Introduction Sex work in Peru has gained visibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic and migratory flows. Despite its growth, institutional responses focus on punitive control and fines rather than rights. This research examines how regulatory frameworks and stigma configure conditions of marginalization. Methods This qualitative study followed the phenomenological method to reconstruct representations from sex workers’ narratives. Fifteen women from Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador were interviewed using semi-structured guides. Data collection reached theoretical saturation through virtual and in-person interviews. Results The analysis demonstrates that social representations of sex work operate as power structures that reproduce marginalization across multiple life domains. In health services, workers encounter judgment and discriminatory treatment that functions as a barrier to decent medical care. Stigma also impacts family and educational settings, leading to the bullying of workers’ children and the fragmentation of intimate support networks. For migrant workers, the intersection of nationality and occupation creates a “double sentence” of discrimination and fear of deportation. Furthermore, institutional practices such as police extortion and the lack of labor rights reinforce a cycle of vulnerability and invisibility. Conclusions Sex work is structured by systematic violence embedded in legal arrangements. Exclusion functions as a governing mechanism that regulates mobility and access to resources. The withdrawal of state protection creates regulatory vacuums occupied by criminal networks. Policy Implications To address these systemic failures, the study argues for a structural shift toward the legal recognition of sex work as labor, allowing for integration into national social security and labor protection systems. This reform must include the repeal of stigmatizing municipal ordinances that use fines as tools for social displacement. Additionally, the state should design intersectional public services, such as stigma-free healthcare protocols, accessible childcare, and specialized legal assistance for migrant populations. Providing educational scholarships and technical training is also essential to offer genuine economic mobility and alternatives for those seeking different life trajectories.

Sex Work, Stigmatization, and Political Action: Social Representations and Demands toward the State

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发表日期：

2026年3月27日

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Jaime Ruben Olivas Vera

摘要

Introduction

Sex work in Peru has gained visibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic and migratory flows. Despite its growth, institutional responses focus on punitive control and fines rather than rights. This research examines how regulatory frameworks and stigma configure conditions of marginalization.

Methods

This qualitative study followed the phenomenological method to reconstruct representations from sex workers’ narratives. Fifteen women from Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador were interviewed using semi-structured guides. Data collection reached theoretical saturation through virtual and in-person interviews.

Results

The analysis demonstrates that social representations of sex work operate as power structures that reproduce marginalization across multiple life domains. In health services, workers encounter judgment and discriminatory treatment that functions as a barrier to decent medical care. Stigma also impacts family and educational settings, leading to the bullying of workers’ children and the fragmentation of intimate support networks. For migrant workers, the intersection of nationality and occupation creates a “double sentence” of discrimination and fear of deportation. Furthermore, institutional practices such as police extortion and the lack of labor rights reinforce a cycle of vulnerability and invisibility.

Conclusions

Sex work is structured by systematic violence embedded in legal arrangements. Exclusion functions as a governing mechanism that regulates mobility and access to resources. The withdrawal of state protection creates regulatory vacuums occupied by criminal networks.

Policy Implications

To address these systemic failures, the study argues for a structural shift toward the legal recognition of sex work as labor, allowing for integration into national social security and labor protection systems. This reform must include the repeal of stigmatizing municipal ordinances that use fines as tools for social displacement. Additionally, the state should design intersectional public services, such as stigma-free healthcare protocols, accessible childcare, and specialized legal assistance for migrant populations. Providing educational scholarships and technical training is also essential to offer genuine economic mobility and alternatives for those seeking different life trajectories.