Girl Child Sex Workers in Istanbul Metropolitan Area, Turkey: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study carried out in the Istanbul metropolitan area on Girl Child Sex Workers. Begun in 1998 in collaboration with Esin Kuntay, the study was originally undertaken to contribute to the small but growing body of literature on child sex work in countries around the world. As the first field survey carried out in this specific area of sex work in Turkey, it examines such basic, previously undocumented areas as the socio-economic profile of the Girl Child Sex Worker in Istanbul, the nature of the sex work, and the interpersonal relations that define it for this particular age group. Seeking to make a first, if exploratory, contribution to the field. Due to the exploratory nature of the project, the field work predictably uncovered issues and offered opportunities for the observation of phenomena beyond the origial design of the study. Despite their informality, these observations are incorporated in the paper with the aim of giving an idea of the scope of the potential research area opened up by this work. The paper examines factors influencing the Girl Child Sex Worker's working conditions, state of health, and control over the circumstances of her work. A close look is taken at the working experience of the Girl Child Sex Worker, taking into consideration f actors that may be at least as influential as the Girl Child's socio-economic background in shaping her decision to become, remain, and modifying her situation as, a sex worker.