PEER (Promoting Education, Empowerment and Research): Exploring the Lives of Sex Workers in Tyne and Wear Adele Irving and Dr Mary Laing

Recent Research Evaluation of the UKNSWP ‘National Ugly Mugs’ (NUM) Pilot Scheme Male Action Project (MAP) PEER: Exploring the Lives of Sex Workers in Tyne and Wear

PEER Overview Partnership project - GAP (Cyrenians). Provide a robust evidence base regarding the experiences and service needs of women engaging in sex work in Tyne and Wear. Peer-led methodology. 36 sex worker interviews (14 escorts, 20 survival sex workers, 1 trafficked woman, 1 male escort). 15 stakeholder interviews, 1 focus group.

Survival Findings: Demographics and Sex Work 6 or 13 regarded sex work as main source of income. 6 of 14 had qualifications. 7 engaged in sex work before the age of of 19 experienced life event linked to entry. 15 of 16 do not ‘enjoy’ sex work. 10 of 15 outlined strategies aimed at harm minimisation. 10 of 14 have had strange requests. 10 of 14 have had bad experiences. 10 of 14 have had violent experiences.

Survival Findings: Health and Relationships 14 of 16 sex work had not impacted on physical health. 10 of 15 sex work had not impacted on sexual health. All 18 women reported mental health difficulties. 12 of 14 have felt judged by a service provider. 10 of 12 have had social services involvement. 13 of 16 described childhood in negative / neutral terms. 9 of 12 experienced significant life event as a child. 5 of 11 reported to have friends. 3 of 9 close to family. 13 of 15 victims of domestic violence.

Survival Findings: Addiction, Housing and Offending 15 of 16 had experienced problematic drug use. 9 of 11 accessing drug treatment. 15 of 19 had experienced homelessness. 8 living in supported or temporary accommodation. 9 of 10 linked sex work and homelessness. 6 of 11 worried that sex work is illegal. All 15 women had a criminal record. 11 of 14 women had been to prison. 4 of 8 women reported receiving help when left prison.

Escort Findings: Demographics and Escorting 13 of 14 experiences of other types of work. 8 were introduced by a friend. 6 of 12 run as a business. 5 of 12 pay tax. 12 of 12 enjoy escort work. 12 of 12 identified drawbacks. Strategies for keeping safe and minimising risk evident, some underlying worries. Described good clients and bad clients. All 9 described positive relationships with regular clients. 5 of 14 had experienced a violent client.

Escort Findings: Health and Relationships 8 of 10 reported positive impact on confidence. 10 of 11 felt there to be stigma around escorting. 6 of 12 reported emotional impact from escort work. Physical health: 4 no impact, 2 positive, 6 negative. 11 of 11 reported no negative impacts on sexual health. 7 of 13 identified mental health issues. 8 of 11 had experienced domestic violence. 7 positive childhoods. 4 negative childhoods. 12 of 12 reported positive social networks.

Escort Findings: Addiction, Housing and Offending One case of problematic drugs use. One instance of housing problems. 5 of 10 understand the law re: sex work. 5 of 10 police have negative perception of escorts. 3 of 10 have contacted the police in relation to escorting. 6 of 11 would contact the police if they had to. 3 of 12 women have a criminal record. None been to prison.

Stakeholder Findings Mixed levels of knowledge and awareness: – Types of service – Strategic Vs Operational Low levels of disclosure. Service users not routinely asked about involvement in sex work. Further training Vs Competing priorities. Support for local sex work strategy.

Recommendations Sex work training Dedicated Liaison Officers Dedicated escort service Greater partnership working between: – CJS, homelessness and women’s projects – Social services and sex work projects Mental health and domestic violence Additional specialist sex work projects Continuation funding for GAP Local sex work strategy

Thank you Any questions? Mary Laing, Lecturer in Criminology, Social Sciences, Adele Irving, Research Fellow, Centre for Public Policy,