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The study was based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 10 Israeli MWPWS who regularly visit various prostitution venues.
Accordingly, MWPWS may reevaluate their engagement in sex-for-pay, and their experiences of it may be reshaped in light of the pandemic. The study highlights the significance of developing ad hoc prostitution policy that supports the individuals involved in the sex industry—both MWPWS and the women who are paid for sex—during the COVID pandemic.
Furthermore, it suggests that prostitution policy should address the diverse experiences of MWPWS, beyond viewing them as merely offenders who should be punished, or re-educated. Besides its severe health implications, the public health measures imposed in an effort to prevent the pandemic from spreading sparked an unprecedented economic crisis Zhang et al. The enforced social distancing—arising from the movement restrictions and quarantines—discourage physical intimacy, especially between people who do not reside together Lopes et al.
In recent months, journalistic and opinion pieces in mainstream media have highlighted the challenges the sex industry is facing during CP Callander et al. These articles have mostly discussed the financial hardship of women who are paid for sex WPS as they are forced out of work and are usually excluded from financial support packages that are offered to individuals and business during CP.
