"I think people see it as like something you have to be saved from or something that, well, there's no use. 'She's just a prostitute so she's done for'.
"Like - a lot of stigma and judgement. And I suppose it's funny that the people I look at that I'm like, so grateful that you accepted me - really, why shouldn't they?
"Because if I went in and said, 'oh yes I'm a librarian', I wouldn't have to be scared about telling people what I do.
"So I shouldn't have to be so grateful where I am able to tell people and have them accept it."
This is how one female sex worker describes her changing experience of the West Australian sex industry over the last decade.
Her response was a part of over 300 interviews conducted by Curtin University as a part of a study into the lives of WA sex workers, known as the "Western Australian Law and Sex Worker Health Study".
The 58 page report reveals the mysterious world of WA's sex industry and comes to this conclusion: The State Government should decriminalise the industry.
"Our study demonstrated a number of ways that the criminalisation of sex work in Western Australia has a negative impact on the health, safety and well-being of sex workers," the report said.
"Decriminalisation allows a highly visible focus on workplace health and safety in brothels and massage parlours.
"It is also an important step towards reducing stigma and discrimination experienced by sex workers.
"There is good evidence that decriminalising sex work does not result in an increase in the number of clients accessing sex work and the normalisation of this work is important in improving the health and well-being of sex workers."
The report, chaired by Associate Professor Linda Selvey, found a number of issues with the WA industry that stemmed from the "criminalisation of sex work".
The report surveyed 354 sex workers, and found nearly 50 per cent of sex workers did not feel comfortable reporting to police if they experienced or witnessed assault or crime.
It also found 1 in 5 WA sex workers had been assaulted in the last year.
The report also indicated the unregulated nature of the industry meant many people who used or worked in the WA sex industry could put themselves at risk of assault, disease or drug addiction.
A metropolitan police detective told the study drug use continued to be an issue amongst sex workers, as residential property inspections often turned up small amounts of drugs believed to be used for transactions instead of money.
"A few of the workers have told me that clients have tried to get them to have drugs with them, and they have said no and given us a little bit of information," the officer said.
"Obviously, when sex workers do use drugs, they are less inclined to come to us if something does go wrong. They still feel that we'll judge them."
A female sex worker told the study it was common for clients to offer them drugs.
"Most of my clients will have some sort of substance, whether they're a bloody lawyer and got stoned on their lunch break, or they're a crack dealer and they have crack on them. They're always offering something. It's pretty popular," she said.
The report also found WA locals were increasingly turning towards private services rather than using a brothel or picking up a street-based sex worker, with one metropolitan detective confirming a number of popular Perth "hot spots" slowly dying out over the last decade.
"I can't recall the last time I drove down mainly Wright Street in and around Highgate and Hyde Park. I can't recall the last time I saw a girl on the street," the detective said.
"And that's not because I'm in - sometimes I'm in my marked Police car and they can see you coming.
"It's sometimes you're just in a plain car and just looks like normal family sedan so they can't see us coming but you know I can't recall the last time. Probably a good two years."
While a number of the survey respondents said they had experienced problems with sex work, some said getting involved in the industry boosted their confidence and independence.
"Honestly, the sex workers that I've met are the kindest, most hard working, compassionate, loving people, you know. And they need a better - they need to be looked after better," one male sex worker said.
Another woman agreed and said working in the industry had helped her accept herself.
"I felt like I never used to feel positive about - I like the curves I have, I like the way my body looked and like yeah I used to always wanted to get - I wanted to get breast augmentation, even when I was like 15 or so," she said.
"I just wanted to get like a reduction a bit and I hated my nipples and I don't know when it started I started appreciating my body a lot more, which was really interesting.
"And [I] didn't expect that, I actually expected it to go the other way because you know being around other girls, you know in a locker room with lingerie and stuff and I was expecting to think 'oh God all these girls are really pretty', and feel really bad about myself.
"But actually I had a lot of body positivity at the beginning."
