Prostitution in world cities (1600 to the present)

This article provides an overview of prostitution in world cities from 1600 to the present. A long historical and broad geographical perspective permits to observe the continuities and discontinuities in the way sex work was perceived, policed and practiced. Concretely, the chapter presents a general review of the legal and cultural definitions of prostitution; the legal regimes; the involvement of non-state actors in the repression of prostitution or in the re-definition of prostitution as sex work; persecution and violence against prostitutes; prostitutes' social profiles and motivations for their involvement in commercial sex; working conditions; the role played by intermediaries; and the increased organisation of prostitutes.

ISBN:978-90-466-0673-5

Publication year:2014

Keywords:Prostitution