Make sure you are not reinforcing existing stigmas when covering people who sell sexual services
There is a stigma attached to sex workers; people who provide sexual services in return for money or goods. Sex workers are subjected to violence, discrimination, legal oppression and other human rights abuses. Journalists should therefore take extra care when reporting stories that involve these people.
To help you get your reporting right, freelance journalist Iris Pase spoke to Dr Anastacia Ryan from the sex worker charity Umbrella Lane, providing advice for reporting on sex work for the IJNet.
Avoid using any terms that reinforce age-old stigmas towards sex workers, she writes, like "victim" or "prostitute".
"If you're unsure what a particular community prefers, you can shift the attention on to the person with expressions like 'people who sell sexual services' or 'people who engage in sex work'," it reads.
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