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The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara

Year 2012, Volume: 2012 Issue: 2, 153 - 159, 01.02.2012
https://doi.org/10.5152/balkanmedj.2011.018

Abstract

References

  • Ward H, Day S. What happens to women who sell sex? Report of a unique occupational cohort. Sex Transm Infect 2006;82:413-7. [CrossRef]
  • Wolffers I, Belen N. Public health and the human rights of sex workers. The Lancet 2003;361:1981. [CrossRef]
  • Kuntay E, Cokar M. Cinsel saglık ve ureme sagligi alaninda ulusal ve yerel medya yoluyla savunuculuk projesi, Bilgilendirme Dosya- si 8: Seks Ticareti, Cinsel Egitim Tedavi ve Arastirma Dernegi Yayinlari, İstanbul 2007.
  • http://www.mevzuat.adalet.gov.tr/html/5189.html
  • Dandona R, Dandona L, Kumar GA, Gutierrez JP, McPherson S, Samuels F, et al. ASCI FPP Study Team. Demography and Sex Work Characteristics of Female Sex Workers in India. BMC Int Health Hum Rights 2006;14:5. [CrossRef]
  • Buckingham RW, Moraros J, Bird Y, Meister E, Webb NC. Factors Associated with Condom Use Among Brothel-Based Female Sex Workers in Thailand. AIDS Care 2005;17:640-7. [CrossRef]
  • Simsek S, Kisa A, Dziegielewski SF. Sex workers and the is- sues surrounding registration in Turkey. J Health Soc Policy 2003;17:55-69. [CrossRef]
  • Shoham SG, Rahav G, Markovski R, Ber I, Chard F, Rachamin Y et all. Family variables and stigma among prostitutes in Israel. J Soc Psychol 1983;120:57-62. [CrossRef]
  • Brawn KM, Roe-Sepowitz D. Female juvenile prostitutes: ex- ploring the relationship to substance use. Child Youth Serv Rev 2008;30:1395-402. [CrossRef]
  • Beitchman JH, Zucker KJ, Hood FE, Dacosta GA, Cassavia E. A review of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse Negl 1992;16:101-18. [CrossRef]
  • Senn TE, Carey MP, Vanable PA. Childhood and adolescent sex- ual abuse and subsequent sexual risk behavior: Evidence from controlled studies, methodological critique, and suggestions for research. Clin Psychol Rev 2008;28:711-35. [CrossRef]
  • Do Espirito Santo ME, Etheredge GD. And then I became a pros- titute. Some aspects of prostitutes in Dakar, Senegal. Soc Sci J 2004;41:137-46. [CrossRef]
  • Sieberg KK. Prostitution. Criminal dilemmas, Understanding and Preventing Crime, Springer Pub. Second Ed., Germany 2005, p. 49-74.
  • Dalla R. Exposing the “Pretty Woman” myth: a qualitative exami- nation of the lives of female streetwalking prostitutes. J Sex Res 2000;37:344-53. [CrossRef]
  • Wong W, Holroyd E, Gray A, Ling D. Female street sex workers in Hong Kong: moving beyond sexual health. J Women Health 2006;15:390-9. [CrossRef]
  • Karabey S, Muftuoglu N. Cinsel sağlık ve üreme sağlığı alanında ulusal ve yerel medya yoluyla savunuculuk projesi, Cinsel Eğitim Tedavi ve Araştırma Derneği Bilgilendirme Dosyası 2007;26-29.
  • Hacettepe Üniversitesi Nüfus Etütleri Enstitüsü, Türkiye Nüfus ve Sağlık Araştırması, 2008, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Nüfus Etütleri Enstitüsü, Sağlık Bakanlığı Ana Çocuk Sağlığı ve Aile Planlaması Genel Müdürlüğü, Başbakanlık Devlet Planlama Teşkilatı Müşteşarlığı ve TÜBİTAK, Ankara, Türkiye 2009.
  • Farley M, Haling N. Prostitution, violence and posttraumatic stress disorder. Women & Health 1998;27:37-49. [CrossRef]
  • Potterat JJ, Brewer DD, Muth SQ, Rothenberg RB, Woodhouse DE, Muth JB, et al. Mortality in a long-term open cohort of pros- titute women. Am J Epidemiol 2004;159:778-85. [CrossRef]
  • Lowman J. Violence and the outlaw status of (street) prostitution in Canada. Violence Against Women 2000;6:987-1011. [CrossRef]
  • Akın L. Türkiye’de cinsel yolla bulaşan enfeksiyonların epidemiy- olojisi. Türkiye Klinikleri J Med Sci 2006;26:655-65.
  • Brewer DD, Roberts JM, Muth SQ, Potterat JJ. Prevalence of male clients of street prostitute women in the United States. Hum Organ 2008;67:346.
  • Ford K, Wiraman DN. Condom use among brothel-based sex workers and clients in Bali, Indonesia. Sex Health 2005;2:89-96. [CrossRef]
  • Mardh PA, Genc M. Migratory prostitution with emphasis on Eu- rope. J Travel Med 1995;2:28-32. [CrossRef]
  • Boyd C. Customer violence and employee health and safety. Work, Employment & Society 2002;16:151-69. [CrossRef]
  • Lindblom K, Linton S, Fedeli C, Bryngelsson I. Burnout in the working population: Relations to psychosocial work factors. Int J Behav Med 2006;13:51-9. [CrossRef]
  • Seib C, Fischer J, Najman J. The Health of female sex workers from three Industry sectors in Queensland, Australia. Social Sci- ence & Medicine 2009;68:473-8. [CrossRef]
  • Church S, Henderson M, Barnard M, Hart G. Violence by clients towards female prostitutes in different work settings: question- naire survey. Br Med J 2001;322:524-5. [CrossRef]
  • Romans S, Potter K, Martin J, Herbison P. The mental and physi- cal health of female sex workers: A comparative study. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2001;35:75-80. [CrossRef]
  • Okman T. Türkiye’de intihar istatistiklerinin metodolojisi, sistemi ve egilimi, Kriz Dergisi 1997;5:43-57.

The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara

Year 2012, Volume: 2012 Issue: 2, 153 - 159, 01.02.2012
https://doi.org/10.5152/balkanmedj.2011.018

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to reveal and discuss occupational health risks, violence against sex workers working in brothels and their working conditions in Ankara. Materials and Methods: The study included 138 sex workers. Data were collected at face to face interviews with a questionnaire composed of 40 questions about socio-demographic features, familial characteristics, reasons for becoming a sex worker, experiences of violence and occupational health risks. Results: Twenty-two point five percent of the women were aged 21-30 years and 39.9% were aged 31-40 years. The mean time of education was 5.9±3.5 (0-14) years. Forty-eight point five percent of the women were exposed to physical abuse and 13% of the women had been exposed to sexual abuse in their childhood. Fifty-five point eight percent of the women reported that their clients always used condoms, but 97.1% of the women noted that their clients insisted on not using a condom. Fourteen point five percent and 70.3% of the women were exposed to physical and verbal violence respectively from their clients. Ten point one percent of the women suffered sexual assault while working. Conclusion: Sex workers, like other people, should have human rights, all types of violence that they face should be eliminated and the social conditions they are exposed to should be improved. Sexually transmitted diseases, the most important health risk of sex workers, should be considered as occupational diseases in the new regulations. Turkish Başlık: Ankara İli Genelevlerinde Çalışan Seks İşçilerinin Şiddet Deneyimleri ve Sağlıkla İlgili Mesleksel Riskleri Amaç: Fuhuş sektöründe çalışan genelev kadınlarının mesleksel risklerini, uğradıkları şiddeti ve Ankara'daki çalışma koşullarını ortaya koyarak sorunu literatür eşliğinde tartışmaktır. Hastalar ve Yöntemler: Bu araştırma 138 genelev kadınıyla birebir görüşme yoluyla gerçekleştirilmiş olup, 40 sorudan oluşan görüşme formuyla genelev kadınlarının sosyodemografik özellikleri, aile özellikleri, çeşitli yönleriyle fuhuş sektöründe bulunma durumları, yaşadıkları şiddet deneyimleri ve mesleksel riskleri ele alınmıştır. Bulgular: Çalışmaya katılan genelev kadınlarının % 22.5'inin 21-30, % 39.9'unun % 31-40 yaş aralığında oldukları görülmüştür. Eğitim yılı ortalaması 5.9 ± 3.5 (0-14)'dir. Kadınların % 48.5'i çocukluklarında fiziksel istismara uğradıklarını belirtirlerken, % 13'ü cinsel istismara uğradığını bildirmiştir. Son bir yıldır cinsel ilişki sırasında ne sıklıkta müşterilerinin kondom kullandıkları sorulduğunda, kadınların sadece % 55.8'i her zaman yanıtını verirken, kadınların % 97.1'i müşterilerin kondom kullanmamak için ısrarcı olduklarını belirtmiştir. Kadınların % 14.5'i müşterileri tarafından fiziksel şiddete maruz kaldığını belirtmiş olup, %70.3'ü sözlü şiddete maruz kaldığını bildirmiştir. Kadınların % 10.1'i bu sektörde çalışırken cinsel saldırıya uğradığını belirtmiştir. Sonuç: Seks işçileri en az öteki insanlar kadar insan haklarına sahip olmalı, onlara yönelen her türlü şiddet ortadan kaldırılmalı ve yaşadıkları sosyal ortamın koşulları düzeltilmelidir. Seks işçileri için en önemli sağlık risklerinden olan cinsel yolla bulaşan hastalıkların meslek hastalığı olarak ele alınması yönünde yeni düzenlenmeler getirilmelidir.

References

  • Ward H, Day S. What happens to women who sell sex? Report of a unique occupational cohort. Sex Transm Infect 2006;82:413-7. [CrossRef]
  • Wolffers I, Belen N. Public health and the human rights of sex workers. The Lancet 2003;361:1981. [CrossRef]
  • Kuntay E, Cokar M. Cinsel saglık ve ureme sagligi alaninda ulusal ve yerel medya yoluyla savunuculuk projesi, Bilgilendirme Dosya- si 8: Seks Ticareti, Cinsel Egitim Tedavi ve Arastirma Dernegi Yayinlari, İstanbul 2007.
  • http://www.mevzuat.adalet.gov.tr/html/5189.html
  • Dandona R, Dandona L, Kumar GA, Gutierrez JP, McPherson S, Samuels F, et al. ASCI FPP Study Team. Demography and Sex Work Characteristics of Female Sex Workers in India. BMC Int Health Hum Rights 2006;14:5. [CrossRef]
  • Buckingham RW, Moraros J, Bird Y, Meister E, Webb NC. Factors Associated with Condom Use Among Brothel-Based Female Sex Workers in Thailand. AIDS Care 2005;17:640-7. [CrossRef]
  • Simsek S, Kisa A, Dziegielewski SF. Sex workers and the is- sues surrounding registration in Turkey. J Health Soc Policy 2003;17:55-69. [CrossRef]
  • Shoham SG, Rahav G, Markovski R, Ber I, Chard F, Rachamin Y et all. Family variables and stigma among prostitutes in Israel. J Soc Psychol 1983;120:57-62. [CrossRef]
  • Brawn KM, Roe-Sepowitz D. Female juvenile prostitutes: ex- ploring the relationship to substance use. Child Youth Serv Rev 2008;30:1395-402. [CrossRef]
  • Beitchman JH, Zucker KJ, Hood FE, Dacosta GA, Cassavia E. A review of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse Negl 1992;16:101-18. [CrossRef]
  • Senn TE, Carey MP, Vanable PA. Childhood and adolescent sex- ual abuse and subsequent sexual risk behavior: Evidence from controlled studies, methodological critique, and suggestions for research. Clin Psychol Rev 2008;28:711-35. [CrossRef]
  • Do Espirito Santo ME, Etheredge GD. And then I became a pros- titute. Some aspects of prostitutes in Dakar, Senegal. Soc Sci J 2004;41:137-46. [CrossRef]
  • Sieberg KK. Prostitution. Criminal dilemmas, Understanding and Preventing Crime, Springer Pub. Second Ed., Germany 2005, p. 49-74.
  • Dalla R. Exposing the “Pretty Woman” myth: a qualitative exami- nation of the lives of female streetwalking prostitutes. J Sex Res 2000;37:344-53. [CrossRef]
  • Wong W, Holroyd E, Gray A, Ling D. Female street sex workers in Hong Kong: moving beyond sexual health. J Women Health 2006;15:390-9. [CrossRef]
  • Karabey S, Muftuoglu N. Cinsel sağlık ve üreme sağlığı alanında ulusal ve yerel medya yoluyla savunuculuk projesi, Cinsel Eğitim Tedavi ve Araştırma Derneği Bilgilendirme Dosyası 2007;26-29.
  • Hacettepe Üniversitesi Nüfus Etütleri Enstitüsü, Türkiye Nüfus ve Sağlık Araştırması, 2008, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Nüfus Etütleri Enstitüsü, Sağlık Bakanlığı Ana Çocuk Sağlığı ve Aile Planlaması Genel Müdürlüğü, Başbakanlık Devlet Planlama Teşkilatı Müşteşarlığı ve TÜBİTAK, Ankara, Türkiye 2009.
  • Farley M, Haling N. Prostitution, violence and posttraumatic stress disorder. Women & Health 1998;27:37-49. [CrossRef]
  • Potterat JJ, Brewer DD, Muth SQ, Rothenberg RB, Woodhouse DE, Muth JB, et al. Mortality in a long-term open cohort of pros- titute women. Am J Epidemiol 2004;159:778-85. [CrossRef]
  • Lowman J. Violence and the outlaw status of (street) prostitution in Canada. Violence Against Women 2000;6:987-1011. [CrossRef]
  • Akın L. Türkiye’de cinsel yolla bulaşan enfeksiyonların epidemiy- olojisi. Türkiye Klinikleri J Med Sci 2006;26:655-65.
  • Brewer DD, Roberts JM, Muth SQ, Potterat JJ. Prevalence of male clients of street prostitute women in the United States. Hum Organ 2008;67:346.
  • Ford K, Wiraman DN. Condom use among brothel-based sex workers and clients in Bali, Indonesia. Sex Health 2005;2:89-96. [CrossRef]
  • Mardh PA, Genc M. Migratory prostitution with emphasis on Eu- rope. J Travel Med 1995;2:28-32. [CrossRef]
  • Boyd C. Customer violence and employee health and safety. Work, Employment & Society 2002;16:151-69. [CrossRef]
  • Lindblom K, Linton S, Fedeli C, Bryngelsson I. Burnout in the working population: Relations to psychosocial work factors. Int J Behav Med 2006;13:51-9. [CrossRef]
  • Seib C, Fischer J, Najman J. The Health of female sex workers from three Industry sectors in Queensland, Australia. Social Sci- ence & Medicine 2009;68:473-8. [CrossRef]
  • Church S, Henderson M, Barnard M, Hart G. Violence by clients towards female prostitutes in different work settings: question- naire survey. Br Med J 2001;322:524-5. [CrossRef]
  • Romans S, Potter K, Martin J, Herbison P. The mental and physi- cal health of female sex workers: A comparative study. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2001;35:75-80. [CrossRef]
  • Okman T. Türkiye’de intihar istatistiklerinin metodolojisi, sistemi ve egilimi, Kriz Dergisi 1997;5:43-57.
There are 30 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Health Care Administration
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Aysun Balseven Odabaşı This is me

Serap Şahinoğlu This is me

Yasemin Genç This is me

Yaşar Bilge This is me

Publication Date February 1, 2012
Published in Issue Year 2012 Volume: 2012 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Odabaşı, A. B., Şahinoğlu, S., Genç, Y., Bilge, Y. (2012). The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara. Balkan Medical Journal, 2012(2), 153-159. https://doi.org/10.5152/balkanmedj.2011.018
AMA Odabaşı AB, Şahinoğlu S, Genç Y, Bilge Y. The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara. Balkan Medical Journal. February 2012;2012(2):153-159. doi:10.5152/balkanmedj.2011.018
Chicago Odabaşı, Aysun Balseven, Serap Şahinoğlu, Yasemin Genç, and Yaşar Bilge. “The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara”. Balkan Medical Journal 2012, no. 2 (February 2012): 153-59. https://doi.org/10.5152/balkanmedj.2011.018.
EndNote Odabaşı AB, Şahinoğlu S, Genç Y, Bilge Y (February 1, 2012) The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara. Balkan Medical Journal 2012 2 153–159.
IEEE A. B. Odabaşı, S. Şahinoğlu, Y. Genç, and Y. Bilge, “The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara”, Balkan Medical Journal, vol. 2012, no. 2, pp. 153–159, 2012, doi: 10.5152/balkanmedj.2011.018.
ISNAD Odabaşı, Aysun Balseven et al. “The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara”. Balkan Medical Journal 2012/2 (February 2012), 153-159. https://doi.org/10.5152/balkanmedj.2011.018.
JAMA Odabaşı AB, Şahinoğlu S, Genç Y, Bilge Y. The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara. Balkan Medical Journal. 2012;2012:153–159.
MLA Odabaşı, Aysun Balseven et al. “The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara”. Balkan Medical Journal, vol. 2012, no. 2, 2012, pp. 153-9, doi:10.5152/balkanmedj.2011.018.
Vancouver Odabaşı AB, Şahinoğlu S, Genç Y, Bilge Y. The Experiences of Violence and Occupational Health Risks of Sex Workers Working in Brothels in Ankara. Balkan Medical Journal. 2012;2012(2):153-9.