Concept, Ethical Framework, and Limits of the Role of the Sexual Assistant

Concept and Functional Dimension of Sexual Assistance

Sexual assistance is defined as a professional, paid service aimed at ensuring access to erotic experiences for people with severe functional diversity.

This instrumental role does not replace the will of the person being assisted but acts as a physical extension to enable self-exploration or intimate interaction when there are significant motor barriers.

From the perspective of the social model of disability, the assistant does not commodify affection or promote their own eroticism, but rather mechanically facilitates contact with the person’s own body or the use of adapted erotic devices.

The primary goal is to democratize the sensory experience, recognizing pleasure as a fundamental and inalienable dimension of holistic health.

Therefore, providing this service requires a high level of technical training, exquisite sensitivity toward bodily diversity, and a thorough understanding of each individual’s specific physical needs within their particular environment.

Ethical Framework and Distinction from Sex Work

The bioethical foundation of this practice requires precisely defining its boundaries with respect to conventional sex work.

The caregiver does not sell their own body nor engage in a reciprocal erotic exchange with the client, avoiding any prostitution-like relationship or personal emotional involvement.

Their role is limited to performing the movements, positioning, and tactile support that the person desires but cannot perform on their own due to their physical dependence.

Under the bioethical principles of autonomy and erotic justice, this practice upholds the individual’s bodily sovereignty, preventing infantilization and emotional isolation.

The work must be guided by ongoing informed consent, professional neutrality, and absolute respect for human dignity.

In this way, sexual assistance becomes an emancipatory resource that dismantles deep-rooted social prejudices regarding the intimate lives of people with functional diversity within today’s society and its communities.

Ethical Boundaries and Safeguarding Autonomy

The operational framework of sexual assistance establishes inviolable ethical boundaries to protect the integrity of both parties.

Any form of coercion, abuse of power, or imposition of practices not explicitly requested by the person receiving assistance is strictly prohibited.

Likewise, the intervention must be stopped immediately at the first sign of nonverbal discomfort, unease, or dissent.

Ethical boundaries prevent the assistant from assuming therapeutic, psychological, or emotional mediation roles, keeping the relationship strictly within the scope of the agreed-upon functional support.

To ensure transparency, a prior contractual agreement is required to establish guidelines for conduct, boundaries of privacy, and respect for the duty of professional confidentiality.

The articulation