Vulnerability and involvement in drug use and ... - Sex Work Europe

asis of the data collected and the BCS data however, it is tentatively submitted that sex
workers with experience of drug use are more likely to have used a wider range of dru g s
and to have used these more recently than the wider population of people with
experience of drug use.
Vulnerability factors for problematic drug use and sex work
In the initial exploration of factors which might indicate vulnerability to sex work and
problematic drug use, data was examined which had been gathered as common measures
a c ross other projects on the Vulnerable Groups and Problematic Drug Use Researc h
P rogramme. Drawing on the literature on situational risk factors for involvement in youth
prostitution, (Barrett, 1994; Kirby, 1995; May et al., 1999; Melrose et al., 1999; Shaw
and Butler, 1998; Yates et al., 1991) this study also explored: age of first sex work,
experience of being ‘looked after’ and homelessness or insecure housing at the time of first
sex work.
Age of first ‘hard drug’ use
The mean age at which participants reported first using a ‘hard drug’ was 16.4 years. Four
p a rticipants had never used any drugs other than cannabis, solvents, magic mushro o m s
and/or poppers.
Age of first sex work
The mean age at which participants re p o rted first selling sex was 19.3 years 1 . Fifty-two
(43%) participants were aged under 18 years when they first sold sex.
Findings from the sample of 158 participants from previous Home Office funded studies
were very similar. These show the mean age of first selling sex as 19.3 years 2 .
T h e re was no evidence of a change in age at first sex work over time. The mean age at
first sex work among participants starting before 1996 was 18.4 years, compared with
19.9 years among those starting in 1996 or more re c e n t l y.(This diff e rence was not
statistically significant) 3 .
1 See Appendix A – Statpoint 1.
2 See Appendix A – Statpoint 2.
3 See Appendix A – Statpoint 3.
Vulnerabilities
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