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

Vulnerability and involvement in drug use and sex work
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to make the best of their sex work opportunities to make money. Success in both exiting
drug use and using sex work anew to earn money for lifestyle enhancement were seen as
the result of individual plans driven by goal orientation and determination.
I mean there's no comparison, you can't compare, it's completely different, because to
do that sort of stuff when you need like a hit and that it's just completely different. Yo u
spend everything you've got and it's gone isn't it, but now I'm very channelled in why I'm
doing it, so you know I've organised it to pay tax, I've organised a bank account, I've
bought this house, like it's all for a reason, it's all properly done. Do you know what I
mean? It's like any other job now. I don't consider it to be anything like it was before.
(Participant 13)
It is recommended that services acknowledge adult sex worker choice and policy makers
and service providers should be reminded that this study’s participants did not see sex work
as a problem in its own right. They may have complained about certain aspects of sex work
such as the stigma attached to it or the conditions of the work, but they chose to sell sex. It is
recommended that adults choosing to do sex work are permitted the same opportunities to
work safely and according to the same employment laws as other workers. A pragmatic
policy position that recognises that sex work is unlikely to be eradicated in the near future is
also recommended. Such a policy should therefore focus on reducing the harms that have
become associated with sex work. This policy solution has been put forward in other Home
O ffice funded studies, notably Police Research Series Papers (PRS) 118 and 134. Both
papers recommended that the government take a more pragmatic approach to those selling
sex from indoor locations. They both stated that if stringently managed and controlled there
would be less opportunity for colonisation by highly criminal groups. The early identification
of both vulnerable young people and trafficked women attempting to sell sex indoors would
be more achievable if indoor sex premises were licensed, regulated, and well-managed.
It is understood that this will involve re v o l u t i o n a ry thinking and that the feasibility and
effectiveness of such a scheme will need to be thoroughly researched and demonstrated. In
common with most schemes for social improvement, this is likely to entail costs. At the least,
it is foreseen that current re s o u rces used to prosecute and penalise sex workers will be
needed by local authorities to run an effective licensing system. It is recommended that
serious consideration is given to the development of such a scheme and that a researched
pilot project is undertaken. This study argues that preventing abuse in the sex industry via
regulation is likely to be more achievable than eradicating sex work and more socially
responsible than allowing abuses to flourish in this unregulated business. To prevent children
being abused through prostitution, this study makes the following recommendations.