Gone Cold Podcasts may contain violent or graphic subject matter. Listener discretion is advised.

According to the National Organization for Women, an estimated 63% of sexual assault cases go unreported,

though the number is likely much higher. In eight out of 10 rape cases, the victim knew the perpetrator,

and in about half of the cases, the perpetrator was an intimate partner.

15% were perpetrated by a stranger.

That number is slightly less when the crime studied is homicide.

Although specific data for virtually every category is significantly lacking,

for female sex workers, these numbers increase exponentially, and the data points vary considerably.

Sex workers have a 45 to 75% chance of experiencing sexual violence on the job,

according to the sex workers' project, with the chances increasing for those who work the streets,

as opposed to what's referred to as indoor work, or that which is solicited and closed spaces.

Rape and sexual assault are far from the only dangers that sex workers face.

In a study titled Sex Work-Related Homicides, insights from the National Violent Death Reporting System

2012 to 2020, published in November of

2003, out of 321 sex worker homicides studied, 54% were females. Among those, the perpetrator

of the homicide was a client 54% of the time. This means that, generally speaking, female sex workers are more often

killed by strangers than victims who are not sex workers. There is no clear-cut data that analyzes

the prevalence of sex workers being the victims of serial killers. In fact, in a profession that is well known for being

victimized by those whose motive is the actual murder itself, the lack of statistical information

is confounding. Throughout history, sex workers have been the target of serial killers for a

multitude of reasons, from the societal

stigma attached to the work and lack of resources, to their often lack of consistency

...