Transcript Slide 1 - “Dangerous Liaisons – The connection between

Anti-Poverty Information Centre, Bulgaria
PROSTITUTION AND DRUGS –
UNKNOWN RISKS
AND FAILED SOCIAL CHOICE
(The case of Bulgaria)
First Approximation
• Approximately between 9 and 20% of
the prostituting individuals use drugs
• Compared with the % of drug users in
the general population – between 1,99%
– 3,18%, we receive 5 to 10 times higher
share of drug users amongst the
prostituting persons
Estimates
• According to the interviews, now
the most common drugs are
cocaine and amphetamines, “out
of 10 prostitutes 9 are on cocaine
and amphetamines, 3 are on heroin
and 1 doesn’t do drugs”
• Seems to be exaggerated
Dynamics of the liaisons between
prostitution and drugs
• Transition from prostitution to drug
addiction
• Transition from drug addiction to
prostitution.
• Both transitions are almost equally
distributed which means strong link –
an individual being in one of the states
most probably will fall in the other as
well.
“Fireplace” - Distributor
• Supply to people from their close
surroundings:
• “She can sell drugs while she’s in
the street, and, yes, she does that –
selling to clients and to other
people – friends, colleagues…”
‘Mechanism’ of the connection
between prostitution and drugs
• The well known generators for
drug addiction
• The well known reasons for
becoming a prostitute
• Synergies between two states
Mental health
• the connection between prostitution
and drug abuse ‘passes’ through the
mind or the psyche of the individual,
through his mental health;
• mental problems pushing the
‘transitions’ – going from one state of
the individual to another.
Mental Health (cont.)
• A survey on the mental status of prostitutes of different
nationalities in Zurich, reports a high level of mental
disorders among the interviewed persons: a high level of
mental pressure. The level of depressive and anxiety
disorders in the surveyed group is higher compared to the
general population
• The survey of 46 prostitutes in South Korea reported a
peculiar type of mental disorder – extreme stress with
prostitutes, especially those having suffered from sexual
abuse in their childhood.
• The idea of the universal character of damage to the
mental health of prostituting individuals is also
substantiated by another research involving 5 countries–
South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Zambia. 67% of all
respondents match the criteria of posttraumatic stress
Questioning the link with mental
health
• Some researchers contest the negative impact of
prostitution on mental health
• However, the lack of data about deteriorated
mental health of prostitutes does not mean that
their mental health is not in any serious danger;
• Because of the specifics of these surveys, their
results would have been more reliable if the
surveys were longitudinal, covering a well selected
group of one and the same individuals, and
scheduled at carefully planned definite time
intervals.
• high levels of stress have different effect
on the mind of different individuals. We
should not be surprised then that there
are different views about the influence
of sex work on mental health – the
elusive mechanism of stress, and what’s
more, the continual high stress
condition, is an essential part of the way
prostitution affects the mental health,
and this essential part is poorly known.
The survey in Bulgaria
• does not allow discussing problems of
psychological and psychiatric nature
• the survey team was equipped with a psychologist.
She observed closely the persons interviewed and
was asked to make a general evaluation of the
psychological status of each person after the
interview. We do not attribute any special
importance to these evaluations, but we will
nevertheless mention they show that over 70% of
the respondents display symptoms of deteriorated
mental health.
Risks, stress and mental health
• Some surveys are trying to expand the range of
risks adding physical violence (73% reported
victims), rape while prostituting (62% reported
victims), physical assault (73% reported victims)
• Stress factors – Negative moral value judgments;
isolation; stigmatization (stigma on drug abuse is
stronger than the stigma on prostitution).
ORGANIZATIONAL
PERSPECTIVE
• criminal groups operating in the
prostitution or in the drug sector can
incidentally, in certain cases go from
one kind of activity to another or
combine the two kinds of activities.
SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVE
•
•
•
•
Fueling organized crime
Impact on public institutions
Impact on the economy
Impact on the rights and life of
those practicing prostitution
Oppression Paradigm Versus
Polymorphous Paradigm
• Sexual services and performances inherently oppressive, exploitative and
universally harmful.
• “Normal business” (“sex work”, “sex
industry”) and the objective is to
decriminalize this industry,
Monitoring the Paradigms
• Oppressive paradigm – valid arguments –
wrong conclusion: prohibition,
underestimating the consequences of the
prohibition (illegal practices and risks
connected with them);
• Polymorphous paradigm – invalid
arguments –correct aim: however not simply
legalizing
• Adequate normative regulation
Impact of power centers on research
and knowledge
• The supporters of the polymorphous
paradigm in investigating prostitution have
noticed that definite centers of power not
only adopt the prohibitionist paradigm, but
they also influence scientific research by
promoting studies within the course of the
oppressive paradigm
Normative Framework
EFFECTS OF PROHIBITIONIST
LEGISLATION – CREATION OF
“INVISIBLE” SOCIAL
PATHOLOGIES AND UNKNOWN
RISKS