22 July 2025

Multiple Forms of Violence: The Impact on Women Who Engage in Prostitution

Violence against women is a reality present worldwide, affecting all generations, nationalities, communities, and social classes, regardless of factors such as age, ethnicity, disability, or other conditions. It is a crime that has profound repercussions on the physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health of those who suffer from it.

In this article, we aim to highlight the multiple forms of violence faced by women who engage in prostitution, drawing on the experience of the Askabide Association, located in northern Spain. These women are among the most exposed to diverse and repeated forms of violence, due to a combination of personal factors, habits, and living conditions that increase their risk. The social stigma attached to them relegates them to a lower status, reinforcing their isolation, silencing their experiences, and heightening their vulnerability. Furthermore, this is a widely unknown and silenced phenomenon by much of society, which hinders its visibility and the development of appropriate responses.

We invite you to read this article with an open and receptive mindset, as making these types of violence visible is the first step toward combating them.

According to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 30% of women worldwide, 1 in 3, have been victims of physical and/or sexual violence by a partner, or sexual violence perpetrated by another person, excluding sexual harassment (World Health Organisation, 2024). These figures rise to 50% when other forms of violence against women are included, such as sexual harassment, cyber-bullying, or stalking, according to the 2019 Macro Survey on Violence Against Women conducted by the Government Delegation against Gender Violence.

Women who experience multiple, intersecting forms of discrimination - related to sex, age, social class, disability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity, or migration status - are especially vulnerable to different types of violence. This risk is exacerbated in settings such as prostitution, where exposure to violence is even greater.

The frequency with which women engaged in prostitution experience situations of violence, along with the misunderstanding and abandonment they endure after such assaults, contributes to many of them accepting this violence as inherent and enduring its consequences in silence. Although most clearly identify these forms of violence, there remains a certain degree of normalization of some risks and a lack of clearly defined boundaries within this context.

On many occasions, after suffering an assault, the credibility and testimony of these women are questioned due to the nature of their activity, precisely at moments when they should be receiving protection. This is compounded by a lack of awareness of the specific resources available for cases of gender-based violence, as well as difficulties accessing social and legal services, whether due to administrative barriers, irregular immigration status, or a lack of understanding of judicial procedures.

It is essential to understand the risks and types of violence experienced by women who engage in prostitution in order to better approach the challenges they face in accessing justice and the situation of impunity in which they find themselves.

Barriers to Reporting

According to UN Women, less than 40% of women who experience violence seek any form of help (UN Women, 2023).

The reality faced by many women in prostitution, given the conditions and locations where they work, is one of structural vulnerability, whether they decide to file a complaint or not. Often, after suffering an assault, their testimony is questioned precisely because of the activity they engage in, at times when they should be receiving the most support. Moreover, the insistence by agents and institutions that they must report these acts, without adequately considering their circumstances and needs, reflects a profound misunderstanding of their realities.

In many cases, women believe that filing a complaint will only worsen their situation, as they do not trust that such action will lead to a real solution or provide effective protection. The lack of guarantees against possible retaliation, especially in public spaces where they remain exposed to the aggressor, leads them to choose not to report. Instead, they adopt self-protection measures, such as changing the areas where they engage in prostitution or establishing mutual surveillance networks among peers.

It is essential to consider the risks women face when filing a complaint. Often, the absence of effective security measures in the environments where they engage in prostitution—such as clubs, apartments, or public spaces—increases their exposure to retaliation. This is compounded by a widespread perception of impunity, as reparations for harm rarely result in proportionate convictions or judicial responses that genuinely address the needs and demands of the affected women.

Furthermore, it is important to highlight that new risks continuously emerge for these women, especially those linked to the implementation of new technologies, which have intensified considerably following the pandemic, during which new forms of violence arose and existing ones deepened.

Pandemic and Prostitution: New Forms of Violence

The health and economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the extreme fragility and exposure to multiple forms of violence experienced by many women involved in prostitution. The loss of their sole source of income, the absence of social or family support networks, and barriers to accessing social and economic protection mechanisms that could ensure coverage of their basic needs and those of their families forced many to engage in clandestine prostitution, thereby increasing their vulnerability.

During the pandemic, some women explored new ways of offering sexual services without physical contact, such as video calls or the use of digital platforms, with the aim of reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. However, this alternative also gave rise to new problems and forms of violence, such as cyberbullying, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and extortion.

It is undeniable that the use of technology is profoundly transforming the supply and demand of paid sexual services. Beyond the direct provision of services through social networks or video calls, technology has driven a model of delocalized prostitution that no longer requires fixed physical infrastructure. In this model, women make contact through digital means and travel to various locations based on the demands they receive.

Nonetheless, this modality, which coexists with more traditional forms of prostitution, generates new risks. It further isolates women, leaving them in a situation of greater vulnerability and lack of information, and increases their exposure to situations that may endanger their freedom, physical integrity, and autonomy.

In this context, the IMPROVE project has developed the AinoAid tool, based on artificial intelligence, which serves as a valuable resource for women engaged in prostitution to recognize the various types of violence, learn about their rights, and access institutions that offer support and guidance throughout their processes safely and anonymously. This demonstrates that the use of new technologies, while carrying certain risks, can also provide significant benefits when applied with an approach centered on support, protection, and the guarantee of rights.

Conclusion

It is essential to continue consolidating efforts in the fight against the multiple forms of violence affecting women engaged in prostitution, as significant challenges persist both in the effective enforcement of existing laws and in the design and implementation of preventive strategies. Naming and making visible the different manifestations of violence constitute a crucial step toward their eradication.

Likewise, it is key to promote empowerment processes, both individual and collective, that foster transformations at a personal level while simultaneously strengthening support networks and spaces for social participation for these women. Such processes will enable them to claim and fully exercise their rights within society.

Finally, only an approach centered on support, information, understanding, and respect for each individual’s process can foster a gradual change in the perception of reporting, as well as in the effective recognition of their rights following an assault and in their trust in the protection and justice system.

Forms of Violence in Prostitution

Within the context of prostitution, it is essential to understand the risks and the different types of violence that women face, both in their direct and structural dimensions. This knowledge is crucial for professionals working in social intervention, health, security, and justice, as well as for policymakers and society at large, in order to design more effective responses, ensure their protection, and promote the defence of their rights.
In this area, it is possible to distinguish between direct violence, which is explicitly inflicted on the bodies and lives of women, and structural violence, which arises from social, economic, and legal factors that perpetuate their vulnerability.

Direct Violence:

  • Physical: assaults such as hitting, grabbing, attempts of suffocation, sexual abuse or assault, and detention against their will.

  • Psychological: insults, threats, sexist humiliations, coercion through drug use, harassment, unfounded accusations of theft, as well as deception or scams related to the type or price of the service.

Additionally, it is important to highlight the risk of murder or trafficking for the purpose of forced prostitution, which represents one of the most extreme and severe forms of violence they may suffer.

Structural Violence:

  • Lack of credibility given to their testimonies.

  • Revictimization and social invalidation of their experiences.

  • Criminal impunity in the face of assaults suffered.

  • Deeply rooted sexist and racist stereotypes.

Sources

  • Government Delegation for Gender-Based Violence, Sub-Directorate General for Awareness, Prevention and Studies on Gender Violence. (2020). 2019 Macro-Survey on Violence against Women. Ministry of Equality. https://violenciagenero.igualdad.gob.es/wp-content/uploads/RE__Macroencuesta2019__EN-1.pdf

  • UN Women. (2023, December). Facts and figures: Ending violence against women. https://eca.unwomen.org/en/stories/explainer/2023/12/facts-and-figures-ending-violence-against-women

  • World Health Organization. (2024, March 25). Violence against women. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women

About the authors

Sandra González Cabezas is a Social Educator at Asociación Askabide. She also holds a degree in Translation and Interpreting and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Social Work, Welfare State, and Social Intervention Methodologies.

Her background in gender equality and in sex and emotional education, together with her professional experience, shape her main interests as well as her commitment to supporting women through an intersectional approach.

For more information about Asociación Askabide

Marian Arias Roncero is a Psychologist and Social Educator with over 30 years of experience in social intervention, specializing in women, social exclusion, prostitution, and gender-based violence. She is the Director and leader of innovative social projects at the Asociación Askabide in Bilbao, Northern Spain.

 

Marian is also a regular speaker at universities, public institutions, and professional events. She is deeply committed to human rights, gender equality, and social transformation through the Third Sector.