Ethical Issues in Counselling & Forensic Psychology for Sex Workers

This report delves into the ethical debates surrounding the counselling and forensic psychology perspectives in the treatment of sex workers. It acknowledges prostitution as a profession often considered immoral, while also recognizing the arguments for bodily autonomy. The report highlights the psychological impacts of prostitution, such as PTSD and emotional detachment, and discusses harmful practices associated with street prostitution, including drug use and violence. It further examines the treatment of sex workers in criminal cases, emphasizing the need to view them as victims rather than criminals and addresses psychological problems, advocating for supportive mechanisms like counselling and crisis intervention. The report also stresses the importance of listening to the affected group when formulating legal frameworks and suggests improvements in counselling and forensics, such as promoting human rights, reducing interventions in the name of rescue, and sensitizing law enforcement. In conclusion, it emphasizes the global efforts towards the welfare of sex workers and the need for international cooperation to address malpractices and establish a just world, referencing various research and initiatives.

COUNSELLING AND
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
IN
TREATMENT OF SEX
WORKERS

ETHICAL DEBATES AROUND THE
PROFESSION
• Prostitution is the one of the oldest profession according to many
sources.
• It is generally accepted as immoral.
• Though after recent liberalization of thought and movements in
feminist empowerment there are claims that the owner of the body is
the ultimate decision maker about the utility of the same.
• However it is evident that prostitution psychologically drains women
and physically harms them.

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS IN A
PERSON DUE TO PROSTITUTION
• Sex workers often have to go through PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder) in the initial phases of the profession (Yehuda et al. 2015).
• There is disassociation of the sex workers from emotional
attachments and emotions as a whole. One of the key characteristic
of a human being is healthy emotional cognition.
• The power distance of the sex buyer and sex seller makes the later
degraded and less worthy as a human.

HARMFUL PRACTICES IN STREET
PROSTITUTION
• Due to the mentioned
psychological ill effects the sex
workers involve in potentially
harmful activities like drug
consumption and unprotected
sexual activities.
• Often there are criminal and
forced sexual offences on the sex
workers. The rate of report of
such offences is increasing
(Campbell 2014).

TREATMENT OF SEX WORKERS
IN CRIMINAL CASES
• Often criminal cases against sex
workers are not taken seriously
by the law enforcement.
• The prostitutes instead of being
looked as victim are treated as
criminals (Armstrong 2017).
• 65% to 95% prostitutes disclosed
that they have been sexually
abused during childhood
(Haynes 2017)

TREATMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
PROBLEMS AMONG SEX
WORKERS
• The psychological ill effects of the profession has been already
discussed and the victims often feel shattered, hopeless and
emotionless.
• Supporting mechanisms in periods of acute depression, which may
include counseling, crisis intervention and emotional support may work
(Anklesaria and Gentile 2012).
• The patient has been manipulated and lied to, in her whole life, hence
truthful and direct interaction

Psychological perspective about
such cases and its impact.
• Apart from “paid sex” form of prostitution there are other more
complicated forms such as bondage and domination.
• Often extreme domination includes flogging and tying up. The
dominant may receive money for inflicting such pain on the
“submissive”.
• Psychologically people with a history of violence tend to like the idea
of submissiveness.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING
TO THE GROUP
• The main distinction of prostitution and sexual exploitation lies in the
consent giving of the person whose body is used (Amnesty
International 2016).
• The legal frameworks in these cases must be formulated after due
consultation with the affected group.
• Consent according to “Sexual Offences Act 2003” denotes the ability
of a person to make a decision (Legislation.gov.uk 2003).
• However there may constrains and conditions which may force a
person to take such a decision.

HOW TREATMENT OF SEX
WORKERS BE IMPROVED IN
COUNSELLING
• By promoting the human rights
of the sex workers in the best
possible ways.
• Interventions in the name of
rescue must be reduced and
focus should be on awareness
and education.
• During counselling there should
be gender equality in male and
female sex workers (Baral 2015).

HOW TREATMENT OF SEX
WORKERS BE IMPROVED IN
FORENSICS
• The police department has to be sensitized about dealing with the sex
workers and must be treating them as victims (Decker et al. 2015).
• Only when a person feels helpless in the face of social survival he or
she chooses prostitution.
• Such people should be given social support by the law enforcement
bodies.
• The forensics must look into the violence reports against the sex
workers more seriously prompting strict action.

CONCLUSION
• Human Rights Organizations
worldwide are working towards the
welfare of sex workers.
• There have been researches,
initiatives and conferences.
• Apart from female sex workers, there
are male sex workers, forced sex on
children and other social stigmas.
• All the nations must come together
to uproot the malpractices and
establish a just world.

REFERENCES:
• Anklesaria, A. and Gentile, J.P., 2012. Psychotherapy with Women Who Have Worked in the “Sex Industry”. Innovations in clinical
neuroscience, 9(10), p.27.
• Armstrong, L., 2017. From law enforcement to protection? Interactions between sex workers and police in a decriminalized street-
based sex industry. The British Journal of Criminology, 57(3), pp.570-588.
• Baral, S.D., Friedman, M.R., Geibel, S., Rebe, K., Bozhinov, B., Diouf, D., Sabin, K., Holland, C.E., Chan, R. and Cáceres, C.F., 2015. Male
sex workers: practices, contexts, and vulnerabilities for HIV acquisition and transmission. The Lancet, 385(9964), pp.260-273.
• Campbell, R., 2014. Not getting away with it: Linking sex work and hate crime in Merseyside. Responding to hate crime: The case for
connecting policy and research, pp.55-71.
• Decker, M.R., Crago, A.L., Chu, S.K., Sherman, S.G., Seshu, M.S., Buthelezi, K., Dhaliwal, M. and Beyrer, C., 2015. Human rights
violations against sex workers: burden and effect on HIV. The Lancet, 385(9963), pp.186-199.
• Haynes, F., 2017. Treat prostitutes as victims, not criminals | Commentary | Dallas News. [online] Dallasnews.com. Available at:
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/04/21/treat-prostitutes-victims-criminals [Accessed 10 Feb. 2018].
• Legislation.gov.uk (2003). Sexual Offences Act 2003. [online] Legislation.gov.uk. Available at:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/contents [Accessed 10 Feb. 2018].
• Weatherburn, P., Schmidt, A.J., Hickson, F., Reid, D., Berg, R.C., Hospers, H.J. and Marcus, U., 2013. The European Men-who-have-sex-
with-men internet survey (EMIS): design and methods. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 10(4), pp.243-257.
• Yehuda, R., Hoge, C.W., McFarlane, A.C., Vermetten, E., Lanius, R.A., Nievergelt, C.M., Hobfoll, S.E., Koenen, K.C., Neylan, T.C. and
Hyman, S.E., 2015. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 1, p.15057.