Female sex worker’s children: their vulnerability in Iran

This qualitative study used a narrative approach to address the vulnerabilities and problems experienced by the children of sex workers in Iran. A purposive sample of women who were referred to drop-in centres were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews. An analysis of the data identified 8 main themes and 12 sub-themes, most of which related to risks and harm being perpetrated on the children of sex workers. The main risk to these children was the likelihood that they would escape from home and become sex workers themselves. Also identified as problematic was the risk of child labour, becoming members of offending groups and becoming a member of a brothel.

Social Work or Relief Work? A Crisis in Professional Social Work

Social work is a sharing and caring profession based on scientific methods. This problem solving profession makes people self-reliant and self-dependent when he/she is in any sorts of crises. Thus, it differs from relief work, social services or social welfare delivered during emergence crises. This paper examined the application of professional social work as relief work, which did not bring any change among the beneficiaries; rather it set their mind as opportunist. For this purpose, the programme sponsored by the government of India and implemented by nongovernmental organizations for rehabilitation of the street children (i.e., pavements and slums dwellers, children of sex workers, and so forth) of Metro cities like Kolkata had priority. This evaluative study assessed the progress and changes among 500 street children who were the beneficiaries for 10 years of the programme, selected according to their parental residents/occupation through stratified sampling. Interviews, case studies and group interaction were used to collect data on various aspects, i.e. personal background, education, and occupation of these children. It revealed that after almost 10 years of services, the problem of children was static. Firstly, service delivery system was as relief work. The methods of social work were not implied while the professionals were in implementation. On the other hand, the scope of monitoring and evaluation of the programme by government was suspended due to several reasons. Definitely, the politicalization in human development would be restricted. The problems of suffering would be root out and it should not be a continued process.

Study and Comparison of Aggression and Anxiety Symptoms among Child Labour and Children of Sex Workers according to their Draw Paintings

Purpose of this study was to investigate and compare level of anxiety and aggression among labor and street children as well as children whose mothers are sex workers based on analysis of their drawings. Sample group was selected by convenience sampling method, and included 50 children from Society for Defending Street and Labor Children using Morgan table. Measurement tool was Spence aggression questionnaire and Marx aggression questionnaire and analysis of drawing interpretation according to information in the book by Parirokh Dadsetan was used to verify accuracy of the results. Results of data analysis by covariance analysis showed that anxiety and aggression levels among labor and street children as well as children whose mothers are sex workers are high; however, there was no significant difference between labor and street children and children with sex working mothers in terms of children’s level of anxiety and aggression.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijls.v9i5.12689