Prostitution

What is prostitution?

Prostitution is the business of dealing with sexual services, and prostitution is often be a survival strategy for people who lacks alternatives.

As it is the case with all other population groups there is a big difference from one individual toanother individual perception, but based on NEWLIVES’ experiences, we can divide the prostitutes into four groups:

Group 1

The first group consists of enterprising women who are well paid and who works independent of a pimp. A lot of these women became prostitutes because of high earnings, and some of them think of it as a job like any other.

The women in this group are often nationals of the country in which they work.

Group 2

The second group consists of women who occasionally engage in prostitution to supplement their income. It may also be a so called "sugar babe" who on the internet is offering her time and sex for money, gifts or travels etc. via "sugardating". Their motivation will often be similar to the women in the first group, and they are rarely exploited by a third party.

The women in this group are often nationals of the country in which they work.

Group 3

The third group consists of women who were driven into prostitution because of grave economic issues and/or a lack of alternatives. They are often submitted to an extreme form of exploitation from a third party e.g. a pimp.

Many in this group are female migrants from areas with bad economy such as Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Group 4

The fourth group consists of women who are victims of trafficking. They are women who have been tricked by false promises and have later been forced or blackmailed into working as prostitutes.

They are gravely exploited by a third party, who will take all or most of the income the woman makes as a prostitute. This limits the women’s opportunity to get out of prostitution, because they can not achieve economic independence or it is even dangerous to run away.

Consequences associated with prostitution

No matter which group the woman resides in there is a huge possibility that she is experiencing or has experienced unwanted consequences because of the life as a prostitute. The degree of consequences obviously varies from woman to woman.

For example, some studies suggest that it has significance how long the person has been a prostitute.

Here are some of the typical consequences prostitutes will experience:

Psychological consequences

  • Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD)
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Depressions
  • Low self-esteem
  • Difficulty in developing close relations with other people
  • Self-contempt
  • Feelings of guilt

Physical consequences

  • Pain in the abdomen
  • Pain during intercourse
  • Itching, aching and irritation
  • Osteoarthritis