Partnering and engaging with women in prostitution
Prostitution – it’s all about sex isn’t it?
You wouldn’t be alone in thinking it was but look closer and you might begin to doubt this, at least when it comes to the people doing the selling.
Across the globe, prostitution is an activity mostly entered for economic reasons. And according to Sigma Huda, former UN Rapporteur on Human Trafficking, prostitution as it is actually practiced in the world usually satisfies the elements of trafficking.
But that’s the international perspective. It’s different in the UK, right?
We don’t know how many people in the UK work in the sex industry as a lifestyle choice but in our experience they are in the minority.
For many it’s a matter of survival.
It isn’t about sex; it’s about inequality, lack of opportunities, poverty, homelessness, drug/alcohol use, abuse of vulnerability and power.
At Beyond the Streets...
We’re committed to empowering people who have experienced sexual exploitation and supporting them in telling their story.
Gathered Voices is an initiative dedicated to inviting people who have been exploited through prostitution or sex trafficking to speak, through poetry, testimonies, stories and art. Through local creative expression groups and an online forum we provide a safe space where people can anonymously tell their story without experiencing judgment.
We’re committed to partnering with women in prostitution and women who have exited prostitution to learn from those who understand the industry best.
Beyond the Streets works alongside women in prostitution offering support work in the areas that they request, not assuming that we know what is best for them. We believe that women in prostitution and those who have exited prostitution should play a significant role in informing how support work is given and in advising Beyond the Streets and others working in prostitution about the needs and vulnerabilities of women in prostitution.
Sometimes we can get caught up into people’s perceived entry into prostitution such as human trafficking, grooming or another route. If we’re not careful we keep focussed on their past and we don’t look at their vulnerability and how we can help people move on from where they’re at. At Beyond the Streets we seek to find the person beyond the label and tailor all of our support to the individual.
If you would like to learn more about sexual exploitation in the UK , Beyond the Streets offers bi-annual training days introducing new volunteers and others interested in this area into the realities of commercial sexual exploitation.
You too can make a difference. Donate today to help bring life beyond the streets.
“The thing is about working on the streets – you get sick of doing it but you don’t get bored – there’s something to work for and look forward to, even if it’s only the drugs. Sometimes I feel the fight’s gone out of me. What I need to do now is to move up a level – to find something that really matters. It’s not a relationship I want. I need to find something for myself. That’s the difficulty.” - Sarah
“It is rare that one finds a case in which the path to prostitution and/or a person’s experiences within prostitution do not involve, at the very least, an abuse of power and/or abuse of vulnerability.”
(Sigma Huda, former UN Rapporteur on Human Trafficking)