Hungarian female migrant sex workers: Social support and vulnerability at home and abroad

Abstract

An exploratory/descriptive study of 33 migrant Hungarian prostitutes who travel to Switzerland for sex work was conducted in Zurich by Hungarian social workers in cooperation with Swiss social workers. A new methodology (Hungarian Street Work Interpersonal Support) was developed to compare support networks both at home and while working abroad. Vulnerability and potential risk were mapped, finding networks at ‘home’ being supportive and non-risky with the opposite occurring ‘abroad’. Little use was made of protective relationships (police and social workers) in both locations. The primary motivation for engaging in migrant sex work was to provide for their children at home.

Keywords

Hungarian prostitution migrant sex work relationship network social support social work methods

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Association of Hungarian Sex Workers (2013) ‘Report on Violence and Discrimination Against Female Sex Workers by State and Non-State Actors in Hungary’. Available online at: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/Shared%20Documents/HUN/INT_CEDAW_NGO_HUN_13262_E.pdf (accessed 15 December 2013).

Ayuste

Gijón

Payá

Rubio

(2016) ‘Social Work and Prostitution: An Approach to Educational Practices’, European Journal of Social Work 19(2): 204–18.

Barrera

(1986) ‘Distinctions between Social Support Concept, Measures, and Models’, American Journal of Community Psychology 14(4): 413–45.

Bovier

Chamot

Perneger

(2004) ‘Perceived Stress, Internal Resources and Social Support as Determinants of Mental Health among Young Adults’, Quality of Life Research 13(1): 161–70.

Cohen

Hoberman

(1983) ‘Positive Events and Social Supports as Buffers of Life Change Stress’, Journal of Applied Social Psychology 13(2): 99–125.

Cohen

Kamarck

Mermelstein

(1983) A Global Measure of Perceived Stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 24(4): 385–396.

Cohen

Mermelstein

Kamarck

Hoberman

(1985) ‘Measuring the Functional Components of Social Support’, in Sarason

I.G.

Sarason

B.R.

(eds) Social Support: Theory, Research and Applications, pp. 73–94. New York: Wiley.

Crane

Constantino

(2003) ‘Use of the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) to Guide Intervention Development with Women Experiencing Abuse’, Issues in Mental Health Nursing 24(5): 523–41.

Dalla

(2001) ‘Et Tu Brute? A Qualitative Analysis of Streetwalking Prostitutes’ Interpersonal Support Networks’, Journal of Family Issues 22(8): 1066–83.

10.

Dunkel-Schetter

Folkman

Lazarus

(1987) ‘Correlates of Social Support Receipt’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 53: 71–80.

11.

European Network for HIV/STI Prevention and Health Promotion among Migrant Sex Workers (TAMPEP) (2009) Sex Work in Europe: A Mapping of the Prostitution Scene in 25 European Countries. Amsterdam: TAMPEP International Foundation.

12.

Finger

(2016) ‘Sex-Work and Mobility as a Coping Strategy for Marginalized Hungarian Roma Women’, ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies 15(1): 104–28.

13.

Gjesfjeld

Greeno

Kim

Anderson

(2010) ‘Economic Stress, Social Support and Maternal Depression: Is Social Support Deterioration Occurring?’, Social Work Research 34(3): 135–43.

14.

Holling

C.S.

(1973) ‘Resilience and Stability of Ecological Systems’, Annual Review of Ecological Systems 4: 1–23.

15.

Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) (2012) Szociális Szolgáltatások Fejlesztése Prostitúcióban Élő Magyar Nők Részére Magyarországon És Svájcban – Helyzetkép És Teendő. Budapest: Sex Educatio Alapítvány. Available online at: http://sexeducatio.hu/index.php?subpage=iris2012_4 (accessed 15 December 2016).

16.

Lakey

Cohen

(2000) ‘Social Support Theory and Measurement’, in Cohen

Underwood

L.G.

Gottlieb

B.H.

(eds) Social Support Measurement and Intervention: A Guide for Health and Social Scientists, pp. 29–52. New York: Oxford University Press.

17.

Lin

Thompson

Kaslow

(2009) ‘The Mediating Role of Social Support in the Community Environment–Psychological Distress Link among Low Income African-American Women’, Journal of Community Psychiatry 37(4): 459–70.

18.

Hungary Prostitution – Associated Press Report (2007) Available online at: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/5eb60a0ae467065c55295c6bc76ab435 (accessed 15 March 2017).

19.

Qiao

Stanton

(2014) ‘Social Support and HIV-Related Risk Behaviors: A Systematic Review of the Global Literature’, AIDS Behavior 18(2): 419–41.

20.

Roby

(2005) ‘Women and Children in the Global Sex Trade: Toward More Effective Policy’, International Social Work 48(2): 136–47.

21.

Salgado

Castenada

Talavera

G.H.

Lindsay

(2012) ‘The Role of Social Support and Acculturative Stress in Health-Related Quality of Life among Day Laborers in Northern San Diego’, Journal of Immigrant Minority Health 14(3): 379–85.

22.

Sebhelyi

(2012) ‘A Prostitúcióban Élő Magyar Nők Keresztmetszeti Vizsgálata Magyarországon És Svájcban’, in Herzig

(ed.) IRIS: Szociális szolgáltatások fejlesztése prostitúcióban élő magyar nők részére Magyarországon és Svájcban – helyzetkép és teendő, pp. 58–78. Budapest: Sex Educatio Alapítvány.

23.

United States Department of State (2013) ‘Trafficking in Persons Report – Hungary’. Available online at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/51c2f3b818.html (accessed 15 December 2016).