The Prostitution Project: Community-Based Research on Sex Trading in North Minneapolis

Author: Martin, Lauren

Abstract: American society generally views prostitution as a transaction between two individuals. When sex trading occurs outside on the streets—and adults and children find condoms and witness sex acts taking place in alleys, in automobiles, at bus stops, and in parks—a broader community impact may be perceived, as it was in north Minneapolis earlier this decade. In 2005, a group of north Minneapolis stakeholders became fed up with the sex trade taking place on the streets of their community and were determined to see these transactions stop, or at least to happen somewhere else. At the time, the voices and experiences of those who trade sex were not yet part of the community discussion about how to stop prostitution. In 2005, I was hired to conduct The Prostitution Project, a large-scale, community-based research project on prostitution focused on developing solutions to the problem. By working with residents, businesses, law enforcement, as well as people who trade sex, this research found that sex trading is not simply a transaction between two individuals; it deeply impacts the broader community and is intertwined in complex ways with the systemic exploitation of those who are poor and vulnerable. Sex trading in north Minneapolis harms not only those who sell sex, but also the social fabric of families, neighborhoods, and the community. This article focuses mainly on research I conducted during the fall and winter of 2006 and 2007 with adults who trade sex. More than 150 adults who traded sex in North Minneapolis responded to our research recruitment flyer and came to my office in the community to complete a survey about their lives. Findings from this research were startling. People who trade sex in North Minneapolis experience extreme poverty, high rates of violence (including child sexual abuse, rape, The Prostitution Project: Community-Based Research on Sex Trading in North Minneapolis.

Keywords: sex trading, prostitution, community-based research, Minneapolis