Learning from clients

Abstract

This work resulted in a brand new research experience that allowed some good comparative efforts on trafficking for sexual exploitation as well as a first-hand investigation into the type, habits and preferences of clients of prostitution in selected European countries. The choice of these EU countries made it possible to compare legislative and policy models to manage or tackle prostitution as well as its undesirable violent component. There are clearly some limits in the research findings deriving both from the different geographic and historical contexts and from the slightly different methodological approach adopted by the research teams involved. The samples of intercepted clients show differences in cultural and economic background while their social networks are also divergent, representing the socio-cultural specificities of their countries of origin. The investigation of these networks was particularly useful in some country studies to frame the background where forced prostitution takes place and to analyse the different levels of criminal involvement of actors in the sex industry. At the same time, there are also similarities among the countries concerning the ethnic background of the involved prostitutes and the profiles of the exploitation actors such as pimps. © 2009 Springer New York.