”Vilken inre styrka du har, du är verkligen en överlevare” : En kvalitativ studie om vilken roll stigmatisering har för socialt arbete med personer som säljer sex mot ersättning och/eller är utsatta för människohandel för sexuella ändamål

Sammanfattning: This study aims to examine social work with people that have experience from selling sex and/or sex trafficking, to show the impact of stigma in social work. The analysis is qualitative and based on semi-structured interviews with six people with experience from social work with this group. Our result showed that social work interventions can be found in three levels: community level, group level and individual level. The social work in this study tends to focus on the individual level, but we argue that it’s necessary to combine the three levels to achieve the best results. Another conclusion is that social work with this group is affected by stigma, therefore it is important to be inclusive. In this study we found that empowerment is a tool to work with stigma. It is important to work with stigma on every level, not to contribute to false stereotypes and to be aware of the language when meeting clients. To be able to focus on the individuals needs, we found that it was necessary to combine exit-strategies with harm-reduction. By doing this and at the same time include all levels in social work, it is possible to get in contact with people with experience from selling sex and offer interventions on their terms. This study aims to examine social work with people that have experience from selling sex and/or sex trafficking, to show the impact of stigma in social work. The analysis is qualitative and based on semi-structured interviews with six people with experience from social work with this group. Our result showed that social work interventions can be found in three levels: community level, group level and individual level. The social work in this study tends to focus on the individual level, but we argue that it’s necessary to combine the three levels to achieve the best results. Another conclusion is that social work with this group is affected by stigma, therefore it is important to be inclusive. In this study we found that empowerment is a tool to work with stigma. It is important to work with stigma on every level, not to contribute to false stereotypes and to be aware of the language when meeting clients. To be able to focus on the individuals needs, we found that it was necessary to combine exit-strategies with harm-reduction. By doing this and at the same time include all levels in social work, it is possible to get in contact with people with experience from selling sex and offer interventions on their terms.