Stigma and sex work in a legal and regulated context: Who Stigmatizes and Why?

• In Event: Sex-related crimes and Criminal Law

Abstract

Sex workers are primarily known as a vulnerable and stigmatized group in society. Especially in Germany, where sex work is legal and regulated, the question arises who stigmatizes and why. The ongoing discourse surrounding recurring proposals to implement the Nordic model (prohibition of sex purchase) by political parties in Germany demonstrate the precarious and often shifting position of sex work between a ‘legitimate’ profession and ‘deviant’ activity associated with criminality. The presentation introduces the dissertation project “Stigmatization, (sexual) violence and credibility in sex work” and presents the first results of the representative cross-sectional survey HaSteX (Survey on the Perception of Hate Crime, the Penal System and Sex Work, N =3000) in Germany. The Attitudes towards Prostitutes and Prostitution Scale (APPS, Levin & Peled 2011) was used, in which an experimental approach was applied to investigate the influence of the wording used (prostitution vs. sex work) on attitudes. Furthermore, knowledge of and attitudes towards regulation systems of sex work are examined in relation to socio-psychological constructs such as Rape Myth Acceptance, Social Dominance Orientation, and Right-Wing Authoritarianism. Additionally, the study explores how experiences of offering and receiving sexual services relate to attitudes towards sex workers. The study seeks to uncover the underlying functions of stigmatization of an occupational group in a legal context to shed light on the key question: Who stigmatizes sex workers, and what drives this process?

Authors

• Anika Radewald, Zentrum für Kriminologische Forschung Sachsen e.V.

• Frank Asbrock, Zentrum für Kriminologische Forschung Sachsen e.V.