Economic crisis leaves clients unable to afford high charges
Women entering from other sectors increases competition
BY Sumudu Chamara In a context where almost all informal sector jobs have been hit by the economic crisis, an investigation by The Morning revealed that Colombo District-based sex workers have seen a drastic drop in the number of clients over the past three months.According to the sex workers who spoke to The Morning over the past couple of days on condition of anonymity, the main reason for the drop is the economic hardships faced by their clients, in a context where the workers have been compelled to increase their charges significantly.Speaking to The Morning, several sex workers based in the Mount Lavinia, Maharagama, Nugegoda, and Piliyandala areas said that they are struggling to maintain their clientele, which consists mostly of male clients. They also said that in light of this situation, their clients are now demanding a change in the nature of services, i.e. sessions of shorter durations for a lesser amount of money, which they said they have had to provide to ensure no further loss in business.At the same time, women who worked in various other industries starting to work as sex workers, which sex workers who spoke to The Morning said is due to economic hardships, is likely to increase competition in the sector. Some sex workers fear that this development would affect their existing client base.Some sex workers are contemplating quitting their job and seeking alternative sources of income, while many have already done so. According to sex workers, male sex workers are also suffering due to this situation. Consequently, both male and female sex workers are now seeking better paying clientele, which has resulted in many of them leaving for foreign countries.Read full story on page 5
