Unwitting sex workers were sent by their agencies to men known for abuse for extra cash. Sometimes prostitutes were used simply to deliver cocaine or other drugs to people. Sex workers never received screenings for AIDS or sexually transmitted diseases and, on the contrary, were often pressured by both their agencies and clients to engage in risky sexual behaviors—again for more money. Prostitution ring leaders almost always "tried" a woman personally first before hiring her out for sex with others.
For several years, "Jennifer" worked for various so-called escort services in Northwest Florida. Now, she's one of the key witnesses in a major State Attorney-led investigation to put about 10 agencies in the region out of business and about 30 owners and operators behind bars.
Jennifer, who's real name has been changed for this story for her safety, recently came forward to the Independent News to discuss Northwest Florida's sex industry. It includes one mother-daughter operation, called Hidden Desires, that used a tool shed in their front yard on Palafox Street. It contained little more than a bed, TV and sex toys, to ply their trade.
During an hour-long conversation, Jennifer makes it clear that this is no Hollywood fairy tale, like "Pretty Woman."
"It's chaos. It's constant chaos," she says. "If you're not doing drugs, you're around people who are. People think you're living a glamorous life. There is no part about it that can possibly be seen as glamorous. It's sex with strangers. It's 24/7. It's dangerous. You can't maintain a regular, normal life."
...This really blew me away:
Health Risks
Jennifer, who admits having a sexually transmitted disease, also says sex workers' health is never a concern by the agencies or clients, who both pressure women not to use condoms and engage in risky sex acts.
"There's never any screening," she says. "It's hard for me not to laugh at that question about healthcare. Some girls never used any protection. You had to provide (healthcare) yourself."
Historically, sex workers have been blamed for transmitting AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. But it's difficult to determine precisely the incidence of AIDS infection among sex workers, or the prevalence of safer sex practices during sex transactions because they receive scant attention from both public health officials and researchers. Plus, the stigma and criminal actions attached to prostitution make reliable data hard to come by.
However, because a prostitute can typically have sex with 200 to 300 people a year and often engage in risky behavior, including drug use, they're thought to pose more of a health risk for AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
Some studies put AIDS among sex workers at the same national infection rate of other women—22 percent—with syphilis and hepatitis estimated at 25 to 50 percent and STDs, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes as high as 95 percent.
Sex with a prostitute is the third most common way for American men to contract the AIDS virus, some research reports. However, recent studies suggest the risk of contracting AIDS from a sex worker is probably no greater than the risk from a girlfriend.
Click here for full article, which is a must read:
http://www.inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=2684
GG
