Odinokova V, Yeritsyan K, Rusakova M, Usacheva N. Factors of involvement in prostitution at a minor age: results of an empirical study of adult women. Journal of Social Policy Studies. 2018. Retrieved from https: ...

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: https://jsps.hse.ru/article/view/8630 (дата обращения 17.01.2019)

Abstract

Prostitution is considered by researchers from the standpoint of one of the main paradigms: as a deviation, as sex work or as violence. However, when it comes to minors, international regulatory documents unequivocally interpret prostitution as a form of sexual exploitation. On the materials of the empirical study of adult women engaged in prostitution in St. Petersburg and Orenburg (n = 654), we studied the circumstances of prostitution debut, depending on the age of onset - up to 18 years or older. The study included adult women engaged in prostitution on the streets, in hotels, lounges, train stations and individually. The influence of various factors on the initiation of prostitution before the age of 18 was assessed using the Pearson's χ2  and binary logistic regression analysis. Every 10th woman in the sample began to engage in prostitution before 18. The main factors of involvement in prostitution under the age of 18 are family distress, the early age of first drug use, and others. The group of women engaged in prostitution is not uniform. The life trajectories leading to the prostitution of children and adults may differ significantly. A rigid theoretical position, based on a synthesis of all women engaged in prostitution as victims, “deviants” or sex workers, inevitably ignores the needs and interests of some of them. In contemporary Russian social policy, prostitution is considered as a deviation, which is prohibited and entails administrative responsibility. Socio-political discussions on prostitution control measures include discussions on both legalizing and tightening control and punishment for prostitution, but the issues of prevention of involvement, as well as assistance at the “exit” stage of prostitution are excluded from this discussion.