Accessibility links
sex workers sex workers
Stories About

sex workers

The invisible lives — and deaths — of the children of sex workers
Franziska Barczyk for NPR

Goats and Soda

The invisible lives — and deaths — of the children of sex workers

Children of sex workers are a neglected population facing serious health issues and at risk for premature death. A new effort sheds light on a group that's often missing from official data.

The invisible lives — and deaths — of the children of sex workers

Listen · 4:33
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1249325097/1249326072" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
How The Pandemic Has Upended The Lives Of Thailand's Sex Workers

Above: N., a sex worker at a bar in Pattaya, Thailand. The sex trade has offered good-paying jobs for many people from rural areas who were facing a life of tending rice paddies and digging up cassava roots. Allison Joyce for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Allison Joyce for NPR

Goats and Soda

How The Pandemic Has Upended The Lives Of Thailand's Sex Workers

Many of them left rural areas to earn their living in the sex trade and send money home to help their families. COVID-19 restrictions have changed all that.

Germany Bans Prostitution During Pandemic. Sex Workers Say That Creates New Dangers

The entrance to Herbertstrasse, the heart of the red-light district in Hamburg, Germany. Prostitution is legal in Germany, but the coronavirus pandemic prompted lawmakers to ban sex work in March. Rob Schmitz/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Rob Schmitz/NPR

The Coronavirus Crisis

Germany Bans Prostitution During Pandemic. Sex Workers Say That Creates New Dangers

Prostitution is legal in the country, but lawmakers have banned it to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Sex workers say that has put them at risk, and they want to work legally again.

Germany Bans Prostitution During Pandemic. Sex Workers Say That Creates New Dangers

Listen · 4:33
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/905392256/907811904" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Taunted As A 'Sissy Boy,' Siddharth Dube Shares His Life Story In New Memoir

Siddharth Dube, a longtime public health advocate, has written a memoir: An Indefinite Sentence: A Personal History of Outlawed Love and Sex. Hindustan Times/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Hindustan Times/Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Taunted As A 'Sissy Boy,' Siddharth Dube Shares His Life Story In New Memoir

The public health advocate came of age in India when homosexuality was outlawed. He reflects on his experiences in An Indefinite Sentence: A Personal History of Outlawed Love and Sex.

Queen Honors Activist Who Fought To Decriminalize Prostitution

Catherine Healy, a former sex worker turned advocate is being made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II, for work championing the rights of those in the sex trade. Courtesy of Catherine Healy hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Catherine Healy

The Two-Way

Queen Honors Activist Who Fought To Decriminalize Prostitution

Catherine Healy has spent more than 30 years as an activist and was instrumental in drafting legislation that legalized prostitution in New Zealand. Now she's becoming a dame.

In France, It's Now A Crime To Pay For Sex

Protesters hold signs reading, "Prostitutes are angry. Don't touch our clients," during a protest Wednesday in Paris against legislation combating prostitution and sex trafficking. Thibault Camus/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Thibault Camus/AP

The Two-Way

In France, It's Now A Crime To Pay For Sex

The country has passed a law meant to be a comprehensive approach to reducing sex work. But some sex workers say it puts them at greater risk. Clients will be fined about $1,700 for the first offense.

Will A Sting, A Court Award And A Protest Help Stop Global Sex Trafficking?

The Daulatdia brothel is the largest in Bangladesh, with more 2,000 prostitutes. Many arrived here after being kidnapped by gangs, sold by family members or lured with promises of good jobs. Lisa Wiltse/Corbis hide caption

toggle caption
Lisa Wiltse/Corbis

Goats and Soda

Will A Sting, A Court Award And A Protest Help Stop Global Sex Trafficking?

Stories of trafficking — including a sting using a "Walking Dead" actress — are making headlines. An expert talks about the practice, which victimizes millions around the world.

Browse archive or search npr.org