The Importance of Understanding the Agency of Sex Workers

What really stuck me in Shawna Hohendoorf’s presentation was her discussion of the ways she copes with working and developing close relationships with people at such high risk of violence and death. What I really appreciated was her understanding that these women can and do function in society without her and they have a great resiliency to survive. I found this a wonderful way to manage working with women in such a dangerous industry because I think a lot of the discourse around sex work often strips these women of their autonomy; specifically the debate surrounding the oppression and exploitation of women that is inherent, or not, when one sells their body.

In another class I recently watched the documentary “Buying Sex” which explores the debate within Canada over the decriminalization of selling sex. One side argues that all women who participate in sex work are oppressed and no woman would freely choose this form of work. The other side argues that ones’ decision to participate in the sex work industry is a free choice and therefore the laws need to work to protect these women, rather than harm them. While like Hohendoorf I agree that the issue of sex work is an extremely complex one, I believe that arguing that one can never freely choose to participate in sex work erases the autonomy of these women.

This is why I struggled with Hohendoorf’s discussion of the desperate need in Canada to educate children and prevent sex work. While Canada has “adopted” the Nordic model we have not actually worked to help women exit the sex work industry. I am not arguing that either of these things are unimportant nor am I arguing that the government should not intervene to help women who want to exit the industry, rather, what I am trying to say is that deciding that one can never choose to be a sex worker removes any agency from these women and further marginalizes them. Clearly there are factors that contribute to ones likelihood of becoming a sex worker, such as Aboriginal background, trans identification, or low economic status. However, denying sex workers the ability to choose their profession is one more way the rest of society contributes to the stigmatization of the sex work industry. Perhaps the realization that people may actually choose this form of work may combat the stigma and devaluation of the industry. That is why I really appreciated Hohendoorf’s assertion that the women she works with are autonomous individuals with a great ability to survive.