Victims of the "victimless crimes": the narratives of residents of red-light districts in Ibadan, Nigeria

Criminologists have long been interested in sex work, particularly prostitution.However, the research in this area has been very uneven and has largely ignored thevictimisation suffered by residents of the neighbourhoods where sex work is practiced.This study moves beyond the position of feminists that holds that sex workersthemselves are the victims of sex trade and some other criminologists that opines thatsex work is ‘victimless’ to explore the experience of residents of neighbourhoods wheresex work activities thrives. Drawing from social disorganisation and social learningtheories, an analytical cross-sectional survey of 57 residents of neighbourhoods thatharbour sex workers and sex work within the city of Ibadan was done.The study foundthat the business of sex work comes with huge moral panic to the neighbourhood whereit thrives. There is high risk perception, vulnerability to violence, and adverse effects onfamily life on residents.In particular, parental responsibilities in bringing up childrenin such neighbourhoods are made cumbersome. The study concludes that inhabitants ofred light areas are exposed to a lot of adverse incidences that bothers on their physicalhealth, psychological wellbeing, sexual health, religious and family lives. Suggestionswere made thatappropriate authorities should be more sensitive to the plight of theyoung population that grows within the red light districts in the country and regulatethe activities of the sex workers in such a way that it will not negatively impact onpositive development of the youths-the voiceless victims.Keywords: Commercial sex work, Ibadan, Prostitution, Red light districts, VictimlessCrime