TY  - JOUR
T1  - Poverty, migration and sex work: youth transitions in Ethiopia
A1  - van Blerk,Lorraine
AU  - van Blerk,Lorraine
PY  - 2008/6
Y1  - 2008/6
N2  - Despite an emerging body of work on youth transitions, research has yet to explore the often unconventional routes to adulthood for young people marginalised through poverty. By drawing on interviews with 60 young commercial sex workers in Ethiopia, this paper explores the connections between poverty, migration and sex work and demonstrates that sex work provides a risky alternative, but often successful, path to independence for some rural–urban migrants. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for policies that seek to support young sex workers by enabling them to maintain their independence while seeking different employment.
AB  - Despite an emerging body of work on youth transitions, research has yet to explore the often unconventional routes to adulthood for young people marginalised through poverty. By drawing on interviews with 60 young commercial sex workers in Ethiopia, this paper explores the connections between poverty, migration and sex work and demonstrates that sex work provides a risky alternative, but often successful, path to independence for some rural–urban migrants. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for policies that seek to support young sex workers by enabling them to maintain their independence while seeking different employment.
KW  - Ethiopia
KW  - Sex work
KW  - Rural–urban migration
KW  - Youth transitions
KW  - Young people
U2  - 10.1111/j.1475-4762.2008.00799.x
DO  - 10.1111/j.1475-4762.2008.00799.x
M1  - Article
JO  - Area
JF  - Area
SN  - 0004-0894
IS  - 2
VL  - 40
SP  - 245
EP  - 253
ER  -