Sex Work and the City: The Social Geography of Health and Safety in Tijuana, Mexico

Notes

Notes Introduction 1. An excellent collection and review of feminist geography can be found in Nelson and Seager (2004). 2. The International Labor Organization estimates that up to 1.5 percent of the world’s female population is engaged in commercial sex work (Lim 1998). 3. A recent news article argues that the brothel industry is one of the only recession-proof industries (Cnn Money 2002). Signs of growing profitability and acceptance include the integration of the pornography industry with cable and hotel conglomerates in the United States, and the world’s first publicly listed brothel to sell shares to stockholders. 4. See, for example, Anglin (1998); Baer et al. (1986); Baer et al. (2003); Doyal (1995); Escobar (1995); Farmer (1992, 1999, 2004); Farmer et al. (1996); Herdt (1997); Goldstein (1994); Parker (1991, 1999); Parker et al. (2000); Singer (1990, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2001); and Sobo (1995). 5. These interviews took place with health care providers, advocates, epidemiologists , psychologists, economists, historians, and the secretary of tourism for Baja California. They helped me understand and clarify a variety of aspects of the sex industry that would have been impossible otherwise. For many of these interviews, a return visit was needed to collect additional information or clarify information provided previously. This process, while it revealed shared or disputed understandings of the sex industry in Tijuana, was extremely time intensive because of scheduling and transportation issues. All collaborators received a copy of my research findings in compensation for their time and efforts. 6. I made some exclusions on the basis of practicality or access. To remain more focused, these targeted samples do not include outlying areas of the city, where sex workers sometimes go to work (i.e., smaller red light neighborhoods in other areas of Tijuana–La Mesa, La Presa, etc.; or the nearby towns of Tecate, Rosarito, and Ensenada). I also assessed work venues and locations as potential recruitment sites in terms of ease of access and personal danger. There were some areas, such as the fence, wash, gutters, tunnels, and underpasses, which I decided were too dangerous. Last, I did not include less formal sex workers (part-time occasional work, sex with casual partners for money or presents) or retired sex workers. Only full-time sex workers who relied primarily on their income from sex work during the previous six months were recruited for this study. Other workers were excluded as a result of various events in the field. I failed to recruit participants using ads for call services (newspaper, Internet, escort agencies). Workers in this area are notoriously difficult to reach, as they have built-in strategies meant to ensure confidentiality. I approached eighteen call service workers by phone, and all declined a request for an interview. I did not approach sex workers working on the beach in my neighborhood because they were involved in a number of relationships within my neighborhood social network.They were generally reluctant to identify themselves as sex workers in their social circle (outside of work), and I felt their confidentiality would potentially be compromised by participation in this study. 7. See Jensen and Rodgers (2001) and Yin (1994) on the general importance and use of the case study method. 8. After an initial training on specimen collection, saliva samples were collected using Orasure and then transported to the San Diego County Health Department for testing on a weekly basis. The HiV-1 antibody status of saliva samples was tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by Western blot. Participant results were linked to surveys through a unique numerical code, given to each participant so that they could retrieve their test result. All participants returned for their test results and received follow-up counseling. 9. Illegal sex workers were less likely to have ever received an HiV test and less likely to have access to municipal or private health services. HiV testing was viewed as a valuable, tangible contribution by participants; even legal workers who had recently received HiV tests from the city clinic specifically requested HiV tests through this study as a sort of second opinion. There is widespread (not completely unfounded) mistrust of the quality of city health services. 10. nuD*ist (Non-numerical Unstructured Data Indexing, Searching, and Theorizing) is used to generate new theories or revise existing theories. It is used to browse and code categories and subcategories within narratives, to index hierarchically , to identify words and patterns to create an index, and to add memos to codes and...