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Estimating the Prostitution Population in the Netherlands and Belgium: A Capture-Recapture Application to Online Data

Author

Listed:
  • Azam, Anahita
  • Hendrickx, Jef
  • Adriaenssens, Stef

Abstract

Evidence-based risk-prevention policies for people involved in prostitution require that reliable population estimates are built. This study proposes a methodological framework and novel data source for measuring their population in regions where the internet plays a predominant role in the industry. We derive single registration capture-recapture population estimates using the Zelterman approach. The resulting estimates for the Netherlands and Belgium are lower than previous rough estimates. We find that relative to the overall population of the two countries, the proportion of sex workers are roughly identical despite differing legal environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Azam, Anahita & Hendrickx, Jef & Adriaenssens, Stef, 2021. "Estimating the Prostitution Population in the Netherlands and Belgium: A Capture-Recapture Application to Online Data," MPRA Paper 110505, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:110505
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tara S Beattie & Boryana Smilenova & Shari Krishnaratne & April Mazzuca, 2020. "Mental health problems among female sex workers in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(9), pages 1-38, September.
    2. Stef Adriaenssens & Jef Hendrickx, 2019. "Calculating Value Added of Prostitution with Multiple Data: A New Approach for Belgium," Public Finance Review, , vol. 47(1), pages 58-86, January.
    3. Peter G.M. Van Der Heijden & Maarten Cruyff & Hans C. Van Houwelingen, 2003. "Estimating the Size of a Criminal Population from Police Records Using the Truncated Poisson Regression Model," Statistica Neerlandica, Netherlands Society for Statistics and Operations Research, vol. 57(3), pages 289-304, August.
    4. Deering, K.N. & Amin, A. & Shoveller, J. & Nesbitt, A. & Garcia-Moreno, C. & Duff, P. & Argento, E. & Shannon, K., 2014. "A systematic review of the correlates of violence against sex workers," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(5), pages 42-54.
    5. Philippe Adair & Oksana Nezhyvenko, 2016. "Sex Work Vs. Sexual Exploitation: Assessing Guesstimates For Prostitution In The European Union," Proceedings of Economics and Finance Conferences 4206791, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    6. Keith Sabin & Jinkou Zhao & Jesus Maria Garcia Calleja & Yaou Sheng & Sonia Arias Garcia & Annette Reinisch & Ryuichi Komatsu, 2016. "Availability and Quality of Size Estimations of Female Sex Workers, Men Who Have Sex with Men, People Who Inject Drugs and Transgender Women in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-11, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Hidden population; Sex worker population; Population size estimation; Capture-recapture; Internet data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E26 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Informal Economy; Underground Economy
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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