The impact of prostitution

There is much evidence to show that prostitution is harmful to women directly involved, women in general, to men who buy women in prostitution to families and to communities:

Women and children abused in prostitution experience severe and long lasting physical and mental health problems. Prostitution is harmful in and of itself, i.e. the constantly repeated experience of submitting to unwanted sex is very damaging to womens mental health, self-esteem and sexuality. Having to endure unwanted sex leads to the need to dissociate often using drugs and/or alcohol. Whatever the reason for women entering prostitution, her drug and alcohol use is likely to hugely increase. Many women involved in street prostitution do not have care of their children (usually as a consequence of drug and alcohol misuse). This has a strong impact on the women themselves and is a common issue they need support on through services. It also has an impact on the children, the extended family, for example grandparents bringing up grandchildren, and on child protection services. Impact on family life, for families where women become involved, and also families of men who buy sex: e.g. health risks, loss of income. Impact on communities, especially in areas where street prostitution takes place: debris, noise, increased traffic from kerb crawlers, harassment of local residents, witnessing sexual activity. Only 19% of women working as prostitutes in flats, parlours and saunas are originally from the UKwww.eaves4women.co.uk/POPPY_Project/POPPY_Project. php 3 out of 4 women in prostitution become involved aged 21 or younger, and 1 in 2 aged 18 or younger www.cwasu.org/ 87% of women in street-based prostitution use heroinwww.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hors279.pdf 25% of men who had bought sex in prostitution expressed significant or shame about having done so (Challenging Demand 2008)

A Survey of Male Attendees at Sandyford Initiative: Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviours in Relation to Prostitution. (Word 5.90MB)

The following figures are from the Home Office report Paying the Price:www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-paying-the-price/

8.9% of men in London aged 16-44 reported having paid for sex in the past 5 years 75% of children abused through prostitution had been missing from school As many as 85% women in prostitution report physical abuse in the family, with 45% reporting familial sexual abuse In the UK as many as 60 women involved in prostitution have been murdered in the last 10 years 80,000 women work in on-street prostitution in the UK. The average age women become involved being just 12yrs old

The Womens Support Project believes that condoning or accepting prostitution undermines work on gender equality and on violence against women: what sense could we make of work against rape, sexual harassment at work, stalking and underage sex if men can simply buy these activities through prostitution?
Options for responding

The three main approaches for responding to prostitution are harm reduction, legalisation and decriminalisation.
1. Harm reduction

Harm reduction involves the ongoing support of women and men who are involved in prostitution, dealing with more short term issues such as safety, drug and substance use / addiction, safer sex and HIV prevention work. Work with women currently involved in prostitution needs to include harm reduction as a necessary response for the short term - but we also should be working to end prostitution forever. Harm reduction must be coupled with interventions to support women leave prostitution, which can often take many years. These interventions

need to offer safe accommodation, drug treatment, robust counseling and support services, opportunities for women to develop their confidence and self esteem, learn new skills and training for future employment. Some people take the view that it is nave or unrealistic to aim to end prostitution. Prostitution is sometimes called the oldest profession. In fact slavery is older and it can be argued that prostitution originally stemmed from slavery. Many people said that it would be impossible to end slavery but we now have a situation where slavery is illegal throughout the world. Although people are still living in conditions of slavery, this is no longer legal slavery and there are rights and legal protection, which can be applied to the situation. The same can happen with prostitution. The idea of prostitution tolerance zones has been debated in Scotland for many years, often to a heated degree. To legislate for a permanent official zone is to take an out of sight, out of mind approach, which effectively abandons the women already caught up in prostitution. Neither does this approach challenge the lasting harm caused through prostitution or address the issues around inequality and mens demand to buy womens and childrens bodies for their own pleasure. Furthermore it has been found that violence and crime can thrive in tolerance zones, including tension between different groups over territory and profit.
2. Legalisation

If any activity is harmful, then we will not remove that harm by legalising the activity. There are contradictions between opposing prostitution of under 18 year olds and trafficking, whilst supporting prostitution as legitimate work. If you take this view, how do you respond to the almost fifty per cent of women who enter prostitution under age 18?www.prostitutionresearch.com The Womens Support Project makes no distinction between forced and free prostitution, viewing it all as exploitation. It is a distraction to say that women who have been forced into it are victims whilst those who

enter it through limited choices or economic pressures have made an informed choice. The hazards associated with prostitution include risk of pregnancy, high abortion rate, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual assault, abduction, rape and murder. These would not disappear if prostitution were legalised. Many people hold the view that legalisation would improve conditions for women in the sex industry. This claim has been made repeatedly by the sex industry - however evidence from the Netherlands and from states in Australia that have legalised some areas of prostitution shows that legalisation does nothing to reduce harm. Furthermore there are many contradictions around legislating prostitution as legitimate employment, such as the prospect of unemployed women being threatened with reduction of benefit if they refuse to accept a job in prostitution. If prostitution was recognised as legitimate work would brothels and escort agencies be welcome to come along to the school or college careers night? The arguments for legalisation relate to mens comfort and ease of conscience. Legalisation of prostitution makes money for men and women involved in running escort agencies and brothels and for the state through supposed taxation but it does not improve the situation of prostituted women and children.
3. Decriminalisation

It is important that any move to decriminalise prostitution comes from the principle that prostitution is harmful and therefore must be ended. All forms of prostitution should be included, especially street prostitution as this is where many of the most vulnerable women are exploited. In order to be effective, the decriminalisation of prostituted women mustbe accompanied by:

criminalisation of third parties profiting from prostitution. criminalisation of buyers of sexual services.

Pro-active services to help women get out of prostitution, including access to safe accommodation, education, training, drug rehabilitation, and to ongoing support. Prevention work to reduce demand from men to buy sex.

The Womens Support Project views the most appropriate approach for Scotland as one that states that is not acceptable in our culture, which strives towards equality and human rights, to condone or ignore the exploitation of women in prostitution. We therefore support

Decriminalising selling sex Extending current legislation on buying sex to all venues and settings including brothels, saunas, lap dance clubs and massage parlours Actively enforcing the law and target those who buy sex and those who profit through the sale of women e.g. landlords, escort agency websites, newspapers and magazines advertising prostitution Provision of adequate resources for prevention work, harm reduction and support to exit prostitution.

What can I do about it?

We need widespread awareness raising and education on the realities of prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. A few things that will help make a difference:

Learn more - see our leaflet on Prostitution: Fact or Fiction and see below for recommended reading and useful contacts. Speak to family, friends and colleagues. Challenge acceptance of abuse. Write to newspapers and other forms of media if you are offended by their coverage of prostitution or other forms of commercial sexual exploitation Object to newspapers and magazines carrying adverts for the sex industry Refuse to stay in hotels who supply pornography channels

Join the Scottish Coalition against Sexual Exploitation onFacebook Lobby for organisational policies on prostitution, e.g. in terms of approach, recruitment of staff and volunteers Make links with organisations offering specialist support and / or working directly with women in prostitution Call for adequate legislation to challenge demand Contact local, national and European elected representatives to make your views known.

http://www.womenssupportproject.co.uk/content/prostitution/205,172/