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There are still relatively few studies on job satisfaction and the quality of work among sex workers, partly due to the ideologies surrounding sex work. In this paper we move away from dichotomous thinking and investigate the professional experiences of indoor independent sex workers in Croatia against the background of criminalised context and gendered socio-economic realities. We look into sex workers’ motivations, perceptions and experiences, their control and safety strategies. The study shows that despite many structural constraints on the sex workers’ agency, all participants exercise some degree of autonomy and control over their working lives. The factors that seem to be the most relevant in terms of their ability to set up their own conditions, which in turn influences their experiences, are their economic situation, motivation and self-perception. Negative experiences mostly stem from criminalisation and stigmatisation of sex work, which affects women primarily, and creates more risks to their health and safety. The results of the study call for integrative policy approaches, which presuppose full decriminalisation of adult voluntary sex work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the growth of the sex industry in post-socialist Europe since 1989 and the lack of reliable data and research on sex work in the region. It highlights the outdated and repressive policies towards sex work in these countries, which are inconsistent and lack clarity. The article calls for further research and the revision of public policies on sex work to align with international human rights standards. The collection of articles in this special issue explores various aspects of sex work in Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, and Slovenia, highlighting the stigmatization and taboo nature of sex work and the experiences of sex workers navigating legal and structural constraints. [Extracted from the article]

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This article discusses the dilemmas faced in my research on prostitution. After describing the projects I have been undertaking in New Zealand and Croatia, it discusses the methodological and ethical issues I have been facing and the relevance of the legal and socio-cultural environments. In particular, it looks at the problems in securing access to the field and recruiting participants, the relationships with the participants, and the risks faced by the participants and the researcher. Following this, it summarises the lessons learnt and contributions that feminist socio-legal research centred on human rights can make for sex work scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]