Sex Work Policy Worldwide : A Scoping Review

• Researchers have conducted a lot of research into policies regulating commercialsex. This study is a scoping review aiming to characterize the research field as wellas finding research gaps and suggest directions for future research. Nine electronicdatabases and a key journal (Sexuality Research and Social Policy) were searchedusing Boolean operators to identify studies containing “prostitution AND policy”or “sex work AND policy” in the title and/or abstract. A total of 3663 studies wereidentified, and of them, 351 were deemed eligible after duplicates were removed andthe title and abstract had been assessed according to the study’s inclusion criteria.The studies on sex work policy were often conducted in English-speaking countries,the majority of which were about streetwalkers, criminalization of sex work, andtrafficking policies. Interestingly, few empirical studies were conducted and stigma-tization was frequently mentioned. There is an unmet need for studies addressing thelived experiences of sex workers under the Swedish Model, as well as studies aboutmigrant sex workers and studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Research-ers should direct additional efforts into understanding the lived experiences of sexworkers under the Swedish Model as well as into studies covering Africa, Asia, andLatin America.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Sociologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Sociology (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

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