Sex Work in the Early 21st Century – Law, Policy and Reality

The Sexwork in the 21st century meeting was intended to bring the topic closer to the interest of sociology of law after  the success with which the session on prostitution met at RCSL12 meeting during the ISA World Congress in Yokohama. The papers dealt with a  wide array of issues from the historical universals of the public narrative of prostitution to the peculiarities of legislative controversies currently under way in countries as different as Canada or Czechia. As with other human conduct a  hot debate emerged on whether this is a subject for quantification for research purposes. There is no single view on  paid sex and this was evidenced in our discussions but certainly there was agreement as to the  need for the intercultural and international exchange of perspectives and experience. The important point was raised that between the letter and silence of national law on the matter, there are always some definite practical policies at the local level that themselves raise  legal issues. Another focus was on the conceptual ambiguity that surrounds this sphere of life, that only seems from its appearance that it may be  amenable to strict delimitation.