This country offers financial aid to sex workers amid pandemic

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Sex workers across Japan have been hit hard by closures and restrictions due to the pandemic.

The entire country is under a state of emergency, with many businesses ordered to shutter and people advised not to go out.

There are now at least 10,797 cases nationwide and 236 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

To soften the economic blow, the central government has launched a massive stimulus package worth 108 trillion Japanese yen (about AUD $1548 billion).

After some controversy, sex workers are eligible to apply for aid, under certain conditions – a move some activists have hailed as a sign of progress for an industry that has long suffered social stigma.

But for many sex workers, the package offers little reassurance – and its rules for eligibility seem opaque and restrictive.

Some aren’t sure how to apply for benefits without effectively outing themselves.

Notably, prostitution is a criminal offence in Japan, but other types of sex work are legal.

Sex workers are really facing a difficult time at this point, for the most part, they are doing sex work in survival mode, to begin with. So when that survival mechanism dries up, they are really left high and dry with nothing that they can turn to.

The sex industry in Japan generates an estimated $24 billion a year, according to Havocscope, a research organisation on the global black market.

Under the drafted guidelines, sex work agencies and employers could receive subsidies for those who have to stay home to care for children during school closures.

Sex workers could also apply for a cash handout, available for people who have lost income due to the coronavirus.

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