NCJ Number
210578
Date Published
April 2005
Length
69 pages
Annotation
This report provides baseline information on the sex industry in New Zealand prior to the passage of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003, which decriminalizes prostitution and makes it subject to the same laws and controls that regulate other businesses.
Abstract
The report first presents the findings of a telephone survey of New Zealand police personnel in a position to provide information and insight on the sex industry in their jurisdictions. This is followed by the results of an audit of the number of advertisements for commercial sexual services conducted by the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective (NZPC). In addition, interviews were conducted with some members of the NZPC to obtain a fuller profile of the nature of New Zealand's sex industry. The police survey identified an estimated 383 sex businesses across the country, with massage parlors composing the highest number, followed by escort agencies and then rap/escort parlors. A total of 5,932 sex workers were identified in the areas canvassed. Sex businesses were concentrated in the Auckland Police District. The police survey estimated that there were approximately 200 underage sex workers, with some 60 percent being in the street sector. Non-New Zealander sex workers were considered a significant issue in the greater Auckland area. Some 25 percent of police respondents cited exploitation of sex workers in their area, including being targeted by drug dealers and being victims of unreported crime. There were 151 advertisements for commercial sexual services in Wellington and 469 in Auckland on July 4, 2003. The NZPC estimated that between 50 and 70 percent of sex workers operated in massage parlors, 20 percent in escort agencies, and 10 percent on the street or privately. The NZPC did not report significant numbers of underage sex workers. NZPC key informants indicated that exploitation of sex workers was most often due to employment conditions. 1 table, 20 figures, and appended interview schedules