Tag Archives: identity

Prostitution and sex work: nature and prevalence in England and Wales (report)

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University of Bristol, commissioned by the Home Office and the Office of the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, October 2019

The University of Bristol was commissioned by the Home Office and the Office of the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner to look in to the current ‘nature’ and ‘prevalence’ of prostitution in England and Wales, involving adults aged 18 or over. The research was carried out between May 2018 and June 2019.  We were not asked to report on policy or law.  Drawing on the literature and initial findings, we used the following definition:

Prostitution and/or sex work constitutes the provision of sexual or erotic acts or sexual intimacy in exchange for payment or other benefit or need.

Following a systematic search of the existing national and international evidence base, including a review of previous prevalence studies, we sought views, data and personal experiences through a 6-month public online survey, yielding almost 1200 often detailed responses with over 500 from those currently or formerly involved in selling sexual services.  We also worked through NGOs and support services to identify individuals unlikely to respond to online surveys. We completed follow up in-depth email interviews with 42 individuals.  We invited 155 organisations, collectives and individuals to consult on our draft finding at four regional meetings in early 2019.

Given methodological and ethical constraints, we recognise two groups whose voices are under-represented or absent within this report: (1) Migrant sex workers; (2) British and non-British individuals who are/were forcibly coerced, who are/were trafficked, who are/were sexually exploited and/or who are traumatised in relation to their experience.

In terms of ‘prevalence’, currently in England and Wales there is no source of data which allows for the production of representative population estimates for this group.  Stigma, the private and hidden nature of the sex industry, complex engagement patterns and definitions of activities mean that estimating prevalence is challenging.  Producing an accurate estimate would require studies to follow the guidance and recommendations on data collection jointly produced by the UNAIDS and World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010) and/or to use statistically representative samples.  Focused and small-scale prevalence studies are also more likely to be accurate.  The report provides guidance on such work.

In terms of ‘nature’, overall, we found that the way that sex is sold in England and Wales today is both complex and diverse.  It is common for individuals to move between settings and services, for safety or to maintain income, and to engage full-time, part-time (sometimes alongside other paid work or study), intermittently or casually.  Looking across our data, we identified and structured our commentary around the following:

Cross-cutting themes

Identifying sex work, identifying as a sex worker

·         Social identities, inequalities and routes in

·         Patterns of engagement and moving between settings/services

·         Advertising, payment and third parties

·         Risk, harm and managing safety

·         Buyers and buying

 Settings and services

·         Bar-based sex work and hostess bars

·         BDSM, kink and fetish

·         Brothels, parlours, saunas

·         Erotic and exotic dance

·         Erotic massage

·         Escort: independent

·         Escort: agency

·         Pornography, glamour, erotica

·         Sex parties

·         Street and outdoor sex work

·         Sugar arrangements

·         Telephone, text-based, TV-based, live voyeurism

·         Therapeutic services

·         Webcamming

Individuals selling sex in England and Wales today are varied in terms of demographics and motivation. At the same time, there are recurrent patterns of experience or identity that mark some individuals’ entry into the sex industry and/or the type of setting, service or the conditions in which they work.

We found that a substantial proportion of individuals (mainly women and trans women) are selling sex to get by financially, given different constraints in their lives around caring responsibilities, physical and mental health, lack of access to social security benefits and support services, workplace discrimination, or other reasons.  Their situation is compounded by stigma and managing safety, and many find that the longer they sell sex, the harder it can be to leave completely.  This moves beyond individual ‘choosing or ‘not choosing’ and recognises the structural economic and social context in which choices are narrowed: or in the case of those coerced in to selling sex, choices removed.

Cultural Safety workshops with Khadija Gbla (free event)

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Morella Community Centre in collaboration with Khadija Gbla, October 2019

WHAT IS CULTURAL SAFETY?

Cultural safety is identified as “an environment that is safe for people: where there is no assault, challenge or denial of their identity, of who they are and what they need. It is about shared respect, shared meaning, shared knowledge and experience, of learning, living and working together with dignity and truly listening”.

Culturally safe practices include actions which recognize and respect the cultural identities of others and safely meet their needs, expectations and rights. Alternatively, culturally unsafe practices are those that “diminish, demean or disempower the cultural identity and well-being of an individual”.

Through these workshops, participants will develop an understanding of cultural safety and how to apply cultural safety principles into their work and personal life.

WORKSHOP TOPICS:
SESSION 1: Friday 8th November – Introduction to Cultural Safety
SESSION 2: Friday 22nd November – Cultural Safety, an Educational context*
*This session is aimed for anyone working in an education setting
SESSION 3: Friday 6th December – Cultural Safety for Service Providers

TIME: 10am -11:30am for all workshop topics.

LOCATION: MORELLA COMMUNITY CENTRE
90 Kings Road, Parafield Gardens SA 5107

COST: Free

FACILITATOR: Khadija Gbla is a very passionate and inspiring African-Australian woman. She is an award-winning human rights activist, leader and inspirational speaker.
Khadija Gbla was born in Sierra Leone, spent her youth in Gambia, and as a teenager put down roots in Australia. Khadija was just 3 years old when the war broke out in her country, Sierra Leone and 10 years later they attained refugee status and resettled in Adelaide.
Khadija continues to provide advocacy, training, speaking on domestic and family violence, child protection, racism, human rights, refugees and cultural diversity through her cultural consultancy. She is the co-founder of The Desert Flower Centre and foundation Australia. The Desert Flower Australia is the first centre in Australia and the Asia pacific region that specialises in providing medical care and reconstructive surgery for women impacted by female genital mutilation. Khadija is a TEDX speaker with close to 2 million views on her talk, “My mother’s strange definition of empowerment”. She has represented Australia in the international arena at the Harvard National Model United Nations, Commonwealth Youth Forum and Australian and African Dialogue, Commonwealth heads of states Women’s forum etc. she has displayed great courage and determination in achieving her aspiration of giving women, youth and minority groups a voice at local, state and international level.

Trans @ Work: a guide for trans employees, their employers, and colleagues

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Queensland Human Rights Commission, 2019

This information is for trans and gender diverse employees, their employers, managers and colleagues who are seeking guidance on issues associated with transitioning at work.

The guidelines suggest ways to:

  • work together the achieve a successful transition in the workplace;
  • address pre-employment issues; and
  • provide ongoing support to trans employees.

Why is a trans inclusive workplace important?

For the employee:

  • staying in employment;
  • maintaining self-respect;
  • having financial security.

For the employer:

  • improving staff satisfaction and retention through modern, inclusive workplace policies;
  • enhancing public image of the organisation;
  • reaching new client groups;
  • improving teamwork and increasing productivity;
  • complying with state and federal discrimination legislation

The document also contains some real-life stories.

No single ‘gay gene’, reveals the largest-ever study of the genetics of same-sex sexual behaviour

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ABC news, 30/08/2019

Scientists have again debunked the idea of a single “gay gene”, in the largest study to date of the genetics of same-sex sexual behaviour.

Rather, their findings paint a diverse and complex picture of human sexuality, and the genetic factors that influence it.

Nearly half a million people took part in the study, mostly from the United Kingdom and the United States, which was published in the journal Science today.

He, she, or … ? Gender-neutral pronouns reduce biases – study

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The Guardian, Tue 6 Aug 2019 05.00 AEST

A new study has found that using a gender-neutral pronoun reduces mental biases that favour men, and boosts positive feelings towards women and LGBT people.

The finding marks an easy win, the researchers believe, and shows how a minor change in language can help chip away at long-standing gender inequities.

 

Emotionally Safer Sex – event

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Sarah K Reece / SHINE SA, January 2018

Safer sex’ can be about much more than preventing unwanted infections. For many people, sexual experiences risk leaving emotional bruises, and sometimes our struggles and differences can make good sex seem out of reach.

Sarah K Reece is the SHINE SA Artist-in-Residence. We would like to invite you to Sarah’s SHINE SA launch screening of her TEDx video and exhibition of related art works, titled ‘Emotionally Safer Sex’.

It will be held on Friday 9th February at 5.30pm at SHINE SA – 57 Hyde Street, Adelaide. (NB: This is a free event, but please RSVP via link below, for catering purposes).

This is Sarah’s first ever TEDx talk – and she has ‘gone global’ bravely sharing personal stories, beautiful artwork, and practical advice about how seeking to make sex emotionally safer has helped her navigate challenges such as a trauma history, anxiety, queer identity, mental illness, chronic pain, and physical disability.

Her artworks are an intimate exhibition of 8 ink paintings exploring our physical relationship with our own bodies and our partners. The artworks are hand gilded with 24k gold embellishments and show very human, diverse experiences of the joys and sorrows of sex. The artwork does not display graphic sex acts, nudity, or abuse and is suitable for viewing by children.