Focal Interest
Focal Interest
AI Summary of Peer-Reviewed Research

This page presents an AI-generated summary of a published research paper. The original authors did not write or review this article. [See full disclosure ↓]

Publishing process signals: MODERATE — reflects the venue and review process. — venue and review process.

Unlawful sex workers in Rotterdam report risks in both legal and unlawful settings

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Research area:Social SciencesSociology and Political ScienceRegulation and Compliance Studies

What the study found

Female unlawfully working sex workers in Rotterdam do not simply see the unlawful sex industry as unsafe and the lawful industry as safe. The study reports that they recognize safety risks in both settings and use a range of protection strategies, while also saying that no measure is fully foolproof.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors suggest that local policies may push some sex workers into the unlawful sector. They also conclude that the common binary view held by authorities — that the lawful industry is safe and the unlawful industry is unsafe — does not match the experiences described in the study.

What the researchers tested

This qualitative study used the Crime as Work perspective to examine safety perceptions and risk-mitigation strategies among female sex workers in Rotterdam's unlawful sex industry. The researchers based their analysis on interviews and observations.

What worked and what didn't

The findings indicate that the women interviewed used diverse safeguards to manage risk. At the same time, the study reports that they believed no safety strategy was completely foolproof. The abstract also states that existing policies may compel some women into the unlawful sector.

What to keep in mind

The available summary does not describe specific policy details, sample size, or the exact protections used. The abstract also says that further research is needed.

Key points

  • The study reports that safety risks were recognized in both lawful and unlawful sex work settings.
  • The authors say local policies may push some women into the unlawful sex industry.
  • Interviewed sex workers used a variety of safeguards, but no measure was described as fully foolproof.
  • The study challenges a simple safe-versus-unsafe divide used by authorities.
  • The abstract says further research is needed.

Disclosure

Research title:
Unlawful sex workers in Rotterdam report risks in both legal and unlawful settings
Authors:
Nina Eggens, Richard Staring
Institutions:
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Publication date:
2026-03-10
DOI:
10.1177/10778012261422241
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by OpenAI. The original authors did not write or review this post.

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