Exploring the Experiences of Massage Parlor Sex Workers of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Date
2016-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study was done with the purpose of understanding the experience of massage parlor sex workers who work in massage parlors of Addis Ababa. The participants were twelve massage parlor sex workers. For the successful attainment of the research, qualitative research method was employed. Data were organized, analyzed and presented in six clusters. In line with these, the clusters were contained, causes that predisposed women to become sex workers, factors that attract them to remain in sex work, their common customers, their attitude toward their customers, the effect of their work on the society and the importance of the work group for the sex workers. Findings of the study showed that most of the respondents face early sexual abuse, first sexual intercourse at the age below 18 years and had many sexual partners at an early age. The majority of the research participants also disclosed that they remain working in the parlor due to the reasons like best earning compared with other establishments, companionship and helping others. The other major finding is most of their customers are married men. In line with this, the majority of the workers believed that their services as beneficial to the institution of marriage. Towards their attitude to customers, the majority of the respondents have positive attitude toward their customers. Finally in line with the implications of the finding, the researcher concluded that in the near future employment in this semi-brothels flourish in large and medium cities of the country. So as to control its expansion in breadth and width, the following recommendation and policy implications are forwarded. Among others, the concerned government organ should clearly establish a policy regarding the requirements to open legal massage parlors and systematically discourage the new opening requests by increasing the licensing fee and by setting other administrative sanctions. With regard to the existing quasi brothels, since they are typically exist below the thresholds of both state and public visibility, these premises are out of sight and out of mind and not only well escape taxation but also discard the legal parlors that provide legal massage service. Therefore strict follow up and judiciary sanctions as well as criminal measures should be followed. Finally, as a general recommendation, among others, the immediate practical solution to reduce the impact of prostitution on the community markedly, both judiciary prohibitions and social work interventions should be practiced. This is because, if we practice jurisdiction only, the actual problem becomes increasingly a judicial problem, as more and more of the problem is regulated through laws. Therefore social work interventions have also largely been devised to focus on minimizing harmful effects as well as getting women leave “the life”
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Social Work