Prostituição online: uma reflexão crítica entre autonomia da vontade e exploração sexual

Abstract

The dissertation addresses the (non) regulation of prostitution in Brazil and its relationship with the notions of autonomy and freedom. The study focuses on the communication found on specialized virtual platforms for advertising sexual services in São Luís, Maranhão, during the year 2023 as the research subject. The research question is: How does the legal-institutional model of prostitution adopted in Brazil relate to the freedom and senses of autonomy over one's own body present in virtual advertisements by women engaged in prostitution in São Luís, Maranhão, based on Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor Theory (1980[2002])? The hypothesis suggests that the communication of women using virtual means to advertise their prostitution services reflects a sense of autonomy over their bodies and identities directly related to the implied freedom in cyberspace, even though activities considered illegal under the current legal-institutional model in Brazil, such as facilitating sexual exploitation and pandering, are

discordant with the discourse of autonomy, supporting the argument for a regulatory legal- institutional model for prostitution. Prostitution, despite being a phenomenon present in society

and generating discussions about its legality, is a topic that has been little scientifically debated in Brazilian law. In this sense, this research seeks to fill a gap in local academic productions on prostitution. The overall objective of this research is to investigate the communication of women advertising sexual services on online prostitution platforms operating in São Luís, Maranhão, in the year 2023 and its relationship with the Brazilian abolitionist legal-institutional model, freedom, and autonomy of will. The research was qualitative in nature, exploratory in its purpose, and adopted a dialectical approach with a monographic procedure. The research techniques employed included literature and documentary review, as well as content analysis, with the theoretical framework based on Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor Theory (1980[2002]). The research considers the relationship between the virtual and the real, the commodification of the female body and interpersonal relationships, as well as the origins of freedom in the socio-legal context as key elements to understand prostitution and its complexities. It concludes that the legal-institutional model for prostitution adopted in Brazil is ineffective due to its disconnect from the current reality, as it does not encompass the diversity involved in different forms of prostitution, especially those conducted through online platforms that provide greater autonomy and bargaining power to women.