Sexual work and union association: protectors offered by AMMAR Organization towards psychosocial risks

Sexual work is approached from different perspectives, and currently its study has been revitalized by the visibility of female sexual workers' organizations. This investigation aimed to identify if female sexual workers change their representations about sexual work after nucleating in AMMAR (for the Spanish, Asociacion de Mujeres Meretrices Argentinas), owing to the social protectors that the organization offers. We also wanted to know how they face psychosocial work risks and to compare with a non-nucleated-in-AMMAR sexual workers' group. In order to achieve these objectives we used focal groups and interviews to identify recurrent contents and significations in their speeches. Results show that the organization provides protectors to all sexual workers, with more impact in women that are actively involved in it. The difference is in the appropriation, identification and commitment that nucleated ones manifest, which allows them to rebuild the social representations of work and to project into the future.