Q&A :: Red-light industry under the radar

photo - wikipedia/CC

A debate centered on moral issues has been overshadowing discussions concerning the labour rights of sex workers in Europe, says Agata Dziuban, sociologist from the Jagiellonian University, and co-founder of Sex Work Polska, a coalition fighting for the rights of sex workers in Poland.

Meanwhile, last year the Central Statistics Office (GUS) began calculating the revenue of sex workers into the country's GDP. The state is now also looking to target female tax evaders who cite sex work as a source of undocumented revenue. As it stands, the state cannot profit from sexual services delivered in exchange for compensation.

In a two-part interview, Agata Dziuban talks to Q&A host Alicja Baczyńska about the possible scenarios Polish lawmakers could consider addressing the situation of women working in the sex trade.

The activist also speaks out against the conflation of sex work and human trafficking.

"Maybe this is a strong statement but sometimes I think that we can consider all the anti-trafficking-related measures as part of the broader framework of anti-migration measures in Europe," Agata Dziuban claims.