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Sexual Consent Rights for Sex Workers

Sexual consent rights are fundamental to ensuring the safety, dignity, and respect of all individuals, including sex workers.

With the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) estimating that two-thirds of sex workers experience violence including rape, and numbers of incidents increasing amid lockdown and current cost of living crisis, sex workers are more vulnerable to sexual harm than the general population (Elks, 2019).  However, over the last decade sex worker willingness to report sexual assault to the police has drastically declined (Bowen et al, 2021), with overall rape prosecutions and convictions in England and Wales at an all-time low (Proudman, 2022).  This Sex Worker Rights Day we are raising awareness that sex workers are entitled to the same sexual-consent rights as everyone else and should be treated with dignity and respect at all points in their lives and particularly when reporting sexual violence or coercion. 

Sexual violence against sex workers may include any form of penetration in a part of the body not agreed to, or continuing when told to stop, any choking that causes serious harm - even if consented to, non-consensual hitting, pulling hair or physical injury, removing condom without agreement or any kind of sexual coercion or threats, including demanding sex without a condom, not paying for consented-to acts when agreed to prior to sex.  Sex workers also experience online stalking, filming without consent, sharing images, sexual harassment and abuse. 

Perpetrators of sexual violence towards sex workers can be anyone, including their clients, partners, pimps, neighbours, colleagues, strangers online, and may target sex workers due to their specific vulnerabilities (CPS, 2021).  They may have easier access to sex workers, as criminalisation prohibits working in numbers or using verified sex-selling sites; view the transactional relationship as giving ownership to do whatever they want; be infiltrated by false stereotypes about sex workers as dirty or worthless, compounded if a member of other marginalised groups; while knowing the likelihood of the victim reporting to police or being believed as very low.  

BARRIERS TO SEEKING JUSTICE 

During the last decade, of those accessing National Ugly Mugs (NUM) - a sex worker specialist service that provides alerts, advocacy and wellbeing support - the numbers reporting sexual violence to police has significantly dropped from 28% in 2012 to7.7% in 2020, while over the same period, anonymous consent to share information with police fell from 95% to 69% (Bowen et al). 

Although sex working or paying for services if aged 18+ in the UK (except NI) is legal, there are various areas of the work that is criminalised, such as soliciting/advertising and working in a premises with another one or more sex workers, impacting safety and reporting to police.  ECP describe alarming cases where female sex workers have faced prosecution or deportation after approaching the police to report rape, instead of pursuing the attacker (Owen, 2017); and explains why the main barrier to police reporting given by 88 sex workers surveyed by NUM in 2020 is the ‘experiences or fear of criminalisation’ (Bowen et al).  Alongside potential legal proceedings and a criminal record, additional barriers cited include further victimisation and being ‘outed’ as sex workers to social services, landlord, neighbours, benefits agency, employer, Home Office, impacting on child custody, homelessness, rejection, harassment, poverty and unemployment (Bowen et al).  And without protection measures in place following reporting, the victim may be left exposed, where they and possibly other sex workers could be at risk from further violence from the perpetrator(s).  

More than half of sex workers surveyed by NUM also indicated ‘disillusionment’ with the police, based on their own experiences or that of other sex workers, reducing trust and motivations to report (Bowen et al).  Sex workers have described their experience of reporting to the police as “more traumatising than the actual rape” (Miren, 2019), and told things like, “We don’t really investigate matters when you have intentionally put yourself at risk” (Turek, 2022).  It’s not surprising that such victim-shaming experiences will inhibit sex workers disclosing something so traumatic as a sexual assault to the police, and further exacerbate feelings of blame, low self-worth, poor mental health and isolation. While work is being done to improve knowledge and understanding of sex work and sexual consent rights more generally, with some police listening to the needs of sex workers and motivated to keep them safe, nationally sex workers highlight inconsistent responses across different forces and among individual officers (Bowen et al).  A UK-wide approach is needed so sex workers are reassured that if reporting abuse to the police they will be treated as victims of sexual violence and not discriminated against because of their work in the industry. Furthermore, recent appalling crimes of violence against women and vile messaging groups involving serving police officers have also greatly impacted confidence in the police with many women feeling unsafe to approach due to fear of victimisation (Marquis, C. & Langlois, A., 2023).   

LET’S END STIMGA NOW 

Enduring negative social attitudes and stereotypes towards sex workers, use of derogative terms, and sensationalising in some media outlets has perpetuated stigmatisation resulting in sex workers often treated without dignity and respect (Basis Yorkshire, 2021); which is further compounded with other marginalised intersectionalities of race, disability and mental health, alcohol and substance misuse, sexuality and gender identity, homelessness and immigration status (Bowen et al).   

Social stigma can be deeply impactful on a sex worker’s self-image, confidence, identifying sexual violence, and shame; and can affect all areas of life, including vulnerability to discrimination, sexual violence, domestic abuse, mental health, isolation, job opportunities, and access to education, healthcare and support services (Berthe, 2018; Balfour, R. & Allen, J., 2014).  When reporting sexual violence, stigmatisation is cited by 67% of sex workers as a barrier (Bowen et al); and at every stage of the criminal justice process from police interview to jury trial, sex workers experience not being believed, victim-blaming, and somehow seen as less deserving of justice.   

This Sex Worker Rights Day, SASH is campaigning to raise awareness that sexual consent rights apply to everyone and that sex workers should never be subjected to sexual violence or coercion.  We urge that more is done to reduce stigma towards sex workers, enabling better access to justice and support that promotes value, compassion and respect. 

SASH SUPPORT WE OFFER 

Counselling, Coaching, Peer Support and Complementary Therapies 

SASH London is a sexual health and wellbeing service that provides support and advice to anyone living in Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Westminster. SASH is a free service that includes counselling, coaching, peer support, socials and complementary therapies. 

SASH specialist workers have vast experience supporting sex workers and other individuals associated with the sex industry-past or present, since 2017. 

SASH provides specific services for Sex Workers within the John Hunter Sexual Health Clinic (every Thursday from 12pm-7pm, please call 07483133705 for an appointment), and Platinum Clinic at 10 Hammersmith-Broadway (every Thursday from 1:30pm-3:30pm, please call 07881 955226 for an appointment). At both of these clinics, you can speak to a member of the SASH team for sexual health and wellbeing advice, and be supported to access STI testing, vaccinations (MPox, HepA, HepB and HPV), condoms and contraception. 

Refer yourself for our range of support options, including counselling, coaching and complementary therapy by calling our friendly team on 0207 851 2955 or using our online platform  

Safer Sex Working training for professionals 

To mark Sex Worker Rights Day, in March SASH is delivering 'safer sex working' training for professionals in RBKC and WCC that aims to promote understanding of needs and available support options. We will be joined by National Ugly Mugs to discuss their invaluable work.  Sign up: 

MORE SERVICES 

NATIONAL UGLY MUGS https://www.nationaluglymugs.org/  

REVENGE PORN HELPLINE - https://revengepornhelpline.org.uk/  

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