Screening clients in a decriminalised street-based sex industry: Insights into the experiences of New Zealand sex workers

Abstract

This article explores the screening practices employed by sex workers to negotiate risks of violence from clients while working on the streets in New Zealand. Drawing from qualitative interviews with 28 street-working women, this article provides an insight into the strategies used to screen for danger when individuals approach as potential clients. In this article, I outline the nature of screening strategies described by the women interviewed, and discuss the broader meaning and purpose of these techniques in the context of mainstream representations of street-based sex work. The significance of the decriminalisation of street-based sex work on the screening strategies the women described is discussed and I argue that this legislative framework simplifies the process of screening and better supports the safety and wellbeing of sex workers.