Prostitution is the one business
that has flourished in Italy in spite of - or perhaps because of
- the economic crisis, Codacons consumer group said in a survey
Wednesday.
In 2007-2014,turnover in the sex trade has risen 25.8%, the
number of people working as prostitutes grew by 28.5% and
clients increased by 20%, according to the study to be presented
officially on Thursday before the Committee for the Civil Rights
of Prostitutes.
Economic hardship and lack of job security has driven many
to sell their bodies for money, Codacons said.
As well, the survey showed a decline in the number of
streetwalkers, which currently make up 60% of total sex workers
in Italy. The remaining 40% work at home or other enclosed
settings, Codacons said.
Of all the prostitutes working in Italy, 10% is underage
and 55% are foreigners, according to the survey.
However increased business has not translated into better
or safer working conditions, the Committee Committee for the
Civil Rights of Prostitutes pointed out.
Policies are still mostly repressive, while society still
stigmatizes sex work. Criminalization and social ostracism means
sex workers have no rights while generating wealth on the black
market, the activists said.
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