Exploring the Values and Nuances of Survival Sex and Sexual Exploitation

Abstract

Existing narratives and collective discourse on the phenomenon of survival sex and sexual exploitation are pervaded by the notion of victimhood, helplessness, vulnerability, and lack of agency. Available statistics on the transgression provide only an approximation of the reality. This is in addition to the fact that the ontological constitution of these practices clearly depicts a scenario of exploitation, harm, and destruction of human dignity not accompanied by concerted effort in its prevention or combat. The multidimensional and dynamic perspective of victim's vulnerability indicates that survival sex and sexual exploitation is not merely a “distant history” taught in school but a geographically and sociologically far-flung subject matter portrayed by the media and the research community culminating into the failure to protect the vulnerable and safeguard their rights. This study, therefore, is an attempt to examine the thesis that neglect and negativity attributed to the victims of this misdemeanor must be recognized as a socio-political problem and subsequently addressed.