And I suppose it's funny that the people I look at that I'm like, so grateful that you accepted me β really, why shouldn't they? The report found the presence of street-sex workers in the Perth metropolitan area had significantly dropped over the last 10 years. Credit: Kitty Hill. Sex workers are often "encouraged" to participate in drugs with their clients, but a number reported they would manage their intake in order to stay in control. Credit: Angela Wylie.
This is how one female sex worker describes her changing experience of the West Australian sex industry over the last decade. The 58 page report reveals the mysterious world of WA's sex industry and comes to this conclusion: The State Government should decriminalise the industry.
The report, chaired by Associate Professor Linda Selvey, found a number of issues with the WA industry that stemmed from the "criminalisation of sex work". Most of my clients will have some sort of substance, whether they're a bloody lawyer and got stoned on their lunch break, or they're a crack dealer and they have crack on them. They're always offering something. It's pretty popular The report surveyed sex workers, and found nearly 50 per cent of sex workers did not feel comfortable reporting to police if they experienced or witnessed assault or crime.
The report also indicated the unregulated nature of the industry meant many people who used or worked in the WA sex industry could put themselves at risk of assault, disease or drug addiction. A metropolitan police detective told the study drug use continued to be an issue amongst sex workers, as residential property inspections often turned up small amounts of drugs believed to be used for transactions instead of money.
They still feel that we'll judge them. It's pretty popular," she said. The report also found WA locals were increasingly turning towards private services rather than using a brothel or picking up a street-based sex worker, with one metropolitan detective confirming a number of popular Perth "hot spots" slowly dying out over the last decade.
