If you want to move away from this page quickly, click on change page. The link will take you to the council tax section of this website. Prostitution, which is sometimes called sex work, is the exchange of sex for money or goods when the person selling is aged 18 and over. If they are under 18, then it should always be considered child sexual exploitation CSE. Prostitution is not a crime in itself but there are a number of offences related to it, including:.
Change page. Prostitution is dangerous and unhealthy. Individuals involved in prostitution are often extremely vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Research has shown that many are poor, homeless and have already suffered violence and abuse throughout their life. Women may be coerced into prostitution by pimps or traffickers. A report into the nature and scale of trafficking of migrant women in the UK estimated that of the 75, migrant women thought to be involved in off-street prostitution in the UK, have been trafficked into the UK.
There is also a key concern that research has identified that between 50 per cent β 76 per cent of women involved in prostitution started before the age of 21, depending on the study, outlining the need to identify prostitution and correspondingly child sexual exploitation as a child protection issue.
There are a number of key risk factors which research and practice have identified for individuals involved in prostitution:. Bindel et al have identified that there are 9 key barriers for individuals exiting prostitution which are all linked to the risk factors and resultant key concerns:. All of these factors mean that women engaged in prostitution find it extremely difficult to exit prostitution and need specialist support to ensure that their physical and health needs are met first.
Beyond Support is a call back service for women who are involved in prostitution and want to explore possible alternatives. They offer a freephone telephone number for those who want help. Support via E-mail is also available. More information can also be found on their dedicated website. The Door of Hope project offers hope, support and routes out of prostitution for women involved in on-street prostitution in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in east London. Tel: Website: Door of Hope.
