A survey into London's off-street sex industry has exposed just how widespread it is - and documents in disturbing detail the plight of the women trapped in it.
Via The Guardian
The men were undertaking research for Big Brothel: a Survey of the Off-Street Sex Industry in London, the most comprehensive study ever conducted into brothels in the UK. The project, which gathered information from 921 brothels in the capital, was commissioned by the Poppy Project, the only British organisation that offers support for women trafficked into prostitution.
My co-author Helen Atkins and I recruited male friends and colleagues to help with the research, and warned them that the work might be upsetting. They were to telephone brothels, posing as potential punters, with a list of questions including "What nationalities are on offer tonight?", "Do the girls do anal?", "How about oral without a condom?", and "What age are they?" We wanted to look at what really goes on in brothels - how much control the women really have; whether there is evidence of trafficking; if local councils are giving licences for saunas and massage parlours when it is clear that they are brothels; and how the sex industry is growing and evolving.
During 120 hours of telephone calls, we established the following: at least 1,933 women are currently at work in London's brothels; ages range from 18 to 55 (with a number of premises offering "very, very young girls"); prices for full sex start at £15, and go up to £250; and more than a third of the brothels offer unprotected sex - including, in some cases, anal penetration. The lowest price quoted for anal sex was £15. "Come along and bring your mates," said one brothel owner. "We have a Greek girl who is very, very young." While kissing used to be off-limits for women selling sex, it can now be bought for an extra tenner.
1 comment:
The author Julie Bindel is the UK's leading
anti-prostitution activist. Her "research" is always
skewed towards the goal of providing evidence to prove
prostitution should be eliminated. She is an activist
against HIV prevention work with sex workers, arguing that
it is like a "band-aid" and that the only real way to
reduce risk in teh sex industry is to abolish it....
Whilst I'm not advocating censorship of posts like this-
some balance, say putting the video link from the
Cambodian sex workers about the impact of
anti-prostitution laws and compulsory testing policies for
sex workers would be nice. Then readers can see first hand
the massive human rights abuses, against sex workers that
happen when governments follow the policies advocated by
women such as Bindel.
the link is
http://www.sexworkerspresent.blip.tv/#1165299
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