Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services , performances, or products for material compensation. The transaction must take place between consenting adults of the legal age and mental capacity to consent and must take place without any methods of coercion, other than payment.
Furthermore, some prefer the use of the term because it grants more agency to the sellers of these services. In , a Medline search and review of "prostitution" articles was conducted in order to create a global typology of types of sex work using arbitrary categories. Twenty-five types of sex work were identified in order to create a more systematic understanding of sex work as a whole. Prostitution varies by forms and social contexts, including different types of direct and indirect prostitution.
This study was conducted in order to work towards improving the health and safety of sex workers. Types of sex work include various consensual sexual services or erotic performances, [ 9 ] involving varying degrees of physical contact with clients:. Full criminalization [ citation needed ] of sex work is the most widely practiced legal strategy for regulating transactional sex. In the United States, in which each state has its own criminal code , full contact sex work is illegal everywhere, sex work using a condom is legal only in parts of Nevada; non-contact sex work is a gray and confused area.
Under full criminalization the seller, buyer, and any third party involved is subject to criminal penalties. This includes anyone who profits from commercial sex in any location or physical setting. Criminalization has been linked to higher rates of sexually transmitted infections , partner violence, and police harassment. According to research conducted by Human Rights Watch , criminalization has sex workers more vulnerable to rape, murder, and discrimination due to their marginalized position and ability to be prosecuted by the police even if they come forward as a victim.
Partial criminalization [ citation needed ] allows for the legalization of both the buying and selling of sex between two consenting parties but prohibits the commercial selling of sex within brothels or public settings such as street solicitation. This has the unintended consequence that it criminalizes the coalition of sex workers, forcing them to work alone and in less safe conditions.
