Vulnerability Factors and Pathways to Sex Work: An Exploratory Study of Childhood Experiences of Abuse among Female Sex Workers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The sex work is considered a grey area of morality. A considerable amount of research has shown a connection between childhood abuse and engagement in sex work as an adult. In Sri Lanka, very few studies have explored the connection between childhood victimization and being a sex worker. This research examines the reasons behind females moving towards sex work industry in Sri Lanka and the impact of their childhood abuse experience for that choice. As a qualitative study, stories of fifteen women involved in the sex work were explored with semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. A relationship between childhood abuse incidences and female sex workers in the sex work industry in Sri Lanka was identified. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological & emotional abuse, and neglect in their childhood are the key factors reported by the participants. Insecurities in the home environment, absence of parental care, lack of education and lack of social support are the key experiences of the respondents. The study concludes that female sex workers who choose this industry as their means of income, often come from families that have more interpersonal difficulties and where they have had experienced abuse in their childhood. The relevance and generalizability of this conclusion to the wider sex worker population is difficult to determine, given the non-random selection of this sex worker sample.