Through her recent involvement in the fetish community, with an interest in BDSM, she met several sex workers. “I was 18 or 19 before I lost my virginity, so I wasn’t particularly sexually active as a teen.” A newcomer to the industryĭominique has been working full-time as a sex worker for eight months.Īs she talked about her life before entering the industry, she said she was not a promiscuous teenager and grew up in a fairly normal family. Ms Jennings said as new technology evolves, sex workers are very quick to use it.Ī quick scan of tweets promoting services in Adelaide reveals many of the workers have found ways around South Australia's advertising laws. there are now over 300 ads just in South Australia on that website.” The website I used at the time had three pages of adverts (36 individual ads). “When I first went private and I advertised on the net. “The amount of private sex workers has skyrocketed,” Ms Jennings said. Legislation also outlaws landlords renting properties to tenants for the purpose of sex work. The penalties are outlined in the Summary Offences Act 1953 – under part five, section 25. Under the Summary Offences Act 1953, the act of soliciting prostitution attracts a maximum penalty of $750, but those found to be living on the earnings from prostitution can be fined up to $2,500 or jailed for six months as an additional offence.Ĭlients of sex workers can be fined up to $1250 or jailed for three months for a first offence, with files and jail terms doubled for subsequent offences. Message boards, blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter have become the new medium for sex workers in Adelaide to peddle their wares.

In her time in the sex industry, Ms Jennings has seen just about every stereotype about the industry debunked. “We are supported wholeheartedly by SA Health and by the government in general but obviously we are still operating in a criminalised environment and that is our major stumbling block.” Busting sex work industry stereotypes She paid taxes and “ran it like clockwork”.Īfter seven years as a sex worker she was introduced to the Sex Industry Network (SIN), a support network for people in the business, and now manages the organisation. She worked casually in a brothel for six months before setting up privately.Īlthough her practice was illegal, Ms Jennings’ business was registered with an ABN. “It was something that intrigued me, rather than it being a need to go out and find money,” Ms Jennings said. She was introduced to the illegal trade while studying a degree at an Adelaide university. Sharon Jennings has been involved in the sex industry for just over 10 years.

Prostitution is illegal in Adelaide, but that doesn’t stop more than 1000 sex workers operating in secret in what is called the world’s oldest occupation.

Home Free by Sharon Jennings