On the legal regulation of sex work
Research type
Research Study
Full title
On the interdependent relationship between legal regulation of sex work and political mobilisation
IRAS ID
188969
Contact name
Eva Klambauer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
15/EE/0380, East of England - Cambridge South
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
This research project seeks to investigate the laws that govern sex work and the impact they have on the living and working conditions of sex workers. It examines the ways in which the laws affect the health and safety of sex workers and the legal and policy changes which would improve their overall well-being. Moreover, the study examines the policy-making process of prostitution laws and the level of involvement of sex workers in it. The study is comparing two case studies: The United Kingdom and New South Wales in Australia, where the sex industry has largely been decriminalised. It aims to discover how these different policy models affect sex workers, why the policies have developed so differently in these two jurisdictions and what the impact of sex worker rights activism has been on these developments. The research questions will be addressed with a qualitative research design that is based on interviews with sex workers, sex worker rights activists, feminist advocates, political decision-makers and legal professionals. I would like to cooperate with the Open Doors advice service to reach sex workers and invite them to take part in an interview about their working conditions, their overall well-being, their experiences with the police and their opinions about the current prostitution laws.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0380
Date of REC Opinion
19 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion