Inusah Abdul-Hanan Saani, Ziblim Andrew Mpagwuni, Boah Michael
Department of Internal Medicine, Upper East Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga, Ghana.
Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
BMC Womens Health. 2025 May 30;25(1):266. doi: 10.1186/s12905-025-03816-x.
Sex work in Ghana is deeply intertwined with economic hardship, criminalization, and social stigma, which subjects female sex workers (FSWs) to significant vulnerabilities. In Ghana, many FSWs, particularly immigrants, face compounded challenges, including physical and sexual abuse, police harassment, and discrimination, which are exacerbated by their migrant status. This study aims to address the gap in understanding the specific lived experiences of transnational FSWs in Ghana, with a focus on the intersection of gender, migration, and economic vulnerability.
This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of transnational FSWs in Ghana's two largest cities, Accra and Kumasi. Participants were purposively selected through snowball sampling technique until thematic saturation was achieved, interviewing fourteen FSWs. In-depth interviews were conducted in English. Data collection took place in November and December 2024, with basic demographic data gathered at the beginning of each interview, and thematic analysis was employed to analyze the anonymized transcripts.
Economic necessity was the primary driver behind migration and entry into sex work for FSWs, with many revealing that promises of legitimate employment often led to coerced involvement into the trade. Participants also reported high levels of violence, including physical assault, theft, and sexual coercion from clients, often in isolated locations. They also experienced harassment and exploitation by law enforcement, which compounded their vulnerability. Additionally, discrimination based on nationality also exacerbated their vulnerability, as foreign FSWs were often treated more harshly than their Ghanaian counterparts by clients, police, and the public.
This study's findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive policy reforms that address the root causes of migrant sex work, including better economic opportunities for women and the decriminalization or regulation of sex work to protect sex workers from the risks associated with its illegal status, such as police harassment, exploitation, and lack of legal protections.
在加纳，性工作与经济困境、刑事定罪和社会污名紧密相连，这使女性性工作者面临巨大风险。在加纳，许多女性性工作者，尤其是移民，面临着多重挑战，包括身体和性虐待、警方骚扰和歧视，而她们的移民身份使这些情况更加恶化。本研究旨在填补对加纳跨国女性性工作者具体生活经历理解上的空白，重点关注性别、移民和经济脆弱性的交叉点。
本研究采用定性现象学方法，探索加纳两个最大城市阿克拉和库马西跨国女性性工作者的生活经历。通过滚雪球抽样技术有目的地选择参与者，直至达到主题饱和，共采访了14名女性性工作者。访谈用英语进行。数据收集于2024年11月和12月进行，在每次访谈开始时收集基本人口统计数据，并采用主题分析方法分析匿名的访谈记录。
经济需求是女性性工作者移民并从事性工作的主要驱动力，许多人透露，合法就业的承诺往往导致她们被迫涉足这一行业。参与者还报告了高水平的暴力行为，包括来自客户的身体攻击、盗窃和性胁迫，这些情况通常发生在偏僻地点。她们还遭受执法部门的骚扰和剥削，这加剧了她们的脆弱性。此外，基于国籍的歧视也加剧了她们的脆弱性，因为外国女性性工作者在客户、警察和公众眼中往往比加纳同行受到更严厉的对待。
本研究结果凸显了全面政策改革的迫切需求，这些改革应解决移民性工作的根本原因，包括为女性提供更好的经济机会，以及将性工作合法化或进行规范，以保护性工作者免受与非法身份相关的风险，如警方骚扰、剥削和缺乏法律保护。
