Mulheres (in)visíveis: prostituição, trabalho e migrações nas ruas de Lisboa

Individuals engaged in street prostitution constitute one of the most precarious sectors of modern societies (Mac and Smith, 2018), where migrant women face increased difficulties related to their vulnerable position, resulting from the overlay of multiple categories of oppression to which they are subjected (Oliveira, 2011). In countries where sex work either lacks regulation or is not completely decriminalised – as is the case of Portugal –, these women must face obstacles to their admittance to full citizenship (Alvim, 2013). The purpose of this research was to examine a better understanding of the social reality of Lisbon’s street prostitutes, through an ethnographic field work project where individual perceptions about their living and working standards where questioned, taking into account the diversity and complexity of their life paths.