Human rights matter: Knowledge and experiences among female sex workers in Davao City

• Main Author: Leyson, Maricar Billones
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2005
• Subjects: Human rights; Right to health; Sex workers > Philippines > Davao City; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/3318; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_masteral/article/10156/viewcontent/TG03951_F_Partial.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Human rights are commonly recognized in many societies and are considered inherent to human beings. However, when it matters women in sex work, such rights are deemed controversial. Studies on the human rights of sex workers particularly in the Philippine context remain scant. Numerous studies on sex work were heavily focused on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV/AIDS. Hence, this qualitative study aimed to investigate the knowledge/perception of human rights the experiences of human rights violations the actions taken and the outcomes of their actions among 15 selected sex workers aged 22 to 30 years in Davao City. The study has revealed anecdotal evidence demonstrating the awareness of sex workers on their human rights despite their social positions. Sex workers have experienced violations of human rights in varying forms and intensity. Violations of human rights experienced by the subjects of this study were perpetuated by a number of sources. The strong moral objections against their kind of work have brought them to this predicament. Issues of sex workers rights present ambiguity in the interpretation of human rights. The Philippine society sees sex trade as illegal, thus, makes the human rights of sex workers become a dilemma for the society and the law enforcers. Indeed, the state is in the bottleneck to guarantee such inalienable human rights to sex workers or not. Consequently, these women actively pursue independent means to demand their human rights.