It is is risky to have sex or put yourself in a vulnerable position with strangers whether you are paid or unpaid. But not all sex work is like this stereotype.
Some women are vulnerable and are forced into sex work but not all. It comes down to an underlying belief that surely nobody would do this kind of work unless they had to, that comes from those who would never undertake sex work unless they were forced and project those feelings onto others.
But not everyone feels like that and to suggest that if you are a sex worker you must have been abused, coerced, that something must be wrong with you is offensive and not respectful of the choice they have made.
In regard to risk, a number of jobs are risky: the police are regularly abused, verbally and physically, medical staff often suffer abuse, the armed forces put their lives at risk. As a teacher I have been threatened several times, once with a machete, but the choice to do these jobs is not questioned. So I don’t think it is the risk element that is primarily in people’s minds when they would not like their relatives involved in sex work.
In some sex work the risk is negligible. Much, much less than any of the jobs listed above.