Twenty-eight-year-old Rhani tried brothels, but the owners expected her to work ten-hour shifts with no break. They also pressured workers into unsafe sex, and paid poorly.
"They control workers by not giving them shifts," explains the sex worker from Melbourne, Australia. "And if you complain about being asked for natural sex [without a condom], you won't get another shift."
Rhani has spent most of her career avoiding brothels, aside from a stint during university. This means she is practicing outside the law: In the Australian state of Victoria, street work is illegal. But she found legality didn't make for better conditions.
"Brothels are like cattle calls," Rhani says, reflecting on the brief stints during university that she tried them. "You have to wear lingerie, and some ask you to wear stilettos too. There are six girls on, and we all have to do an introduction. You're in your underwear… most guys just want to cop a feel and leave, and some boys just come in for a perve."
There is also no payment unless you get a booking. "You don't get paid to wait until clients turn up. Just for the jobs."
These days, Rhani works privately—mainly from hotel rooms. She says it affords her a greater sense of control over her safety. "They come to me," she says. "I know who's in the hotel, I know where everything is. I do a screening process before I get them to come up. I'd say no if they were too drunk or demanding on the phone."
Read more on Broadly
Advertisement