Image from: https://beyondthestreets.org.uk/what-we-do/
By Georgia Brewin (Third year BSc Hons Criminology)
Public opinion surrounding sex work is not positive. Prostitutes are largely forgotten about or overlooked in society, the media and in academic theory. Before starting university, I also disregarded sex workers as I lacked education on the subject. Studying criminology and victimology at the University of Derby has increased my knowledge and awareness of sex work and the wide-ranging complexities that impact the lives of vulnerable women.
Largely regarded as the world’s oldest profession (The London Evening Standard, 2017), prostitution and sex work are widespread occupations in the United Kingdom, with an estimated sixty to eighty thousand sex workers currently working in the UK (House of Commons, 2016). The Sexual Offences Act 2003 defines a prostitute as someone that supplies sexual services, on one or more occasion, in return of payment to either themselves or someone else (Crown Prosecution Service, 2018). Inconsistent criminal justice responses to prostitution create a lack of clarity in the legitimacies of sex work which increase the danger sex workers are at risk of in their occupations.
Research by Church et al. (2001) used a large sample of sex workers across three British cities. They found that 81 per cent of street workers and 48 per cent of indoor sex workers had experienced sexual and physical violence from their clients. The different rate of violence experienced by street workers compared to indoor workers is due to street workers having a higher risk of exposure to pimps and sexual exploitation, plus drug dealers and substance abuse (May et al. 1999). From this research, it is clear that a large number of sex workers in the United Kingdom face a significant risk of violence when navigating their professions.
It is the job of state agencies, such as the police, to investigate and punish crime while protecting the public and victims in the name of justice. In the case of sex workers as victims of violence, criminal justice agencies can be accused of hindering sex workers rather than helping. While selling sex between consenting adults is legal in the United Kingdom, particular acts related to prostitution are illegal (House of Commons, 2016). For example, the Policing and Crime Act 2009 introduced a new offence of soliciting a person in a public place for sex, replacing the offence of kerb crawling (The Crown Prosecution Service, 2018). It can be suggested that this legislation could have a negative impact on the safety of street sex workers as research by Barnard (1993) found that street sex workers are likely to get in to cars of potential clients as quickly as possible, without necessary safety checks, to reduce the chance of arrest. This reduces the safety of sex workers because they do not have time to make an assessment of the client due to the desperation to avoid repercussions for their client from the police. On top of punishment of their clients from state agencies, sex workers are at risk of violence due to the punishments they receive themselves. In Sanders’ (2004) research on street sex workers in Birmingham, it was found that the popular police policy of handing street sex workers Anti-Social Behavioural Orders (ASBOs) for being public nuisances greatly increased the risk of violence. This is because, as a result of an ASBO, there are geographical areas the women are not allowed to enter and work in which means that they are more likely to take their clients to areas away from the safety of the public, to avoid police presence. Anti-Social Behaviour Orders were scrapped in 2014, but in the first year since the change in legislation there were 456 prosecutions of sex workers for soliciting and loitering (House of Commons, 2016) which suggests the problem has been displaced rather than solved and state agencies would rather criminalise sex workers than help them. The harassment of sex workers by police and the fear of arrest explains why street sex workers are less likely than indoor sex workers to report violence to the police (Crown Prosecution Service, 2018).
In conclusion, violence, exploitation and abuse are prevalent in the lives of sex workers. In one survey, almost half of all sex workers said they were worried about their safety (House of Commons, 2016). Sex worker experiences of violence are only worsened by over policing and inconsistent sex work policy, meaning that women work in fear of arrest which increases their risk of victimisation. Voluntary organisations such as Beyond the Streets and Street Light UK have become vital life lines for the women that are in contact with their services, as they provide a non-judgemental service. Based on the evidence in the literature, recommendations for the future for state agencies include adopting a more holistic and victim-centered approach to sex workers, to reduce the role they play in increasing violence against them. For example, having specialist units in police forces across the country to deal with sex workers appropriately and further training and education of the police to understand the complex factors in the women’s lives that lead them to sex work. In terms of policy, Kingston and Thomas (2015) suggest that the new Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 needs to be reviewed as, while it was not designed to criminalise sex workers, police forces will not apply the legislation consistently across England and Wales, ultimately resulting in the punishment of sex workers and further confusion surrounding sex work policy. Better yet, Amnesty International suggest Britain should follow the steps of Denmark and the Netherlands and decriminalise prostitution (House of Commons, 2016), as criminalisation of sex workers only makes them more vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse.
Reference List
Barnard, M. (1993) Violence and vulnerability: conditions of work for street using prostitutes. Sociology of Health and Illness. Volume 15. P5–14
Beyond the Streets. (2018) What we do · Beyond the Streets. [online] Available at:http://beyondthestreets.org.uk/what-we-do/[Accessed 22 Nov. 2018].
Church, S., Henderson, M., Barnard, M. and Hart, G. (2001) Violence by clients towards female prostitutes in different work settings: questionnaire survey. British Medical Journal. Volume 322. P524–525
House of Commons (2016) Prostitution. Third Report Session 2016-17. London: House of Commons.
Kingston, S. and Thomas, T. (2015) The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014: implications for sex workers and their clients. Policing and Society. Volume 27, Issue 5. P465-479
May, T., Edmunds, M. and Hough, M. (1999) Street business: the links between sex and drug markets. Police Research Series Paper 118. London: Home Office.
Office for National Statistics (2018) Sexual offences in England and Wales: year ending March 2017. [online] Office for National Statistics. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/sexualoffencesinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2017[Accessed 20 Nov. 18. 2018]
Sanders, T. (2004) The Risks of Street Prostitution: Punters, Police and Protesters. Urban Studies. Volume 41, Issue 9. P1703-1717
Street Light UK. (2018) Streetlight – Frontline support working with women at risk or involved in prostitution. [online] Available at:http://www.streetlight.uk.com/[Accessed 22 Nov. 2018].
The Crown Prosecution Service (2018) Prostitution and Exploitation of Prostitution.[online] Available at: https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/prostitution-and-exploitation-prostitution [Accessed 18 Oct. 2018]
The London Evening Standard (2017). Brexit red light for the world’s oldest profession? [online] P20. Available at: http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A506388484/ITOF?u=derby&sid=ITOF&xid=1822101d[Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].