Sex Work And Human Dignity

The notion of human dignity is frequently, yet enigmatically, invoked in legal and political debates on sex work, where many people use it without much elaboration on exactly what they mean by it. Sex Work and Human Dignity: Law, Politics and Discourse sheds light on this enigma, by exploring how dignity-based discourses are used by those who write and talk about prostitution and also what role these discourses may play in shaping wider cultural understandings of sex work and sex workers. The book draws on political discourse theory and is international in its scope, with analysis of legal cases, textual sources, and empirical data gathered through interviews with activists from several different countries in the Global North and South. The book traces how the concept of dignity is used in a range of legal and political discourses on sex work and ultimately asks to what extent dignity-based discourses help to advance, or hinder, sex workers’ social inclusion. This book will appeal to students and researchers interested in sex work and feminism, as well as those who study human dignity. Its interdisciplinary nature means it will appeal to those working in a range of disciplines, including law, sociology, philosophy, and political theory.

Changes in the regulation of sex work have been observed over the last two decades. The trend towards the partial criminalization of sex work, targeting clients, has gained significant support at the European level under the arguments of gender violence and human trafficking. However, this regulatory approach has not adequately addressed the negative consequences for sex workers themselves. In order to determine whether the European Convention on Human Rights provides protection for sex workers in this context, this paper examines the contrasting feminist perspectives influencing the debate, the legal framework at the national, regional, and international levels, and case law. The case pending in Strasbourg, “M.A. and Others v. France” is analysed in the light of the potential protection of the right to life, the prohibition of degrading treatment, and the right to respect for private life.

This introduction to human dignity explores the history of the notion from antiquity to the nineteenth century, and the way in which dignity is conceptualised in non-Western contexts. Building on this, it addresses a range of systematic conceptualisations, considers the theoretical and legal conditions for human dignity as a useful notion and analyses a number of philosophical and conceptual approaches to dignity. Finally, the book introduces current debates, paying particular attention to the legal implementation, human rights, justice and conflicts, medicine and bioethics, and provides an explicit systematic framework for discussing human dignity. Adopting a wide range of perspectives and taking into account numerous cultures and contexts, this handbook is a valuable resource for students, scholars and professionals working in philosophy, law, history and theology.

This book examines the history, theological beliefs and current contextual practices of faith-based NGOs who work in the area of human trafficking that involves the sex industry. There are hundreds of religious organizations around the globe who minister with human trafficking survivors and sex workers, but what is really happening on the ground and how do theological beliefs support a faith-based response? Many of these groups represent their work as a cosmic battle against evil forces, yet important structural critiques are ignored in the urgency to rescue women and children. Using perspectives from both NGO staff and sex workers, an interdisciplinary panel of contributors examine specific organizations, highlight marginalized voices, and analyze undergirding methodologies. In doing so, the authors provide clear critiques and establish best practice guidelines for faith-based NGOs and future religious leaders, affirming an intersection of justice based upon critical reflection and careful action. This book addresses with nuance an important topic that is often over-simplified. It will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars studying the interaction of religion to sex work and human trafficking, as well as academics of religious studies and theology more generally.

Presents essays by feminists of theory and literature that examine contemporary feminism and the most pressing issues of today.

PANTYLESS NIGHTS : LIVES OF SEX WORKERS by Abbas Mirza is a well-documented book on the lives of sex workers in India. The book is an effort to attract attention towards the miserable lives led by the sex workers who are dragged into this business. After all sex workers are human too. Hence they too should live with human dignity. Debates are going around on legalising sex work which would give them an opportunity to pay tax and work with dignity. But at the same time one should not forget that majority of the sex workers do NOT work by their own choice. They HAVE TO DO out of compulsion or force. Why not give them better ways to earn rather than selling their bodies? The contents are: 1.IN THE RED LIGHTS OF SONAGACHI 2. TANU DI, A COMMERCIAL SEX WORKER 3.LIFE OF A PROSTITUTE 4. WIFE SOLD INTO PROSTITUTION 5.ANOTHER EXPERIENCE NARRATED 6. LEAVE PROSTITUTION? 7.PROSTITUTION 8. WHEN SEX WORK IS "FAMILY BUSINESS" 9.CHILD PROSTITUTION IN INDIA 10. MEN, ACCORDING TO PROSTITUTES 11. SEX, PROSTITUTION AND A LIE CALLED 'LOVE' 12. THE HUMAN COST 13. RIGHT TO LIVE WITH DIGNITY 14. DECRIMINALISE SEX TRADE?

Third Sector Organizations in Sex Work and Prostitution is about sex work and prostitution third sector organizations (TSOs): non-governmental and non-profit organizations that provide support services to, and advocate for the well-being of people operating in the sex industries. With a focus on three vast and extremely diverse regions, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, this book provides a unique vantage point that shows how interlinked these organizations’ histories and configurations are. TSOs are fascinating research sites because they operate as zones of contestation which translate their understandings of sex work and prostitution into different support practices and advocacy initiatives. This book reveals that these organizations are not external to normative power but participate in it and are subject to it, conditioning how they can exist, who they can reach out to, where, and what they can achieve. Third Sector Organizations in Sex Work and Prostitution is a resource for scholars, policymakers, and activists involved in research on, and work with third sector organizations in the fields of sex work and prostitution, gender and sexuality, and human rights among others.

This edited collection showcases innovative, up and coming researchers’ work in the field of sex work studies across labour/work and relationships. This research is pushing the boundaries of the subject, asking new questions, carving new methodological terrain, and contributing new ideas and empirical findings to the existing literature. Drawing on sociology, criminology, media studies, social and health policy, law and socio-legal studies, the chapters reflect a range of new topics in the sex work studies literature such as religious readings, porn workers and their interactions with fans; romantic relationships, and humour at work. Studies are drawn from Europe, South America, Turkey, Ireland, New Zealand and the USA. This book speaks to academics across the social sciences and humanities who are interested in sex work studies.