Most migrant sex workers are satisfied with their working conditions in Australia, but some feel isolated and are working off debts incurred to travel here, research has revealed.

Despite growing fears about human trafficking, the largest study of migrant sex workers in Australia has found the vast majority are content to be working in massage parlours and brothels for a satisfactory income, and that there is little evidence of widespread sex slavery.

The Australian Institute of Criminology and the Scarlet Alliance (Australian Sex Workers Association) surveyed 594 sex workers across Australia, 412 of whom were migrants. Most were female, with only 17 male and eight transgender respondents.

The migrant workers from Thailand, China, South Korea and New Zealand were a diverse group. One in five were married; one in three were parents; and while a small number had little to no education, the majority were highly educated. About one third said they did not speak English well.

The research, presented at the AIDS 2016 conference in Durban, said the majority were seeing 10 to 30 clients over three to four days per week. While migrants were more likely to have a contract arrangement with their workplaces and were less likely to be paid shift fees, most were receiving more than half of the fee paid by each of their clients – a similar cut to their Australian colleagues.

Most migrants said they were satisfied with their conditions and that they intended to stay long term, but some reported isolation and bad experiences.

"I really hate it," one South Korean woman said. Others said that it was dangerous and wrote: "In here I stay alone" and  "Wanting to be with family".

One respondent stated that she was forced here against her will and another stated that she was a refugee.

Three respondents (1 migrant and 2 non-migrants) said their workplaces would not allow them to refuse clients and some thought it was legal for their workplace to fine them for taking a day off work.

"This highlights the need for sex workers to be afforded access to labour protections, legal advice, occupational health and safety standards, and peer support," a report on the study said.

"In addition, it reinforces the need for multilingual peer support and translated resources to be readily available to sex workers."

There are about 20,000 sex workers in Australia working under different state and territory laws. Previous research has found about 15 per cent of Australian men have paid for sex at least once.

The survey found that only half of the migrants had access to free condoms compared to 70 per cent of their Australian counterparts. Of 17 migrant women who said they did not always use condoms, seven said it was because their boss directed them not to, and six said it was so they could charge more money.

The research did not include data about their visas, but it said 43 per cent had enrolled in an education course to enter Australia. One quarter said they travelled to Australia to get married and 17 per cent said they entered as tourists.

One in four of the migrant workers said a broker or agent had assisted them; one-quarter arranged a visa on their own; and others said they were assisted by their fiance, husband or boyfriend.

Most participants said their main expenditure was supporting family, including relatives overseas, and 30 per cent of migrants said they were paying education fees, compared to 20 per cent of Australian sex workers. Seven per cent of the entire migrant group indicated that they spent the majority of their income on debt incurred by travelling to Australia or securing their current job.

Eight per cent of migrants were spending money on gambling versus 5 per cent of Australians, and no migrants were spending money on drugs compared to 16 per cent of the Australians.

The CEO of the Scarlet Alliance, Jules Kim, said the research challenged the view that many migrant sex workers were locked up without their passports.

Ms Kim said immigration and police officers had gone after some migrant sex workers on contracts, causing them to be sent home with debts they would struggle to pay off in their home countries. Such actions could drive sex workers underground and away from services, including health services, she said.

"This is why we say sex workers need rights, not rescue, as often people seeking to help without understanding our lives can inadvertently cause more harm," she said.

Julia Medew travelled to the AIDS 2016 conference courtesy of the Doherty Institute.