AIDS INFORMATION & SUPPORT CENTER



RESEARCH - PROSTITUTION IN ESTONIA, LATVIA AND LITHUANIA

SURVEY OF QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SEX WORKERS


During period of  01.04 - 01.10.2002 (6 months) following number of sex workers were anonymously and voluntarily questioned :

158 sex workers in Estonia
162 sex workers in Latvia
154 sex workers in Lithuania

Questioning was implemented and provided with help and support of outreach workers and doctors of Social Ailments Consultation Site "DEMETRA" in Vilnius, Lithuania; AIDS Information & Support Center in Tallinn, Estonia and Latvian Gender Problem Center "GENDERS" in Riga, Latvia.
 For the analyzing received results and making conclusions it is necessary to take in account following factors, which make difficult to compare the results in all three countries:
- all three groups of sex workers in all three countries were quite specific and different by age, place of work, habits, kinds of clients, conditions of work;
For example, in Lithuania the bigger part of sex workers, questionned has a very low "status", working previously  on streets in area of capital railway station and one of the common characteristic of those women is active intravenous drug use.
In Latvia they were also in biggest part street sex workers and call-girls, working mostly on Chaka street and bars of this area, but they "status" is comparatively higher among questioned lithuanian sex workers. And finally in Estonia they were sex workers, who usually works in bars, clubs, massage saloons, striptease clubs and brothels and who visited  AIDS Information & Support Center  for receiving medical and drop-in center services.
- also by giving the answers on some questions especially about  the age, condom  and lubricant use, freguentness of medical check-ups, testing on HIV and drug use sometimes the answers, it seems that the sex workers are influenced by several factors. For example sex workers illegal status (if they are not registered, like in Latvia) or if the sex workers were coming for visit to center (like in AIDS Information & Support Center)  accompanied by pimp or  brothels driver (bodyguard), who usually is waiting for the women in car.


The following indicators were researched through the questionnaire:
  1. AGE
  2. EDUCATION
  3. PERMANENT RESIDENCE
  4. NATIONALITY
  5. TIME IN SEX BUSINESS
  6. CONDOM USE
  7. PLACE OF APPLYING THE CONDOMS
  8. COST OF CONDOMS
  9. KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LUBRICANT
  10. REGULARITY OF VISITING  MEDICAL SERVICES
  11. MOSTLY VISITED SPECIALISTS
  12. MOST DANGEROUS DISEASES FROM SEX WORKERS VIEW
  13. FREGUENTNESS OF MEDICAL CHECK-UPS
  14. SEXUAL ABUSE IN CHILDHOOD (under 16 y.o.)
  15. SEXUAL VIOLENCE  DURING SEX WORK
  16. PLACE OF WORK
  17. DURATION OF SEX WORK
  18. TIME PLANNING TO WORK IN SEX BUSINESS
  19. FAMILY STATUS
  20. CHILDREN
  21. SEX WORKERS SERVICE NEEDS
  22. WISH TO RECEIVE MEDICAL SERVICES ANONYMOUSLY IN ONE PLACE (MEDICAL CENTER)
  23. TESTING ON HIV
  24. RESULTS OF  TESTING ON HIV
  25. PLAN TO WORK IN SEX  BUSINESS ABROAD
  26. EXPERIENCE WORKING IN SEX BUSINESS ABROAD
  27. KIND OF WORK ABROAD
  28. ALCOHOL USE 
  29. SMOKING
  30. DRUG USE                                          
1.
AGE 
 ESTONIA   21
 LATVIA    190
  LITHUANIA   24
Under 18      
 12%
 2%
 12%
18-24 
 46%
 72%
 30%
24-30 
 32%
 15%
 44%
30 and older
 10%
 11%
 14%

Comments:
The part of adolescent sex workers in sex business looks reduced in Estonia, but it is still comparatevily high and the doctors and medical nurses of AIDS Information & Support Centre think that the real number is still around 20% - by findings of  "Seastar" (1996-1999, 342 sex workers questionned)  26% of  sex workers were under 18 years old.  The low number of underaged sex workers in Latvia can be interpreted by constant control by police among those sex workers who work on the Chaka street ares. In generally sex business involve women in best "labour" and reproductive age - from 74% (18-30 y.o.) in Lithuania to 87% (18-30 y.o) in Latvia. 


2.
EDUCATION
 ESTONIA 
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
completed high school education 
 47%
45%
 43%
uncompleted high school education
 21%
 13%
 35%
completed applied high school education 
 23%
 35%
 10%
uncompleted applied high school education  
6%
 6%
 11%
university degree
 1%
 0,5%
 1%
uncompleted university degree     
 2%
 0,5%
 0%

Comments:
 Findings about the educational level of sex workers show clearly that the problem of prostitution concerns not only "low-educated" girls from the "poor families, affected by alcohol etc", but generally the women who received  are well educated - from 53% of those who has finished high school or applied high school education in Lithuania to 80% in Latvia.  It is only 13% of sex workers questionned in Latvia has no finished their studying in high school. Comparatevily high number of  those who were not finished highs school in Lithuania - 35% - can be explaned by the lower "status" of prostitutes questionned - IDU's working outdoor  near Vilnius railway station.


3.
PERMANENT RESIDENCE 
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA 
 LITHUANIA    
Capital
 48%
 75%
 40%
other in country 
  51,5%
 23%
 48%
other   
 0,5%
 2%
 12%

Comments:
The share of work field among local prostitutes and women who come outside the capital is nearly same in Tallinn and Vilnius, but in Riga the part of local sex workers is comparatevily bigger, probably because local sex workers are more easily able to over the burocratic boarders for registration. Also the number of sex workers outside the country in Lithuania is several times bigger (12%) then in Latvia and Estonia, which clearly shows that Lithuania is also country of destination of sex workers.
4.
NATIONALITY
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA
Russian
 75%
 84%
 50%
Estonian, Latvian or Lithuanian
 14%
 10%
 41%
Others
 11%
 6%
 9%

Comments:
5.
TIME IN SEX BUSINESS
  ESTONIA 
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA 
less when 1 month  
 13%
 17%
 1%
from 1 month to 6 months
 32%
 32%
 25%
from 6 months to 1 year
 35%
 21%
 19%
more then 1 year
 20%
 30%
 55%

Comments:

6.
CONDOM USE
 ESTONIA 
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
 Always us
 72%
 82%
 79%
In most cases use 
 27,5%
 18%
 20%
Rare use
 0,5%
 O%
 1%

Comments:

7.
APPLYING THE CONDOMS
 ESTONIA 
 LATVIA  
 LITHUANIA    
Apotheqes and medical centers
 64%
 84%
 29%
Booths
 11%
 1%
 52%
Sex-shops       
 8%
 46%
 2%
Others  
30%
 52%
 24%

Comments:

8.
COST OF CONDOMS
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA    
 LITHUANIA  
Normal
 83%
 94%
 24,5%
Expensive   
 14%
 4%
 75,5%
Cheap
 3%
 2%
 0%

Comments:

9.
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LUBRICANT 
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
not to know
 12%
 10%
 46%
to know     
 88%
 90%
 54%
from those use more or less constantly
 14%
 40%
 5%

Comments:

10.
VISIT MEDICAL SERVICES:
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
gynecologist
 54%
 86%
 96%
venerologist 
 84%
 63%
 56%
other doctors 
 16%
 10%
 12%
dont visit any doctor
 3%
 4%
 2%

Comments:

11.
MOST DANGEROUS DISEASES  (from sex  workers view) 
  ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
HIV/AIDS
 78%
 62%
 64%
lues     
 89%
 79%
 87%
chlamydia and gonorrhea  
36%
 46%
 60%
others  
17%
 14%
 12%

Comments:

12.
FREGUENTNESS OF MEDICAL CHECK-UPS
 ESTONIA  
LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
once in a month
 18%
 42%
 2%
from ones a month to half a year
 62%
 12%
 54%
once in half a year or more rare
 20%
 46%
 44%

Comments:

13.
SEXUAL ABUSE IN CHILDHOOD (under 16 y.o.) 
 ESTONIA   LATVIA
  LITHUANIA    
yes
 28%
 11%
 33%
no 
 72%
 89%
 67%

Comments:

14.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE DURING SEX WORK 
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA 
  LITHUANIA    
yes  
 46%
 86%
 98%
no 
 54%
 14%
 2%
   
Comments:

15.
PLACE OF WORK   
 ESTONIA 
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA  
club     
 24%
 19%
 12%
street     
 O%
 43%
 34%
massage saloon
 38%
 7%
 23%
striptease club  
 17%
 1%
 1%
call-girl  
 16%
 29%
 27%
other  
5%
 1%
 3%

Comments:
16.
DURATION OF SEX WORK
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
to half of the year  
 44%
 50%
 25%
to 1 year  
 24%
 21%
 27%
to 2 years  
23%
 22%
 48%
3 years and more 
 9%
 7%
 0%
                     
Comments:

17.
HOW LONG YOU PLAN TO WORK IN SEX BUSINESS 
 ESTONIA
  LATVIA 
 LITHUANIA 
half of the year    
 44%
 20%
 40%
1 year  
 36%
 9%
 27%
2 years 
 14%
 42%
 18%
3 years and more                                                 
 6%
 29%
 15%

Comments:
18.
FAMILY STATUS  
 ESTONIA  
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
Single 
 65%
 35%
 76%
Divorced 
 26%
 50%
 18%
Married 
 9%
 15%
 6%

Comments:

19.
CHILDREN
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA
no children  
 61%
 52%
 42%
1 children  
24%
 19%
 32%
2 children  
14%
 14%
 17%
3 children and more
 1%
 15%
 9%

Comments:

20.
SEX WORKERS NEEDS  
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA    
help of psychologist     
 24%
 70%
 39%
help of social worker  
 8%
 16%
 11%
medical services    
 86%
 84%
 98%

Comments:

21.
WISH TO RECEIVE MEDICAL SERVICES 
ANONYMOUSLY
IN ONE PLACE (MEDICAL CENTER)
 ESTONIA 
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA  

89%
 75%
 92%

Comments:

22.
DO YOU HAVE BEEN TESTED ON HIV
  ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA  
yes 
 80%
 84%
 72%
If so, 1-3 months ago?  
 41%
 57%
 39%
If so, 3-6 months ago? 
 36%
 25%
 42%
If yes, 6 months up to 1 year ago?
 16%
 14%
 15%
If yes, more then 1 year ago?
 6%
 4%
 4%
no
 20%
 16%
 28%

Comments:

23.
RESULT OF THE TEST 
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA  
 LITHUANIA
Positive
 1%
 0%
 1%
Negative
 54%
 62%
 72%
Dont want to answer
 45%
 38%
 27%

Comments:

24.
PLAN TO WORK IN SEX BUSINESS ABROAD  
ESTONIA 
  LATVIA
  LITHUANIA  
yes  
 71%
 58%
 64%
no
29%
 42%
 46%
from those, who want to continue sex work abroad:


% wish to go to the Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Italy
20%
 64%
 71%
% wish to go to the Scandinavia
 76%
 8%
 16%
% wish to go to other countries
 4%
 24%
 13%

Comments:

25.
HAVE YOU EXPERIENCE OF SEX WORK ABROAD?
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA
 LITHUANIA 
yes   
 31%
 37%
 26%
no   
 69%
 63%
 74%

Comments:

26.
WHAT KIND OF WORK IT WAS
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA  
 LITHUANIA    
legal  
12%
 18%
 11%
illegal
 88%
 82%
 89%

Comments:

27.
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
 ESTONIA
 LATVIA
  LITHUANIA    
every day
 7%
 14%
 8%
some days in a week
 34%
 6%
 59%
some days in a month       
 33%
 16%
 12%
rare
 22%
 64%
 21%
do not drink
 12%
 28%
 2%

Comments:

28.
SMOKE TOBACCO
 ESTONIA  
 LATVIA 
 LITHUANIA  
yes
 91%
 94%
 98%
no  
 9%
 6%
 2%

Comments:

29.
DRUG USE  
ESTONIA
 LATVIA 
 LITHUANIA    

23%
 20%
 76%
FROM THOSE WHO USE:


smoke cannabis
 24%
 35%
 9%
 inject 
 54%
 32%
 65%
use tablets 
 38%
 18%
 2%


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