Comments on: Sex workers: under the radar http://www.bethanjenkinsblog.org.uk/sex-workers-under-the-radar Plaid Assembly Member for South Wales West including Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot and Swansea Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:13:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Stephen Paterson http://www.bethanjenkinsblog.org.uk/sex-workers-under-the-radar/comment-page-1#comment-4911 Stephen Paterson Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:02:12 +0000 http://www.bethanjenkinsblog.org.uk/?p=1103#comment-4911 Hello Bethan from Rhos-on-Sea on the north coast to Rhos in Pontardawe. Waves! I was delighted the Assembly's Cross Party Group on Human Rights spent an evening on Tracey Sagar's work. She has done excellent work, especially among street sex workers. As you say, there are serious Class A drug problems among a high percentage of members of street sex work communities. I believe the only way their problems can be seriously addressed is with patient outreach work, prioritising homelessness and drug problems. A recent study in Vancouver actually measured the increased violence to street sex workers resulting from criminal justice interventions. If policing resources spent on kerb crawling and anti-soliciting drives were spent instead on monitoring the tiny minority of men known to be violent, assaults could be reduced and lives saved. Often police interventions in the street scene merely destroy crucial relationships built up over many years in some cases between outreach and clients by scattering the client population into generally more derelict, dangerous areas. The Bradford slayings seem to be a case in point. Whilst the street sex work population exhibits high Class A drug use, and whilst those involved are prone to high levels of violence, often, as you say, not by clients but by members of the public, we must remember that the vast bulk of sex workers do not work the streets. Drug addiction is very much rarer among sex workers in the indoor community, as are rates of violence to them. However, the violence rate could no doubt be further reduced if the definition of brothel in law was widened to enable sex workers to work together. As things stand, brothels have been targeted by criminal gangs who believe, often rightly, that those responsible for the establishments will fear reporting to the police. This in turn creates the atmosphere for the development of protection rackets. One day, hopefully, the Assembly will gain equivalent powers to that of the Scottish Parliament. When that happens, I do hope that a review of this area of the law will be among the early priorities. There is much more on various aspects of this subject on my blog, here: http://stephenpaterson.wordpress.com/ Hello Bethan from Rhos-on-Sea on the north coast to Rhos in Pontardawe. Waves!

I was delighted the Assembly’s Cross Party Group on Human Rights spent an evening on Tracey
Sagar’s work. She has done excellent work, especially among street sex workers.

As you say, there are serious Class A drug problems among a high percentage of members of street sex work communities. I believe the only way their problems can be seriously addressed is with patient outreach work, prioritising homelessness and drug problems.

A recent study in Vancouver actually measured the increased violence to street sex workers resulting from criminal justice interventions.

If policing resources spent on kerb crawling and anti-soliciting drives were spent instead on monitoring the tiny minority of men known to be violent, assaults could be reduced and lives saved. Often police interventions in the street scene merely destroy crucial relationships built up over many years in some cases between outreach and clients by scattering the client population into generally more derelict, dangerous areas. The Bradford slayings seem to be a case in point.

Whilst the street sex work population exhibits high Class A drug use, and whilst those involved are prone to high levels of violence, often, as you say, not by clients but by members of the public, we must remember that the vast bulk of sex workers do not work the streets.

Drug addiction is very much rarer among sex workers in the indoor community, as are rates of violence to them. However, the violence rate could no doubt be further reduced if the definition of brothel in law was widened to enable sex workers to work together. As things stand, brothels have been targeted by criminal gangs who believe, often rightly, that those responsible for the establishments will fear reporting to the police. This in turn creates the atmosphere for the development of protection rackets.

One day, hopefully, the Assembly will gain equivalent powers to that of the Scottish Parliament. When that happens, I do hope that a review of this area of the law will be among the early priorities.

There is much more on various aspects of this subject on my blog, here:
http://stephenpaterson.wordpress.com/

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