Awareness and perception of violence in women engaged in prostitution / Conciencia y percepción de la violencia en mujeres en situación de prostitución Article uri icon

abstract

  • Gender studies have raised the need to discuss in depth the implications of prostitution form the perspective of women%27s human rights. The abolitionist theory is positioned from the defense of people%27s dignity and, without criminalizing those who find themselves in a situation of prostitution, makes it visible as a practice that should be eradicated, since it constitutes one of the most terrible strategies of exploitation and violence against women. The objective of this research was to comprehend the perceptions women have on the violence they experience in their bodies in the act of prostitution and the strategies that they implement to resist or establish limits in these unequal and violent erotic encounters. This qualitative research, with a descriptive scope, was supported by eleven interviews with women who are currently in a situation of prostitution, to which content analysis was applied. The results show that all of them have ended up in prostitution after having looked for other income options and they see it as a temporary situation from which they will leave to insert themselves in other work or study activities. As they do not perceive the violence that permeates the spaces their services are consumed in, their risk containment strategies are limited, and they assume mercantilist visions of their bodies without considering that there is an inequality of power in the interaction with male predators.

publication date

  • 2022-01-01