The Stigma And Its Impact On The Psychological And Physical Health Of People In The Sex Industry - Essay Example

? WHAT IS STIGMA? HOW DOES IT IMPACT ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF PEOPLE IN THE SEX INDUSTRY? by of the of the Professor Name of the School City, State 2 April 2013 What is Stigma? The society has been an important group of people that play a big role in shaping the behaviour and forming an identity of people as they interact. The society, family members, communities, and friends lead to individuals’ discrimination when they make negative assumptions about other people’s lifestyle, based on the different versions of stereotypes that occur in their minds when associating an individual with certain factors. Some of these factors such as alcoholism, drug use, mental illnesses, sex industry activities, disability, addictions, and health illnesses (like HIV&AIDs) are perceived as character flaws and weaknesses in people, sometimes condemned and denied opportunities. A stigma is a well established socio and cultural phenomenon, which has been known to violate the human right for its devaluation and dehumanizing effects upon a targeted individual or group of people that ends up making them more disadvantaged in the society. According to Gray, “stigma is seen as a relationship between attribute and stereotype that links a person to undesirable characteristics which are manifested in social interactions” (2010, p. 688). Apart from an attribute, stereotype could be attached to the quality of behaviour, or the identity of the person that are either perceived to be abnormal or inferior within a social setting. This is based on the society construction and acceptance of particular behaviours or identities over others, which later form social divisions. Most people stigmatize others unknowingly by simple activities they engage in, in their daily lives. It simply starts with ignorance and overlooking the stigmatized victims while dealing with them, such that instead of attending or helping them solve the issues they view as problems, they subject them to shame, which pushes them to shy away from seeking help. For example, police officers could think someone is involved in sexual assaults simply because they are commercial sex workers, or employers get to fire an employee who is an alcoholic for fear of him being untrustworthy. Some medical practitioners could even have a negative attitude while treating sex workers for sexually transmitted diseases. The attribute associated with the stereotype could be a physical, functional, or psychological trait that brings out stigma as a socially construct deviance label. According to Green, a stigma is also seen as a “physical mark and non physical characteristics, such as homelessness or homosexuality… both signifying an individuals failure to live up to social and cultural ideal, whether by a physical blemish or by who they are – an identity” (2009, p. 14). People are known to stigmatize for various reasons, simply because the victims cannot reverse the situation they are in, they avoid, reject, and blame them for their situations to prove something (like enforce a social norm or suppress them so as to exploit and dominate them). Components of Stigma Stigmatization is caused by convergence of several factors that influence each other to disregard someone. These co-occurring components; labelling, stereotyping, othering, status loss, discrimination, and the influence of differential power between the stigmatisers and the stigmatized, accelerates the stigmatization effects (Green, 2009). Any different character, physical aspect or a condition that sticks out within the society attracts attention to be associated with a shameful public meaning, which labels the individuals differently. Effectively, the labelled individuals are associated with undesirable characteristics, arising from the developed negative stereotype that people disassociate from. The separation comes with references they are given while addressing them; literally taken lightly and unrealistic in words (like them or others verses us), but practiced in the physical nature. The perception by the people deprives them crucial factors that make them similar to others when it affects their status, creating room for disrespect, discredits and humiliations, self pity, and feeling of inferiority when among the people. According Link, labelled persons consequently experience discrimination, which manifests inform of exclusion, repulsion, disgust, and fear that embarrasses and humiliates them (2011). Some can be physically attacked or exterminated, especially in cases of sexual stigma where the power differential is propagated by heterosexism (structural sexual stigma). The power component act to perpetuate stigma through the available higher forces in the social and political domain, based on enforced policies or the acceptable norm. Impact of Stigma on Psychological Health of People in the Sex Industry Psychological health basically focuses on how people cope up, or how they are doing in response to a situation. It is an issue quite different from mental disorders though both influence each other; concerned with how people function and adapt while considering the satisfaction and productiveness in their lives (Mattiuzzi, 2008). With such reference, the stigma has both several consequences to the people operating in the sex industry, which affects their mood and probably their general behaviour. Depression and Isolation. This is usually based on the negative social reaction coming from those close to the sex workers right from homes or families to friends. When the relatives begin to alienate themselves, one begins to feel left out in the normal engagements. Some families where the home rules are strict cannot condone the sex workers and their activities, because their behaviour is judged from a moral point of view. It is therefore not difficult to reject an individual no matter how closely related by blood (sister, mother, brother etc) they are. The isolation hinders the social interaction of those who work in the sex industry with their relatives. As a result, the attachment developed as one grew up is destroyed and the sex workers left to themselves. Remember the families and friends are the closest people that one can run to in case of a problem; hence rejection creates loneliness and a feeling of emptiness in life. The hopelessness, helplessness, loss of supportive people, and sometimes the earlier stability within the setting as perpetuated by the social stigma cause depression, isolation, and a feeling of homelessness (Ditmore, 2006). The psychological effect could lead to other problems as the stigmatized person struggles to cope with the depression. Low self esteem. Although debatable, the labelling, stereotype, and perception upheld by the people over those working in the sex industry, degrades their lives from a normal standard of living. Some believe the low self esteem factor is a myth, but it is important to note that “some workers do find it challenging to maintain a healthy sense of self-worth in the face of the rejection and judgment they experience because of their work” (Power et al, n.d., p. 4) because the external and internalised stigma erodes their self esteem. The stigmatizing attitude has played a big role to portray various meanings associated with the industry operation, which not only humiliates, but belittles them to nothing, hence affecting their relation with the available institution in the social, economic, and political arena. As the society degrades them to ‘nobodies, dirty persons, and whores,’ the media accelerates their view by displaying stereotypical images of the sex industry work and personnel, which not only makes them the objects of negative attention, but silences them from seeking their right (Jeffrey and MacDonald, 2006). Although they try to speak out, their minority power is silenced by the majority people and institutions that have big influence. From a social context, the communities exclude them when they fail to view them as whole persons with abilities to engage in productive work. This makes the sex industry workers to feel inadequate, lesser, and lacking something to match up to the society’s standards. Anxiety. The sex workers lives among people who condemn and disassociate them are always very difficult. The feeling is that everybody is against them and anything that could happen is against their favour. Some workers get in the industry as a part time occupation to boost their well being; hence, while in their daytime or permanent jobs, there is always the speculation that the individuals and those around them have, which makes them feel unease and could even lead to the sex workers loosing their jobs. The stigmatised assume such questions as; just what are they thinking about them? How do they perceive them? Or what follows after? Because they are nervous, they would avoid the police, crowds, and even accessing other services because they want to escape the outside reactions. An outstanding example is that of bisexual, gay, and other members of the LGBT community, who get nervous when their sexual identities are exposed and disturbs the well being of their psychological health. Even if the policies in some nations approve the sexual relations of the same sex, there still remains the discomfort within the sex industry, because the majority of the people cannot comprehend nor tolerate their presence. Feeling of Guilt and self judgement. They are the most sensitive stigmas and often lead to a positive or negative reaction for the sex workers. The society ignores to understand why people would engage in the sexual activities, yet they understand the social and economic difficulties civilians in the world experience. Arguably, not because they are immoral as they perceive them (in any case they are no better since most of them conceal their unethical affairs), but because some get in the industry unknowingly or for economic survival. Stigmatizing their efforts to improve their lives or because of the inescapable situation they find themselves in makes them guilty in their lifestyle, and inflict self judgement upon themselves in job performance. According to Fick, in a study conducted in the sex industry, the participating sex workers admitted to experiencing feeling of guilt and self judgement, which are psychological distress, especially when they just began doing sex work (2006). The pornographic magazine production and distributors also feel the same way, because those they sell to view them as dirty and worthless persons, even though they are trying to make a living out of it. For those who make such judgements without giving it a clear thought, just what is better? Staying idle, or using the available means to be productive? Many people have migrated from their homes to foreign nations where commercial sex is legal to seek employment in the industry; they do not need to be humiliated for the occupations they chose, instead everyone should mind their peace. Because of the self judgement and the guilt, they fail to perform in their work, some loose it and others are forced to depart from the industry against their wish. However, the feelings become beneficial if the sex workers depart the lifestyle and access other better or equal paying jobs. Because of the society’s construction of the ideas in sex industry, the sex workers cannot be able to openly unveil their occupations, even to their families and friends who would condemn them. The shame and guilt promotes the concealing of their lives and jobs against their loved ones, who remain in darkness all along. The self judgement affects them psychologically and can cause them to commit suicide. Impact of Stigma on Physical Health of People in the Sex Industry Sexual abuse. Those people who work in the sex industry, especially the young and old women are often victimized in silence within the society. Some immoral civilians or gangs think because they are sex workers and the society norms do not uphold those activities, they can take advantage of them. They have therefore been raped severally and where the law has not legalized the commercial sex, their will and voice to seek help is suppressed, because no one would believe them anyway. According to the Urban Justice Centre, sex workers are often targeted and abused by criminals, who take advantage of their fear and ignorance to report attacks to the police, to avoid ending up suffering further injury or insult from them (n.d.). One of the reasons why stigma is so prevalent is because the law in most nations’ criminalize sex work, and when connected with the societies’ moral judgement, the ‘whore and homophobia’ stigma as they refer to it, generally affect the sex workers and expose them to sexual abuse. Like any other business, sex work involves negotiation in which they set their own rules and limits of services; while some can perform some activities, other cannot and so they should be respected and protected against those who intend to use them. Female sex workers are usually sexually assaulted in their work place and in their love life, which is a violation of their rights, and acts against their consent that expose them to sexually transmitted diseases. Women can suffer from chronic pelvic pain and other gynaecologic illnesses as physical damages to their health. Physical violence. It is a common problem for sex workers whether they work indoors or at the streets. According to Territo and Kirkharm, the effect of the legal restriction and social stigma surrounding work in the sex industry like prostitution, deny men and women in the industry the legal protection given to other citizens in their employment institutions (2010). With that reason, where the sex industry is illegal, the police, members of the public and some state actors consistently, physically insult, harass, and assault sex workers because chances of being condemned are few in the society that rebukes activities in the industry. Not once has it been heard of sex workers, especially the women being beaten up and abused by men (the clients) who solicited their services, but claimed that the sex workers had stolen from them. At such moments the public is usually against the sex workers instead of also questioning the dignity of those who buy sex. The public can turn violent against the workers to an extent of terminating their lives, because their acts are condemned. Violence is usually a manifestation of stigma commonly experienced in the sex industry; based on a research conducted in Namibia, Bangladesh, and India among others, there have been reported cases of street sex workers being beaten, sexually assaulted by force, choked, slashed, and even threatened with a weapon to offer sexual services (WHO, 2005). Because the sex work is highly stigmatized, those who perpetuate it (sex workers) are always easy targets of discrimination; hence considered immoral, carry the blame for all negative factors arising from it, and preserved as deserving the chastisement even if it occurs as a physical abuse. Uncomfortable relationships and vulnerability. Due the numerous sexual contacts with different clients, the sex workers remain highly vulnerable to risks of STD infections. Those who have a separate love life from their work could also be exposing their partners to infections and based on that, the founded relationship could be very uncomfortable for them. Referring to Samuels, Verma, and George, moral judgement about the sexual behaviour of people is one of the major sources of stigma associated with sex workers responsibility in spreading infections; hence the female and male sex workers experience severe forms of stigma because they are labelled as virus carriers, which reinforces the existing inequalities to cause their social exclusion and further marginalization (n.d.). Together with the verbal abuse and self judgement, the sex workers get to even conceal their identities from social networks, and could withdrawal from the sex work for society acceptance. Apart from affecting their physical relationships, the stigma limits their access to services such as medical treatments to maintain their health. It even becomes worse when there is double stigmatisation, as such from sex work and HIV infections. The medical practitioners who ought to assist them also contribute to the stigma, causing the sex workers to shy away in silence and hide their problems. Rather than offering them the counselling, treatment and therapies they require as equal humans, the medical officers’ attitudes and perception when they disclose their problems based on their sex work, negates their will and effort to seek health care. They wonder how they would be expected to receive help when they are viewed as the cause of the HIV & AID, other STIs and home breakups. Because of the stigma and the illegal status of the work in some countries, the sex workers are left with little control of their lives and health (both physically and psychologically). Considering that contracting STIs and being subjects of violence are among the extreme health risks of people working in the sex industry, they have no option, but have to learn to manage the stigma, if they want to overcome all the negative effects that come with it. References  Ditmore, M. H., ed., 2006. Encyclopedia of prostitution and sex work: A-N. Vol. 1. Westport: Greenwood publishing group. Fick, N., 2006. The Stigmatization of Sex Workers. [Online] Available at: http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/38524 [Accessed 2April, 2013]. Gray, R., 2010. Shame labelling Na Stigma: Challenges to Counselling Clients in Alcohol and Other Drug settings. [Online] Available at: http://www.academia.edu/368519/Shame_labelling_and_stigma_Challenges_to_counselling_clients_in_alcohol_and_other_drug_settings [accessed 1, April, 2013]  Green, G., 2009. The End of Stigma? Changes in the Social Experience of Long-Term Illness. New York: Routledge. Jeffrey, L. A., and MacDonald, G., 2006. Sex Workers in the Maritimes Talk Back. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press. Link, B. G., 2011. Stigma: Concept and Public Conception. [Online] Available at: www.neomed.edu/.../helpendstigma/link_stigma_and_mental_illness... [Accesssed 1 April, 2013]. 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