Action research into sex work in the Hart van Brabant region during corona

Reason When the cabinet decided on March 23 that contact professions could temporarily not be practiced to get the coronavirus under control, this meant that sex workers also ceased their work. What was the impact of the intelligent lockdown on the situation of sex workers? Have the corona crisis brought to light matters that are not properly arranged structurally? And how are sex workers doing now that they have been allowed to return to work since July 1? Results Sex workers have found themselves in dire straits. They were often unable to claim emergency support, even though they had paid taxes. As a result, they had to use their savings and take out loans, among other things. Some sex workers decided to continue working, especially with regular clients or online. Many sex workers have now returned to work, but the clientele has not yet returned to the previous level for everyone. Income and mental well-being are also not yet at pre-corona levels. This lockdown period acted as a kind of stress test: many of the bottlenecks outlined have always existed, but have now been magnified. This offers the opportunity to do something about it. The policy recommendations in our report focus on supporting sex workers after the lockdown, on the possible situation that sex work will be prohibited again in the future, and on improving the position of sex workers in the long term.