Family backgrounds of teenage female sex workers in Istanbul metropolitan area

Abstract

The International Labour Organisation aiming to eliminate child labour is directing special attention to one of the most intolerable and abusive form; juvenile prostitution. The strategies addressing to this serious social problem call for the protection, rehabilitation and resocialisation of these young women who are confronted with great traumatising behaviour and hurt themselves. In the current climate of the power structure an individual, especially an underage person, may easily cede control of her/his life circumstances to the dominating influence of the market in a modernising world. A person during childhood is vulnerable and for her, the danger of being exploited is greater. Taking all this into consideration, it is not wrong to describe juvenile prostitution as 'forced labour'. This paper will explore the family backgrounds of teenage female sex workers in the Istanbul metropolitan area. The stories told by female sex workers reveal many unfavourable conditions in their homes. Parental use of intoxicating substances, neglect, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, violent parenting are commonly observed in the lives of these girls. The turbulent home lives display why these girls abscond and are trapped by the illegal world of underground prostitution. The material presented here is based upon data accumulated in a study undertaken in Istanbul in 1998.(1) Grounded theory approach to qualitative research was adopted in the study. Data was gathered through in-dept interviews with 30 participants between the ages of 14-18. The locations, where the interviews were conducted are some of the main police bureaus of the Istanbul police headquarters and the Venereal Disease Hospital. We interpret our findings of the family backgrounds of the participants in terms of the values and norms salient in the Turkish culture, relating to the child rearing practices. The patriarchal fancily structure, gender issues such as the concepts of virginity, honour also come into play in our analyses. This is a study on a very sensitive topic. Thus this paper also addresses to some important methodological concerns and points out to some preventive measures and intervention methods.