Project Description
This project, known as the Street-To-Screen study (2014-18) is among the first in Canada to investigate the ways that adults who sell and purchase sexual services use information and communications technologies (ICTs) such as smart phones, the Internet, and email. This study examined how these technologies were used to develop relationships, exchange information and facilitate the face-to-face exchange of sexual services. Most sex industry research was focused on the attitudes, understandings or experiences of either people who provide sexual services (i.e., sex workers) OR the people who purchase these services (i.e., clients). Through a national online survey and qualitative interviews we sought to provide a forum for both people who sell and pay for sex or sexual services in a safe, secure and confidential venue to share their attitudes, opinions and experiences without fear of judgement, persecution or prosecution. We believed that bringing the voices and perspectives together would help to better understand the complexities of the sex industry in Canada, and in particular the factors influencing health and safety within, and in relation to, the industry.
Findings are detailed in the publication noted below. Overall, this study illustrated that ICTs are ubiquitous in the commercial sex industry, contributing to overall increased autonomy of sex workers, greater resources for clients to locate and engage with people doing sex work, and in some instances enabling the implementation of safety procedures through immediate messaging to third parties to communicate the events within a commercial sex exchange. By contrast, ICTs can appear to increase isolation and disconnect workers and clients from supports and services. Future work to capitalize on ICTs to provide support and services is warranted.
KxMob
The Team
This research project was based in Vancouver, British Columbia with Principal Investigators Dr. Vicky Bungay, University of British Columbia School of Nursing and Chris Atchison, University of Victoria Department of Sociology.
Contact Information
Principal Investigator
Dr. Vicky Bungay
604.822.7933
vicky.bungay@ubc.ca