Our research focused on Hungarian women working as prostitutes in Switzerland. We came in contact with younger and active age women who worked as legal sexworkers in Zurich and Basel. We modified the ISEL test (Cohen és Hoberman 1983) and we used it in our research work. We called it street work ISEL test. It includes 20 items supplemented with data about personal social networks.
We have determined that the driving force of prostitution is basically livelihood. In many cases this is the base of choice of becoming sexworkers. However, we found the signs of vulnerability and exploitation which proved to be more significant abroad than in women’s home environments. Four groups can be distinguished in prostitutes’ social space that seems to affect women’s vulnerability in different ways. These groups are family and friends; husband (life partner) and his family; beneficiaries of prostitution; social workers and official professionals (police).
Based on our experience social workers and volunteers can use street work ISEL test and the matrix of social space (Street work-ISEL display) in street work for collecting information about individuals and about the target group of social work.