Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Sunday, 6 February 2011
UKNSWP Press Release
4/2/11 – UKNSWP CONFERENCE “PREVENTING VIOLENCE, PROTECTING SEX WORKERS” – STRATEGIES TO PROTECT THE EXCLUDED
The annual UK Network of Sex Work Projects conference yesterday heard from Deputy Chief Constable Simon Byrne, of Greater Manchester Police and the ACPO Lead on Prostitution & Sexual Exploitation, about how the safety and protection of sex workers must be a key part of policing sex work and how police engagement in "Ugly Mugs" schemes and adopting a formal policy of treating crimes against sex workers as hate crime are tangible ways police forces can proactively begin to address crimes against sex workers.
Baroness Vivienne Stern, Cross Bench Peer in the House of Lords and author of the Stern review into the treatment of rape complaints, questioned the benefits of the current legal framework, speaking eloquently about the need to examine the failure of the legal system in preventing violence against people who sell sex and to give them protection and equal access to justice as a right.
The conference also heard from a range of UKNSWP member projects about their frontline work taking effective action to tackle violence and empower people who sell sex, including:
* UK-wide Ugly Mugs, a UKNSWP initiative supported by Simon Byrne, National Policing Improvement Agency, CEOP, Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Survivors Trust, Rape Crisis, Terence Higgins Trust and the International Union of Sex Workers, amongst others. The scheme would enable the sharing of information about violent offenders, robbers and others who commit crimes against people in the sex industry. The scheme would dramatically increase the number of violent offenders who are prosecuted and it is police opinion that more prosecutions would succeed.
* Terrence Higgins Trust and the Working Mens’ Project (St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington) on the under-reporting of rape and sexual assault by men who sell sex.
* Dr Nick Mai of London Metropolitan University on the complex relationships that underpin migration and exploitation.
* Georgina Perry from Open Doors, a service which covers three of the host boroughs for the 2012 Games, described the harmful impact of increased enforcement in the run up to the Games and her service’ efforts to encourage migrant sex workers to report crimes against them to the police, access support for victims of sexual offences and other crime and make them aware that they are entitled to the protection of the law via a multi-lingual DVD; one Newham sex worker, having contacted the police to avert a violent incident, was told by uniformed officers “don’t bother to call again”.
* Luan Grugeon on the holistic service provisions of Drugs Action in Aberdeen with drug using street sex workers with a range of health and social care needs.
Finally Dr Maggie O’Neill looked at issues of sex work , violence and citizenship and described lessons from Canada, where legal review has overturned the criminalisation of people who sell sex, valuing their safety over ineffective laws that attempted to treat sex work as only a nuisance, and failed even to solve the problems associated with prostitution on those terms.
The annual UK Network of Sex Work Projects conference yesterday heard from Deputy Chief Constable Simon Byrne, of Greater Manchester Police and the ACPO Lead on Prostitution & Sexual Exploitation, about how the safety and protection of sex workers must be a key part of policing sex work and how police engagement in "Ugly Mugs" schemes and adopting a formal policy of treating crimes against sex workers as hate crime are tangible ways police forces can proactively begin to address crimes against sex workers.
Baroness Vivienne Stern, Cross Bench Peer in the House of Lords and author of the Stern review into the treatment of rape complaints, questioned the benefits of the current legal framework, speaking eloquently about the need to examine the failure of the legal system in preventing violence against people who sell sex and to give them protection and equal access to justice as a right.
The conference also heard from a range of UKNSWP member projects about their frontline work taking effective action to tackle violence and empower people who sell sex, including:
* UK-wide Ugly Mugs, a UKNSWP initiative supported by Simon Byrne, National Policing Improvement Agency, CEOP, Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Survivors Trust, Rape Crisis, Terence Higgins Trust and the International Union of Sex Workers, amongst others. The scheme would enable the sharing of information about violent offenders, robbers and others who commit crimes against people in the sex industry. The scheme would dramatically increase the number of violent offenders who are prosecuted and it is police opinion that more prosecutions would succeed.
* Terrence Higgins Trust and the Working Mens’ Project (St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington) on the under-reporting of rape and sexual assault by men who sell sex.
* Dr Nick Mai of London Metropolitan University on the complex relationships that underpin migration and exploitation.
* Georgina Perry from Open Doors, a service which covers three of the host boroughs for the 2012 Games, described the harmful impact of increased enforcement in the run up to the Games and her service’ efforts to encourage migrant sex workers to report crimes against them to the police, access support for victims of sexual offences and other crime and make them aware that they are entitled to the protection of the law via a multi-lingual DVD; one Newham sex worker, having contacted the police to avert a violent incident, was told by uniformed officers “don’t bother to call again”.
* Luan Grugeon on the holistic service provisions of Drugs Action in Aberdeen with drug using street sex workers with a range of health and social care needs.
Finally Dr Maggie O’Neill looked at issues of sex work , violence and citizenship and described lessons from Canada, where legal review has overturned the criminalisation of people who sell sex, valuing their safety over ineffective laws that attempted to treat sex work as only a nuisance, and failed even to solve the problems associated with prostitution on those terms.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Papers and Publications
Due to circumstances beyond my control ( sigh ) I have had to cancel my London tour at short notice. Sorry but family comes first and I have some availability in Glasgow on Thursday / Friday, after that I am fully booked for the weekend.
Some time ago a sister organisation of Eaves published a paper claiming that since the introduction of lap dancing clubs in Camden, the number of reported rapes increased by 50%. Yes, 50%.
Since the publication of the original report, The Guardian published an apology and cited the real figure as 30%.
Dr. Brooke Magnanti PhD, ( the original Belle de Jour ) has since published a paper ;
"The impact of adult entertainment on rape statistics in Camden:a re-analysis."
I've included a link for you here ; http://www.scribd.com/doc/47185652/Green-Paper-Camden-Lilith-rape-stats
How wonderful to have an academic, former sex worker highlight the flaws in the "research" and processing of information involved in the original Eaves report.
Meanwhile, Jerome Taylor published a piece in The Indie about a concerted effort on the part of the police to open a dialogue between sex workers and the police in an effort to prevent further attacks such as Bradford and Ipswich.
The link is here for you ;
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/regulating-sex-industry-would-protect-women-says-police-chief-2171121.html
It is certainly a step in the right direction, as is setting up a nationwide "Ugly Mugs " scheme, so that sex workers can share information on violent clients, but it is not enough. What we need is the decriminalisation of all sex workers so that two women may work in a flat together without fear of prosecution and if the Police really want to open the channels of communication then surely this would be a valuable first step. Rather then operate in fear of the police, sex workers should feel able to contact the police to discuss any concerns they may have, this action alone could and will save lives.
Another article in The Indie caught my eye too, based on underage prostitutes working on the streets in terror of pimps -
Most evenings two or three gutsy women board a minibus. They drive around the local red-light spots – streets frequented by prostitutes, the town centre, parks and seedy bed & breakfasts. They are looking for trouble or at least the potential for it: children vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
"If we see a 13-year-old girl with a can of beer on the streets or in a park at 10.30 at night, we stop," says Wendy Shepherd, the leader of the teams of specialist workers at the child sexual exploitation unit of children's charity Barnardo's in the North-east of England.
Sometimes they confront the pimps. They can be faced with harrowing situations such as the aftermath of sexual assaults. They work into the early hours.
Whilst I absolutely applaud the actions of the women concerned, it should not be their role to confront the pimps and deal with the aftermath of what amounts to sexual assault of a minor. Where are the police ? How about, instead of raiding working flats where there are ladies working of their own volition and who ( shock - horror ) really enjoy their work, the police concentrate their efforts on the vulnerable, the weak, those who are too scared to do anything to change their lives ?
LL xx
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Boy Bands and Belligerence
Six sleeps until London !! I cannot wait, my diary is looking good and I will also have the chance to meet up with some other lovely ladies too.
Meanwhile, tonight I am in Newcastle chilling out after a busy day. Since I last blogged I've been in Belfast and Carlisle working away leaving a trail of grinning men in my wake. One of the lovely gents I met in Belfast has written me a review, thank you, I enjoyed myself immensely too, in case you hadn't noticed like. ;)
http://www.adultwork.com/FR?37802
The hotel is bouncing with over excited pre-pubescents because JLS were playing in Newcastle tonight. Actually, had I known I could have organised tickets for myself and Spandex too, I mean have you SEEN Marvin and THAT six pack ? ( To my older readers, I apologise - it's a boy band and as the proud Mother of a nine year old one needs to keep up to speed with the lastest "hotties". That's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it.) So here I sit, with a large coffee and a dollop of cream on top that was just made to be licked off a lady, and have I had a call from the management team of afore mentioned boy band ? Have I feckery. :(
My tour schedule has been pretty heavy going and I have also been very busy with Glasgow bookings in the interim so the truth be told I have been a tad STRESSED. Sometimes I feel as if I'm being pulled in 8 different directions at once and I need to prioritise my roles, spending more time with l'enfant terrible and also getting some study done. With that in mind I'm taking some time out in Feb to go back to the Green Isle and spend some time with my family, there's a family do I need to attend anyway and someone has to go on "Nan watch". This involves sitting alongside my Gran to make sure she doesn't cause too much offence to any one group of people at any one time. To clarify, it's hardly appropriate when she was being told off for blatant racism by the staff of the nursing home to respond with "I have no problem with darkies, they did a splendid job on my hip". I've long wondered how much of what she says is through ignorance and how much is just pure devillment and because she enjoys watching the veins pulse in the necks of her unfortunate captive audience.
Speaking of pulsing veins, it is deer culling season. In case it hasn't become screamingly apparent over time, I am a huge animal lover so there is more chance of me entering a Carmelite convent and taking a vow of silence than there is of me arming myself with a shotgun and setting off in search of Bambi.
Now, I am a realist and I know that the deer population in Scotland is simply too large and that if they are not culled they will starve, ergo I have no problem with a trained stalker taking them out with one shot to the head. What I do object to is Tristan Smedley Smythe and his pals embarking on a weekend of shooting when the closest thing they've ever had to professional training is playing soldiers with their chums, ducking down behind hedges with water pistols in their boyhood. ( I do know of one gent who organises such weekends for the afore mentioned eegits and if it becomes apparent that they are simply trying to prove their manliness after far too many glasses of 'Bolly', then he will ensure that they are at all times doomed to failure, downwind of the stag. )
Anyway, as always I have a solution.
Take Roger Feckwit-Fontleroy and his friends and place them on a random piece of Highland land. Employ several of the most depolorable neds who have been smoking weed for so long that they have lost all sense of reality and provide them with quad bikes. Furnish the neds with the obligatory buckfast beforehand and give the "Hooray Henry's" a good head start. ( Well, everyone likes a fair fight right ? ) Then release the neds to chase the City traders and stand back and admire. Everyone's a winner, the double barrelled named boys get the thrill of a chase and a hunt, whilst the neds are temporarily taken from our ever increasing unemployment figures.
Result.
LL xx
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Gay Porn and Giving Up
Good Morning, well when I say good, there's nothing feckin' good about it. It is 4.30am and I am wide awake having a tea party with my cats because I can't sleep.
The last time I was awake at this ungodly hour deserves a mention actually, it involved myself and a pal, watching a Gay Police Porn DVD placing bets on whether it would actually go, you know.... there. It did, and we were suitably gobsmacked. In fact she was heard to exclaim - "that is the largest blunderbuss I have ever seen". That was the day I discovered why men enjoy watching two ladies together, but I digress.
I came back from Ireland with some very fetching pressies including a full length cow print pyjama suit, ( just MADE for overnight bookings ), a Jack Dee audio book ( awesome ) and the worst bout of flu I have ever had in my life. I started feeling unwell on the boat on the way back and by the time I had embarked on the drive home from Stranraer I had broken out into a cold sweat and was shivering and achey. To add insult to injury, after I made it to bed I felt like a large rhinoceros had taken up residence on my chest and was not moving for all the sweet potatoes in the world. Wonderful.
Since then, life has been an endless round of cancelled bookings and plans combined with coughing that would make Ena Sharples look like Princess Diana. Have you ever seen the heavily lined grey face of a woman who looks fifteen years older due to smoking ? I have. NOT sexy.
Enough is enough.
Being pig headed has it's advantages so today I am marching down to my GP to announce loudly that I am giving up the evil habit of smoking and that I will require patches, nasal inhalers, and anything else the NHS can offer which will make me less likely to kill someone with my bare hands.
In the spirit of friendship I will forewarn my nearest and dearest so they can dig trenches and don flak jackets, to provide protection from high velocity projectiles.
Wish me luck.
LL xx
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
International Union of Sex Workers - Press Release
The IUSW welcomes the statements by ACPO’s lead on prostitution and sexual exploitation, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Byrne, that it is time to look again at the laws around prostitution.
Law surrounding the sex industry are complex, confusing and ineffective in targeting harm. In fact, it makes sex workers’ lives more dangerous. There are already general laws to target violence, coercion and abuse, which sex workers are prevented from accessing through fear of the police, as there is an inherent contradiction between the police roles of protection and prosecution.
3,000-22,000 of the estimated 80,000 people who sell sex in the UK do so on street and are criminalised under the Street Offences Act of 1959 if they loiter or solicit; the Sexual Offences Act 1985 penalises kerb-crawling. The Policing & Crime Act 2009 tweaked existing legislation: the requirement for persistent behaviour by kerb-crawlers was removed and a definition of “persistence” for soliciting or loitering was given: twice in three months. That gives this profoundly vulnerable group of women the opportunity to have contact with the police four times a year without fear of arrest.
Over the past 50 years, this legislation has entirely failed to solve the problems associated with street prostitution. The most “successful” outcomes, resulting from expensive long term enforcement, are displacement (for example, street sex workers moved to Norwich as a result of increased police action in Ipswich).
Indoors, it is possible to work entirely legally, but the only way to be free of the risk of prosecution is to work for yourself in complete isolation. Two people working together fulfils the legal definition of a brothel, so the law builds in isolation at the most fundamental level; the owner or tenant is liable to up to 7 years imprisonment.
“Controlling for gain” – legislation on “pimping” – explicitly includes people who are working of their own free will and covers almost every way of working with or for a third party.
Prosecution requires no evidence of coercion, violence or abuse; there have been several recent successful prosecutions where it was accepted in court that the defendant offered a safe, fair and honest working environment to women who freely chose to be there.
Likewise, our legal definition of trafficking fails to meet the standard of either the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking (commonly called the Palermo Protocol) or the Council of Europe Convention on Trafficking. It refers to knowledge and intent, not coercion, deception or abuse.
Catherine Stephens, activist with the International Union of Sex Workers says, “The law doesn’t just fail to target violence and exploitation, it actually facilitates it. Would we be safer working together? Yes. Is that legal? No.”
A community’s worth is measured by the way it treats the most vulnerable. It is time to treat people who sell sex with respect and to prioritise our rights and safety. It is time to decriminalise sex work so people who sell sex have the full protection of the law.
——-
The International Union of Sex Workers:
For our human, civil and labour rights. For our inclusion and decriminalisation.
For freedom to choose and respect for those choices, including the absolute right to say no.
For the full protection of the law. For everyone in the sex industry.
ONLY RIGHTS WILL STOP THE WRONGS.
Law surrounding the sex industry are complex, confusing and ineffective in targeting harm. In fact, it makes sex workers’ lives more dangerous. There are already general laws to target violence, coercion and abuse, which sex workers are prevented from accessing through fear of the police, as there is an inherent contradiction between the police roles of protection and prosecution.
3,000-22,000 of the estimated 80,000 people who sell sex in the UK do so on street and are criminalised under the Street Offences Act of 1959 if they loiter or solicit; the Sexual Offences Act 1985 penalises kerb-crawling. The Policing & Crime Act 2009 tweaked existing legislation: the requirement for persistent behaviour by kerb-crawlers was removed and a definition of “persistence” for soliciting or loitering was given: twice in three months. That gives this profoundly vulnerable group of women the opportunity to have contact with the police four times a year without fear of arrest.
Over the past 50 years, this legislation has entirely failed to solve the problems associated with street prostitution. The most “successful” outcomes, resulting from expensive long term enforcement, are displacement (for example, street sex workers moved to Norwich as a result of increased police action in Ipswich).
Indoors, it is possible to work entirely legally, but the only way to be free of the risk of prosecution is to work for yourself in complete isolation. Two people working together fulfils the legal definition of a brothel, so the law builds in isolation at the most fundamental level; the owner or tenant is liable to up to 7 years imprisonment.
“Controlling for gain” – legislation on “pimping” – explicitly includes people who are working of their own free will and covers almost every way of working with or for a third party.
Prosecution requires no evidence of coercion, violence or abuse; there have been several recent successful prosecutions where it was accepted in court that the defendant offered a safe, fair and honest working environment to women who freely chose to be there.
Likewise, our legal definition of trafficking fails to meet the standard of either the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking (commonly called the Palermo Protocol) or the Council of Europe Convention on Trafficking. It refers to knowledge and intent, not coercion, deception or abuse.
Catherine Stephens, activist with the International Union of Sex Workers says, “The law doesn’t just fail to target violence and exploitation, it actually facilitates it. Would we be safer working together? Yes. Is that legal? No.”
A community’s worth is measured by the way it treats the most vulnerable. It is time to treat people who sell sex with respect and to prioritise our rights and safety. It is time to decriminalise sex work so people who sell sex have the full protection of the law.
——-
The International Union of Sex Workers:
For our human, civil and labour rights. For our inclusion and decriminalisation.
For freedom to choose and respect for those choices, including the absolute right to say no.
For the full protection of the law. For everyone in the sex industry.
ONLY RIGHTS WILL STOP THE WRONGS.
UK Network of Sex Work Projects - Press Release
On the day Stephen Griffiths starts a life sentence for the murder of three women who had been involved in street sex work, the UK Network of Sex Work Projects calls on the government to fund a UK wide “Ugly Mugs” scheme to enhance local schemes and improve intelligence sharing about perpetrators of crimes against sex workers across the UK.
Sex workers are often hesitant to contact police directly due to fear of arrest or public identification and other effects of stigma. “Ugly Mugs” is a system, originally developed by sex workers, which many UKNSWP member projects have adapted to enable the sharing of information about violent offenders, robbers and others who commit crimes against people in the sex industry.
Sex workers can report crimes against them to sex work projects, providing detailed descriptions of the incidents. If the sex worker gives permission, this information is also passed to local police. However, some areas do not operate “Ugly Mugs” schemes, and there is no mechanism for intelligence to be shared UK wide even though offenders may move from one area to another and some sex workers work across different parts of the country.
A new BBC documentary examines safety issues for people who sell sex in the current legal context. It looks at the barriers sex workers face in reporting crimes committed against them and points to a UK wide “Ugly Mugs” scheme as one important way in which local “Ugly Mugs” schemes could be linked so sex workers are more effectively protected and perpetrators caught sooner.
The introduction of a UK wide “Ugly Mugs” scheme has support from amongst the Association of Chief Police Officers.
The documentary, to be screened on the BBC News Channel on December 31st, looks at safety, violence and policing issues in the UK sex industry. Women from Bradford, Liverpool and Blackpool share their experiences of sex work. The programme examines the support that exists for individuals in the industry and looks at the different approaches to policing sex work around the country.
The UKNSWP welcomes the BBC investigation and calls for a re-examination of current legislation.
Georgina Perry of UKNSWP said: “The Policing and Crime Act 2009 continues to criminalise sex workers, creating a culture of fear and distrust of the authorities and preventing the reporting of violent and serious crimes against these vulnerable people. Current legislation fails sex workers, who should be able to receive the same level of support from the police as other members of society.”
“Liverpool has introduced a supportive model of policing where sex workers are protected and intelligence about crimes against them is shared. This has led to a dramatic rise in convictions for those who commit crimes against this group. We hope that this model will be rolled out UK wide. We are also calling on government to implement a UK wide “Ugly Mugs” scheme so that intelligence about violent offenders can be shared between police forces.”
Sex workers are often hesitant to contact police directly due to fear of arrest or public identification and other effects of stigma. “Ugly Mugs” is a system, originally developed by sex workers, which many UKNSWP member projects have adapted to enable the sharing of information about violent offenders, robbers and others who commit crimes against people in the sex industry.
Sex workers can report crimes against them to sex work projects, providing detailed descriptions of the incidents. If the sex worker gives permission, this information is also passed to local police. However, some areas do not operate “Ugly Mugs” schemes, and there is no mechanism for intelligence to be shared UK wide even though offenders may move from one area to another and some sex workers work across different parts of the country.
A new BBC documentary examines safety issues for people who sell sex in the current legal context. It looks at the barriers sex workers face in reporting crimes committed against them and points to a UK wide “Ugly Mugs” scheme as one important way in which local “Ugly Mugs” schemes could be linked so sex workers are more effectively protected and perpetrators caught sooner.
The introduction of a UK wide “Ugly Mugs” scheme has support from amongst the Association of Chief Police Officers.
The documentary, to be screened on the BBC News Channel on December 31st, looks at safety, violence and policing issues in the UK sex industry. Women from Bradford, Liverpool and Blackpool share their experiences of sex work. The programme examines the support that exists for individuals in the industry and looks at the different approaches to policing sex work around the country.
The UKNSWP welcomes the BBC investigation and calls for a re-examination of current legislation.
Georgina Perry of UKNSWP said: “The Policing and Crime Act 2009 continues to criminalise sex workers, creating a culture of fear and distrust of the authorities and preventing the reporting of violent and serious crimes against these vulnerable people. Current legislation fails sex workers, who should be able to receive the same level of support from the police as other members of society.”
“Liverpool has introduced a supportive model of policing where sex workers are protected and intelligence about crimes against them is shared. This has led to a dramatic rise in convictions for those who commit crimes against this group. We hope that this model will be rolled out UK wide. We are also calling on government to implement a UK wide “Ugly Mugs” scheme so that intelligence about violent offenders can be shared between police forces.”
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