Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T14:38:49.208Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Female sex worker’s children: their vulnerability in Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2019

Saeid Mirzaei ,
Sajad Khosravi  and
Nadia Oroomiei Open the ORCID record for Nadia Oroomiei [Opens in a new window]
Saeid Mirzaei
Affiliation:
Department of Health Management, Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran
Sajad Khosravi
Affiliation:
Department of Health Management, Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran
Nadia Oroomiei*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Management, Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran
*
Nadia Oroomiei, Email: n_oroomiei@yahoo.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This qualitative study used a narrative approach to address the vulnerabilities and problems experienced by the children of sex workers in Iran. A purposive sample of women who were referred to drop-in centres were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews. An analysis of the data identified 8 main themes and 12 sub-themes, most of which related to risks and harm being perpetrated on the children of sex workers. The main risk to these children was the likelihood that they would escape from home and become sex workers themselves. Also identified as problematic was the risk of child labour, becoming members of offending groups and becoming a member of a brothel.

Keywords

Childrensex workersvulnerabilityIran
Type
Articles
Information
Children Australia , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , March 2020 , pp. 21 - 29
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abadi, M. A.-A., Abolghasemi, J., Rimaz, S., Majdzadeh, R., Shokoohi, M., Rostami-Maskopaee, F., & Merghati-Khoei, E. (2018). High-risk behaviors among regular and casual female sexworkers in Iran: A report from western Asia. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 12(1), e9744. doi:10.5812/ijpbs.9744Google Scholar
Abbasi, M., Gooshki, E. S., & Allahbedashti, N. (2014). Abortion in Iranian legal system: A review. Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 13(1), 71–84.Google ScholarPubMed
Abel, G. M. (2014). A decade of decriminalization: Sex work ‘down under’ but not underground. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 14(5), 580–592. doi:10.1177/1748895814523024CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Acharya, A. K. (2010). Feminization of migration and trafficking of women in Mexico. Revista de Cercetare Si Interventie Sociala, 30(1), 19–38. Retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-78149437982&partnerID=40&md5=839007ff2b1d2b5fa4d33ae9af600a1fGoogle Scholar
Adhikari, H. (2007). Growing up in an adverse milieu education and occupation of sex workers’ children. Indian Journal of Social Work, 68(2), 282–307. Retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-61349181337&partnerID=40&md5=526faa92797cb5c1d5295294baffe65fGoogle Scholar
AIDS Office Ministry of Health. (2010). AIDS monitoring report in Iran. Tehran: Ministry of Health.Google Scholar
Akbarzadeh, M., Yazdanpanahi, Z., Zarshenas, L., & Sharif, F. (2016). The women’s perceptions about unwanted pregnancy: A qualitative study in Iran. Global Journal of Health Science, 8(5), 189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansari-Pour, M. (1999). The legal relationship of a father with his illegitimate child under Islamic and Iranian law. Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law Online, 6(1), 140–155. doi:10.1163/221129800X00104CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beard, J., Biemba, G., Brooks, M. I., Costello, J., Ommerborn, M., Bresnahan, M., … Simon, J. L. (2010). Children of female sex workers and drug users: A review of vulnerability, resilience and family-centred models of care. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 13(Suppl. 2). doi:10.1186/1758-2652-13-S2-S6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckham, S. W., Shembilu, C. R., Winch, P. J., Beyrer, C., & Kerrigan, D. L. (2015). ‘If you have children, you have responsibilities’: motherhood, sex work and HIV in southern Tanzania. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 17(2), 165–179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boyer, C. B., Greenberg, L., Chutuape, K., Walker, B., Monte, D., Kirk, J., … Network, A. M. T. (2017). Exchange of sex for drugs or money in adolescents and young adults: An examination of sociodemographic factors, HIV-related risk, and community context. Journal of Community Health, 42(1), 90–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cedeño, M. (2012). Pimps, johns, and juvenile prostitutes: Is New York doing enough to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, 22, 153.Google Scholar
Domènech, C. B., & Pérez, J. A. T. (2019). Sex worker. In Bartolini, A., Cippitani, R., & Colcelli, V. (Éds.), Dictionary of Statuses within EU Law (pp. 511–516). Switzerland: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-00554-2_65CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duff, P., Bingham, B., Simo, A., Jury, D., Reading, C., & Shannon, K. (2014). The ‘Stolen Generations’ of mothers and daughters: Child apprehension and enhanced HIV vulnerabilities for sex workers of aboriginal ancestry. PLoS One, 9(6), e99664.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duff, P., Shoveller, J., Chettiar, J., Feng, C., Nicoletti, R., & Shannon, K. (2015). Sex work and motherhood: Social and structural barriers to health and social services for pregnant and parenting street and off-street sex workers. Health Care for Women International, 36(9), 1039–1055.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ghimire, L., & van Teijlingen, E. (2009). Barriers to utilisation of sexual health services by female sex workers in Nepal. Global Journal of Health Science, 1, 12–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilchrist, G., & Taylor, A. (2009). Drug‐using mothers: Factors associated with retaining care of their children. Drug and Alcohol Review, 28(2), 175–185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haeri, S. (1994). Temporary marriage: an Islamic discourse on female sexuality in Iran. New York: Tauris Publishers.Google Scholar
Hamzić, V., & Mir-Hosseini, Z. (2010). Control and sexuality: The revival of zina laws in Muslim contexts (Women Livi). London: Women Living Under Muslim Laws.Google Scholar
Hasnain, M. (2005). Cultural approach to HIV/AIDS harm reduction in Muslim countries. Harm Reduction Journal, 2(1), 23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hedayat, K. M., Shooshtarizadeh, P., & Raza, M. (2006). Therapeutic abortion in Islam: Contemporary views of Muslim Shiite scholars and effect of recent Iranian legislation. Journal of Medical Ethics, 32(11), 652–657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hosseini‐Chavoshi, M., Abbasi‐Shavazi, M. J., Glazebrook, D., & McDonald, P. (2012). Social and psychological consequences of abortion in Iran. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 118, S172–S177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ivers, L. C., & Cullen, K. A. (2011). Food insecurity: Special considerations for women. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 94(6), 1740S–1744S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.012617CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Izadi, H., & Zarghami, A. (2014). The study of social and the economical factors on prostitution phenomena in Shiraz at 2010. Quarterly Journal of Social Development, 9(1), 227–245.Google Scholar
Karamouzian, M., Foroozanfar, Z., Ahmadi, A., Haghdoost, A. A., Vogel, J., & Zolala, F. (2016). How sex work becomes an option: Experiences of female sex workers in Kerman, Iran. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 18(1), 58–70. doi:10.1080/13691058.2015.1059487CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lally, A. (2016). Holistic development: Children’s health and well-being. In Trodd, L. (Ed.), The early years handbook for students and practitioners: An essential guide for the foundation degree and levels 4 and 5 (pp. 19–24). London and New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Ma, P. H. X., Chan, Z. C. Y., & Loke, A. Y. (2019). Conflicting identities between sex workers and motherhood: A systematic review. Women & Health, 59(5), 534–557. doi:10.1080/03630242.2018.1500417CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menashri, D. (2012). Post-revolutionary politics in Iran: Religion, society and power. London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203045428CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moradi-Lakeh, M., & Vosoogh-Moghaddam, A. (2015). Health sector evolution plan in Iran: Equity and sustainability concerns. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 4(10), 637–640.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Office of Social Welfare in Iran. (2017). Social harm. Tehran: State Welfare Organization of Iran.Google Scholar
Pandey, S., Kaufman, M. R., Tewari, H. R., & Bhowmick, P. K. (2015). Life in the red light: A qualitative investigation of the daily life of trafficking victims in Indian brothels. Journal of Trafficking, Organized Crime and Security, 1(1), 36–46.Google Scholar
Pardeshi, G., & Bhattacharya, S. (2006). Child rearing practices amongst brothel based commercial sex workers. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, 60(7), 288. doi:10.4103/0970-0218.191094CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raffaelli, M., & Koller, S. H. (2016). Children and adolescents in street settings. Handbook of children’s rights: Global and multidisciplinary perspectives. New York & London: Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
Ranji, A. (2012). Induced abortion in Iran: Prevalence, reasons, and consequences. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 57(5), 482–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reed, E., Gupta, J., Biradavolu, M., Devireddy, V., & Blankenship, K. M. (2011). The role of housing in determining HIV risk among female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India: considering women’s life contexts. Social Science & Medicine, 72(5), 710–716.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sawicki, D. A., Meffert, B. N., Read, K., & Heinz, A. J. (2019). Culturally competent health care for sex workers: An examination of myths that stigmatize sex work and hinder access to care. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 34(3), 1–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Servin, A. E., Strathdee, S., Muñoz, F. A., Vera, A., Rangel, G., & Silverman, J. G. (2015). Vulnerabilities faced by the children of sex workers in two Mexico-US border cities: A retrospective study on sexual violence, substance use and HIV risk. AIDS Care – Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, 27(1), 1–5. doi:10.1080/09540121.2014.946384Google ScholarPubMed
Shohel, M. M. C. (2013). Access to education for the children of sex workers in Bangladesh: opportunities and challenges. Child Studies in Diverse Contexts, 3(1), 13–31. doi:10.5723/csdc.2013.3.1.013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silverman, D. (2013). Doing qualitative research: A practical handbook. Washington, DC: SAGE Publications Limited.Google Scholar
Taleban, R., Moafi, M., Ataei, B., Yaran, M., Nokhodian, Z., Kassaian, N., … Javadi, A. (2018). Seroprevalence of hepatitis B infection and associated risk factors among drug users in drop-in centers of Isfahan, Iran. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 9(1), 46–53. doi:10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_382_16Google ScholarPubMed
UNAIDS. (2010). Making the law work for the HIV response: a snapshot of selected laws that support or block universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support [online]. Geneva. Retrieved from https://data.unaids.org/pub/basedocument/2010/20100728_HR_Poster_en.pdfGoogle Scholar
Willis, B., Hodgson, I., & Lovich, R. (2014). The health and social well-being of female sex workers’ children in Bangladesh: A qualitative study from Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 9(2), 123–131. doi:10.1080/17450128.2013.804970CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, B., Onda, S., & Stoklosa, H. M. (2016). Causes of maternal and child mortality among Cambodian sex workers and their children: A cross sectional study. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 1–8. doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3838-7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Willis, B., Vines, D., Bubar, S., & Suchard, M. R. (2016). The health of children whose mothers are trafficked or in sex work in the U.S.: An exploratory study. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 11(2), 127–135. doi:10.1080/17450128.2016.1189019CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, B., Welch, K., & Onda, S. (2016). Health of female sex workers and their children: A call for action. The Lancet Global Health, 4(7), e438–e439.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yerpude, P., & Jogdand, K. (2012). Child rearing practices amongst brothel-based commercial sex workers. Indian Journal Of Community Medicine: Official Publication of the Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, 37(3), 197. doi:10.4103/0970-0218.99932CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zarghami, M. (2015). Iranian common attitude toward opium consumption. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 9(2), 1–4. doi:10.17795/ijpbs2074CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed