts by the religious sectors in assistance with the government to control as well as abolish the growth of sex industry, it has always grown in a rapid manner.
As a result of technological, cultural and social changes, sex industry has maintained a steered move in expansion. considering the technological changes in communication sector ,mobile phones and use of internet has enhanced rapid spread of sex images ,pornographies and sexy adverts thus creating ease in finding the sex workers from their local brothels as well as clubs Simply ,demographic changes and technological changes have greatly impacted the sex industry on growth and the fact that the policies regulating social media are not strictly enforced ,spread of sexy data has always been easy through the internet where prostitutes access review of the recent posts in the websites, attract and influence both local and international clients in return expanding the industry .
Visser, Randers‐Pehrson and Day (2004), have argued against growth of sex work as an economic activity to some individuals. They pointed out that there have been upcoming regulations evolving from various nations such as Australia, Netherlands and New Zeeland hence discriminating aspects of sex work developed. Among the measures taken, for instance in Sweden, men paying for sexual services have to be reported and held under custody for criminal cases. This policy has raised alarm in the sex industry hindering mobility of both local and international sex workers due to tight regulations.
Ward, Day and Green (2004) argued that the dynamic changes brought about various different impacts. their argument was locally based in United Kingdom as well as Western Europe where there has been a frequent rise in the number of migrants, with both men and women in trade of sex. This habit is said to have highly affected some initial sex industry structures hence sex workers shifted to less risky activities and minimized chances of arrest as well as deportation. They put London into consideration and claimed that the business here took place in a private locality where the management, negotiations, health and moral advice were done formerly as indicated in the final report for the European Network for preventing HIV and STI Prevention in Prostitution.
Obtaining information from the social organization of sex work in Russia and Moscow, most of the individuals in the commercial sex industry migrated from Russia. Although it is not a strange thing when the sex workers migrate from other nations, it possesses new challenges to them. Migrants from other nations face language challenges, environmental challenges, abuse and exploitation due to un awareness of their rights and freedom. In such a case, the initial norms which brought unity and safety among sex workers. The new technological changes have highly affected the current ways of the organization. Through the internet adverts and mobile phones disintegrating communities and even among sex workers themselves. They too emphasized on socioeconomic impacts where both men and women exchanged sex for money when they both differ in social welfare and educational level.
Aral and St. Lawrence (2005) Over the recent two decades, have been doing a research about the rate of risk of commercial sex workers in getting sexually transmitted diseases (STI). It was found that they are always at risk and therefore, most of the control programs target them. They too claimed that most of the sex work is diverse and thus it is false to say that they are highly risky to getting sexually transmitted diseases. This is due to the fact that they operate carefully and professionally, managing to have many partners and they don’t acquire any STI. They therefore argued that, it would be very un-wise for the health and moral advisors to use similar approach. They took an example of global south where people there are highly prone to acquiring STIs and thus they argued that, it would much wise to apply a similar strategy in control measures such as advising the sex workers. They advocated that, good reliable information should be obtained by control programs from the sex industry before applying any health risk control measures for it to be effective enough to the patients targeted since some are highly prone to diseases than others.
However, despite the efforts by control programs, researchers from Estonia has maintained that commercial sex industry has variably been expanding with more migrants and locals entering the sector, both full time and part time workers entering the industry hence spreading the industry geographically. (Aral S O, St Lawrence J S, Uusküla,2006). These researcher’s objective should focus on the need for understanding the commercial sex industry among its risks. Basically, commercial is not clearly defined since it can comprise of other sexual activities and non-commercial. Similarly, sex for money and for pleasure are much more distinct from each other and should be clearly researched for clarity.
Jessica Edwards with his fellow colleagues tried to analyze the factors leading to commercial sex work among the youths in U S and the percentage ratio of participants. Their reports showed that 3.5% of the youths in United States had committed commercial sex. One third of the participants were girls, two thirds were boys. They claimed that their case study of adolescent argued that, they exchanged sex under drug influence and not for money gains any more. Although it was influenced much by escaping from home, performing other sexy and risky behaviors. They maintained that the harm reduction programs should plan to address various sex transactional deals but not he industry in general. (Edwards, Iritani and Hallfors 2006).
Progressively, Sethi and colleagues provided a further research on the features of men who are sex workers for a given period of time. Sethi, Holden, Gaffney (2006) for a decade, by use of a special health project, it became much more diverse with few men from United Kingdom as well as an increment in men who then tried to identify them as heterosexual although they have never exchanged for money with fellow men.
Groom and Nandwani made a review of the notes with a population of 10% men from a clinic report included of sexually transmitted diseases conducted through commercial sex. In their case study, they came across a dynamic range of sex work patterns which considered men from various social groups. They noted that some men used to pay for commercial sex locally, overseas and few of them rarely purchased it from both. It was found that, mobile men in commercial sex dispersed sexually transmitted diseases in a wide geographical coverage (Groom, Nandwani 2006)
Morris and Ferguson (2006) explored for a continued exploration of both Ugandan and Kenyan routes which have led to HIV epidemic. With the use of a simple transmission model having parameters obtained from empirically obtained data from the hot spots across trans African highway where they targeted at coming up with preventive interventions to help those engaged in commercial sex. An average of 2500 to 3500 new infections of HIV would be infected annually. Moris and Ferguson concluded that their objective of preventing much transmission of Sexually Transmitted Infections should remain valid for this was assumed to a very effective way of managing and controlling epidemics at early stages although on spreading of the infection, it is considered of no effect. Despite the preventive measures, it is to say that the commercial sex workers as well as their clients remain with high chances of getting and transmitting the STI epidemic and therefore, programs aiming at preventing the epidemic should always be planned and executed to minimize the risks of transmission.
Purposely, Moris and Ferguson set up Avaham project in India with the objective of intervening sex workers, specifically to minimize and control spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections among the sex workers and their respective clients as well as the general population. currently, this project is still in good progress. However, the recent reports claimed that there is early modelling signs projecting in STI.
Williams J R, Foss A M and Vickerman went on and estimated the population infected with HIV and is able to be prevented. They concluded that, for it to effective the major objective should rely on covering a large population. Analytically, Steen and colleagues have taken this agenda of large population coverage a head by checking at the initial outcomes from Avahan. They then explored on delivering quality intervention measures which would be much more effective. In a span of two years, they made an estimation and found that 70% of the commercial sex workers had been reached by the peer educators while another 41 % of the sex workers had at least attended the clinic once. From the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the authors maintained that their project had some resources to consider which would cover about six states in India in demonstrating their major objective of intervening commercial sex work in the entire world. Ultimately, the authors emphasized that it would be wise to involve the sex workers in all stages of intervention for effective change. (Steen R, Mogasale V 2001)
Conclusion
In conclusion, the pattern change in the commercial sex industry should be well studied, determined and discussed as a current socio-economic issue. At first, according to different researchers, the industry is expanding with tender ages joining it. Secondly ,the industry and it’s policies are very dynamic and thus needs to be revised and set appropriately such that there is a measurable control effort applicable in all countries .Thirdly ,we need to understand that commercial sex is and will remain to be an integral issue in the society which is highly advocated for in most parts of the world and thus the policies covering the industry should in a way come from the United States of America as the economic super power. Lastly, all sex workers engaged in this industry emerge from all kinds of societies and therefore, health control measures and programs should be considerate and applicable to all societies affected for effectiveness in control. However, control measures should be formulated as opinions are collected from all corners of the world and this will be able to stimulate much impact in the commercial sex industry.
Work Cited.
Ward H, Day S, Green A. et al Declining prevalence of STI in the London sex industry, 1985 to 2002. Sex Transm Infect 2004
Aral S O, St Lawrence J S, Dyatlov R. et al Commercial sex work, drug use, and sexually transmitted infections in St Petersburg, Russia. Soc Sci Med 2005
Sethi G, Holden B M, Gaffney J. et al HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and risk behaviors in male sex workers in London over a 10-year period. Sex Transm Infect 2006
Morris C N, Ferguson A. Estimation of the sexual transmission of HIV in Kenya and Uganda on the trans‐Africa highway: the continuing role for prevention in high risk groups. Sex Transm Infect 2006
Teen R, Mogasale V, Wi T. et al Pursuing scale and quality in STI interventions with sex workers: initial results from Avahan India AIDS Initiative. Sex Transm Infect 2006
