Sex trafficking or shadow tourism?

The experience of women working in the sex and entertainment industry is an issue central to feminism and to social and human rights movements. Although now an area of scholarly research the clandestine nature of this industry makes research challenging and means many aspects remain unknown. It is therefore important to document the experiences of these female sex workers. In this book we highlight the experience of Korean sex industry workers in Australia. We report on recent trends in migration and draw attention to the fact that increasing numbers utilise ‘working holiday’ visas to work in the sex and entertainment industry and that under Australian law this practice is essentially legal. We examine factors involved in their coming to Australia and whether they were trafficked or coerced into service; the nature of their service and details regarding the conditions of their work. We also track how the respondents use (or fail to use) various social and health services and ask about their key concerns, hopes and plans for the future. Findings from this study aim to inform recommendations to policy makers in relevant government and nongovernment community service organisations.