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

Main sex work sector by experience of homelessness/insecure housing
The large majority (n=43; 90%) of par ti cipants with experience of
h o m e l e s s n e s s / i n s e c u re housing re p o rted that they had worked mainly outdoors or as
independent drifters since starting sex work, compared with approaching half (n=33;
43%) of those with no experience of homelessness/insecure housing. This association
was statistically significant.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these analyses support the notion that the outdoor and independent drift sex
work sectors are so characterised by experience of vulnerability that they may serve as a
site for linking and reinforcing these vulnerabilities.
Drug use and sex work – order of involvement in the two activities
Fifty-six per cent (n=66) of participants re p o rted starting ‘hard drug’ use b e f o r e they started sex
work. Twenty-one per cent (n=25) re p o rted starting ‘hard drug use’ a f t e r they started sex work,
while 23 per cent (n=27) re p o rted starting ‘hard drug’ use and sex work in the same year.
Of those who reported starting ‘hard drug’ use before sex work, 23 per cent first sold sex
before they were 18; the mean age of first ‘hard drug’ use among these participants was
15.6 years. Of those who reported starting ‘hard drug’ use after sex work, 68 per cent first
sold sex before they were 18; the mean age of first ‘hard drug’ use among these
participants was 18.5 years. Of those who reported starting ‘hard drug’ use and sex work
in the same year, 70 per cent first sold sex before they were 18; the mean age of first ‘hard
drug’ use among these participants was 16.6 years.
All of these ‘order of involvement’ trends echo data collected from the 158 participants in
p revious Home Office funded studies on sex work. One hundred and forty-two of these
p a rticipants were problematic drug users. Sixty-three per cent (n=89) re p o rted dependent
d rug use b e f o r e they started sex work. Thirty-five per cent (n=50) re p o rted dependent dru g
use a f t e r they started sex work, while the remaining two per cent (n=3) believed the two
had coincided.
Of those who reported problematic drug use before starting sex work the average age of
first sex work was 20. Of those who reported problematic drug use only after starting sex
work, the average age of first sex work was 18.
Problematic drug use and sex work
33