{"id":749,"date":"2021-05-17T09:01:56","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T09:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jointpublicissues.org.uk\/?p=10203"},"modified":"2021-05-17T09:01:56","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T09:01:56","slug":"%ef%bb%bflockdown-stories-women-who-sell-sex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/standrewsurcrustington.org.uk\/?p=749","title":{"rendered":"\ufeffLockdown stories: Women who sell sex"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

In July last year I was on a call with a group of local
\nchurch and charity leaders. Each told the story of how the pandemic was hitting
\nthe most vulnerable in their community. Important and all too familiar
\nexperiences that were the core of the Gleanings research<\/a> into
\npoverty under lockdown we published last year. One story, told by a Deacon who was
\nlinked with what she called a \u201csex-worker support project\u201d, was however unfamiliar
\nand very troubling. After talking to churches linked to similar projects it
\nbecame clear this was an important story that churches and not many others were
\nin a position to hear.<\/p>\n

Working with the fantastic organisation Beyond the Streets<\/a>, which links up projects that support women who sell sex or are sexually exploited[1]<\/a>, we did some research to try to understand how the women they work with were impacted by the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Looking through the lens of poverty<\/strong><\/p>\n

JPIT has done a lot of work around poverty, hunger, and homelessness,
\nand at the start of this research we expected that these were the issues we
\nwould be talking about most. We designed questionnaires and focus groups to
\nlook at these things. We hoped that government initiatives at the start of the
\npandemic like the \u00a320 a week increase in Universal Credit and the \u201cEveryone In\u201d
\nprogramme which offered accommodation to those who were living on the streets would
\nhave made a big difference in the womens\u2019 lives. Perhaps na\u00efvely we hoped that
\nthese emergency measures would offer a blueprint for policies that improved lives
\nand expanded choices permanently. <\/p>\n

After the first focus group we redesigned the questionnaires.
\nIt was quite clear that the lockdowns had led to increasing problems with poverty,
\ndebt and hunger, in the same way that we had seen in other disadvantaged
\ngroups. It was also clear \u2013 and I am grateful for how patiently and gently it
\nwas pointed out \u2013 that we were missing the point. <\/p>\n

Looking through the lens of trauma<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we looked at the stories of women who sell sex or are
\nsexually exploited through the lens of poverty it was clear that poverty and even
\nextreme poverty was present. But it did not do justice to the particular
\nexperiences these women had of lockdown. <\/p>\n

When we looked through the lens of trauma \u2013 and what one of
\nour participants called \u201cthe retraumatising effect of lockdown\u201d \u2013 it became
\npossible to understand the unique thread that ran through the women\u2019s stories.<\/p>\n

With the help of experts from Beyond the Streets and others
\nwe began to understand how services could be effective for most people while
\nbeing completely inappropriate for these women.<\/p>\n

Just one example is the \u201cEveryone In\u201d initiative to offer accommodation
\nto those without secure housing. It was known that mixed sex accommodation
\npresented difficulties, as did accommodation where women were isolated or felt
\ninsecure. Despite the best efforts of many charities in carrying on contact and
\nproviding support packages, many women were unable to stay in the accommodation
\noffered.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most dishearteningly, we heard that leaving, or even
\nsimply having difficulties in inappropriate accommodation, could be interpreted
\nas \u2018bad behaviour\u2019. Therefore, the failure to understand women\u2019s needs and
\nprovide suitable help ended up being seen as a failure of the women themselves<\/p>\n

The report gives more examples of how once you understand
\nthe effects of trauma, you can see why the support offered was often
\nineffective. It also gives an insight as to why the stories of women who sell
\nsex or are sexually exploited where so distinctive from those of other groups
\nwho experienced poverty through the lockdown.<\/p>\n

Using this knowledge to improve policy<\/strong><\/p>\n

By the end of the research, it became clear that the vital services
\nsuch as housing, health care or benefits where often technically available to
\nthese women, but in practice inaccessible. Changing that requires specialist
\nsupport to act as bridges, as well as greater awareness amongst frontline staff
\nof trauma and its effects.<\/p>\n

The underlying problem \u2013 trauma and its effects \u2013 takes patient
\nlong-term therapy to understand and manage. One of the most consistent findings
\nwas that the lockdown led to deteriorating mental health and that mental health
\nsupport had become less accessible. Long term flourishing requires therapy and
\nother mental health services to be readily available. <\/p>\n

Listening to stories<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is important to say that we can only speak to the experiences
\nof the women who were in contact with the projects we were working with. The
\nsex industry is huge and varied therefore we were only able to look at a small
\npiece of it. But the part we were able to look at was one where churches have quietly
\nbeen offering women support for some time.<\/p>\n

In undertaking the research we aimed to answer a question about
\nhow women who sell sex or are sexually exploited were affected by the lockdown.
\nAlongside that it has become clear is that when churches are at their best they
\ndo as the Deacon I spoke to at the start of this process did \u2013 listen to people\u2019s
\nstories with love and compassion, and allow them to change their view of the
\nworld. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d invite you to read the report or visit the Beyond the Streets website to see if your preconceptions of the issues around sexual exploitation are challenged. Mine certainly were.<\/p>\n

Read the Report<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> We have used the rather clumsy term \u201cwomen who sell sex or are sexually exploited\u201d, as it conveys the broad range of experiences within the industry that the projects supported. The more common term \u201csex worker\u201d underplays the level of exploitation some of the women supported are experiencing.<\/p>\n

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In July last year I was on a call with a group of local church and charity leaders. Each told the story of how the pandemic was hitting the most vulnerable in their community. Important and all too familiar experiences … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-urc-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t