Condoms and Cupcakes: Fostering Autonomy Through Relationships of Care With Women in Prostitution

Abstract

This article reports on an anti-oppressive approach to working with prostitute women based on findings from a study exploring the perspectives of 17 women who attended a drop-in program run by a nonprofit organization in Baltimore, MD, as well as site observations and interactions with program staff. The organization creates a compassionate space where women may grow as they choose rather than the typical punitive or rescuing strategies employed by courts and social service agencies. We discuss implications of this compassionate approach for radical practice in court-based and social service programs designed for women in prostitution against the backdrop of coercion and autonomy.

KEYWORDS:

• anti-oppressive social work practice
• criminal justice
• prostitution
• women

Notes

¹ The Specialized Prostitution Diversion Program that emerged from the committee’s efforts in August 2009 is offered to anyone arrested for selling sex, regardless of gender. The resulting program served approximately 88% women, 1% men, and 11% transwomen, which was reflective of the Baltimore prostitution docket (Shdaimah & Bailey-Kloch, 2014). However, because You Are Never Alone (YANA) serves only women (including transwomen), we were not able to explore the experiences of men in this study.

² We recognize that trafficking girls and women has become a recent focus of concern among advocates and policymakers in ways that may impact prostitution policy; however, jurisdictions continue to treat them differently, and in this article we do not cover trafficking.

³ This is a minimum prerequisite; some programs require a no-contest or a guilty plea in order to participate.