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Documentary series on the realities of sex work in NZ


https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/the-secret-lives-of-sex-workers

New documentary series lifts the covers off the realities of sex work in NZ

15 years after prostitution was decriminalised in NZ, The Secret Lives of Sex Workers lifts the covers off the realities of life as a sex worker in NZ in 2018.

Each of the three short documentaries in the series produced by Storybox for TVNZ OnDemand give a first person perspective on different types of sex work: brothel, independent and street-based work. Through the stories of these sex workers we gain a unique understanding of the highs and lows of sex work, entertaining anecdotes and insight into the types of clients that frequent our sex industry, along with a recognition of the ongoing stigma the women face working in the “world’s oldest profession.”

An all women production crew was put together for the series, which created a rapport with the sex workers featured, as Producer Ruth Korver explains. "Having an all women crew helped put the sex workers at ease, and enabled them to talk about their experiences with an honesty and humour that might have been more difficult with men present on the shoot"

The series was made in conjunction with the New Zealand Prostitute Collective, who supported the production to find sex workers from a range of backgrounds and experience who were willing to share their stories.

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Jordan, is a high-end escort who first gave sex work a try when she was a student and sick of working on the minimum wage. “When I entered sex work I never had an end date, and I can’t believe that four-and-a-half years have already gone by and I’m still doing it, but I love it.”

Street-based sex worker Kayla has been working in the industry for over 40 years. She has seen the changes that legalisation brought and she is out and proud to be a sex worker. She hasn’t had the easiest life and has some personal demons but sex work has always given her her freedom and means where otherwise she might not have had any.

One episode gives the audience a behind the scenes view of the practicalities of running a brothel. Orchid, the owner is in an office like any other, writing up a client schedule on the whiteboard. She gives a tour of the bedrooms, pointing out the essential features. “So we’ve got impact tools, ball gags, gimp mask...heaters. It’s very important it’s warm - when you’re naked!”

Director Rachel Miller explains why she wanted to tell these stories. "There are so many stereotypes about sex workers. With 2018 being the 15 year anniversary of the Prostitution Reform Act, I wanted to show the real people behind the job, that sex work is just one part of their lives - they're balancing family, relationships and financial pressures like any other woman."

"There's a perception out there that women enter into sex work because they have no other options. While that may be the case for some, it was clear from the majority of the women we featured in the series that they've made a conscious choice to be a sex worker. One of the women had even qualified as a lawyer but chose to stay in sex work."

The documentary series provides a fascinating and unprecedented look at this taboo area of society, and poses challenging questions about the way we think and talk about sex work.

“I wouldn’t call myself an empowered sex worker. I’d say I love my job and I love what I do, and the confidence that I’ve built through it... Because you’re either a coerced sex worker or you have to be the ‘happy hooker’. No other job gets asked do you feel empowered? Why sex work?” Jordan, escort.

The Secret Lives of Sex Workers is live on TVNZ OnDemand.

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