Nia Dark and Lovely, a Black Escort in London

Newly targeted funds of £800,000 were today awarded by London Councils to groups assisting women exit the associated violence and abuse of prostitution and looking into the root causes of the problem.Eaves Housing for Women is set to receive the bulk of the funding, £443,200 over four years, to investigate and tackle the root causes and pathways into trafficking and prostitution across all the London boroughs.The scheme will also help provide outreach services, advice, training, and access to supported housing for women seeking to escape from a life of prostitution.

It will be available in: Brent; Bromley; Camden; Croydon; Ealing; Enfield; Greenwich; Hackney; Hammersmith & Fulham; Haringey; Islington; Kensington & Chelsea; Lambeth; Lewisham; Newham; Southwark; Tower Hamlets; Waltham Forest; Wandsworth; Westminster.

Chairman of London Councils Grants Committee, Councillor Paul McCannah, said: “These specially targeted grants will help readdress the balance of representation and support of some of the most excluded women in the capital.“The fund will provide direct services to support and empower women to help themselves and enable innovative investigations into causes and routes into prostitution and trafficking."We hope this will provide many London women the opportunity to turn their negative experiences around by offering them a supportive environment and routes into fulfilling lifestyles and occupations.”

This is useful for the women out there who need assistance. For those of you who have not read it already the paper by Teela Sanders on becoming an ex sex worker is a good read.

Labels: 24.dash.com, Escorts, London, News, Prostitutes, Resources for Prostitutes, Sexworkers, Teela Sanders

It looks like the head of Santa Martha prison is pimping out the women inmates, and taking them to local male prisons.

So, the women inmates make some money, but can they, say no to this.

Have a great weekend, it is frosty in London.

Labels: News, Sexworkers, statesman.com

Will jailing prostitutes help anyone?

It will act as a deterrent for some women,but I wonder what effect it will have in the long run.

I have my doubts about involuntary counselling. I wonder how it can be of use, when it is forced for sexworkers, and then there is a threat of imprisonment if they do not attend.

Labels: Evening star 24, guardian, News, Prostitutes, Prostitution laws, Sexworkers

Alice is a member of the International sex workers union. She is among a group of women that have helped set up english language classes for foreign sexworkers and escorts in London.

Some of these escorts need to tell their clients that they do not do bareback,

owo, or A whatever the case may be.

I am fascinated by sex tourists, and how they communicate with the women they meet.

An ability to speak english seems to be important for some men in London, or the UK who use escorts. I know that it is important for me to understand what my clients are saying, and to be able to communicate with them.

Labels: Escorts, guardian, International sex workers union, News, Prostitutes, Resources for Prostitutes, Sexworkers

Bicyclists and sexworkers in San Francisco kicked off a sex on wheels guided bike tour on Sunday.

It sounds like it was fun, and there were definitely no floods on that side of the water.

Labels: blogs.sfweekly.com, Escorts, News, Sexworkers

Some married men are acting as covers for sex workers in India.

SURAT: Sex workers in Surat are employing men to act as their partners to cover up tracks of their flesh trade.

In some cases, sex workers have even turned to social and emotional support from these ‘companions’ and transferred property in their name.

One such transfer of property was detrimental as the man disowned the sex worker after obtaining the title to the property.

Quotes from Concubines give sex workers cover by Hitarth Pandya of the India Times.

Sadly, some of them do not honour the contracts.

Have a good weekend.

Labels: India Times, News, Sexworkers

A man who was involved in the robberies of massage parlours, which I mentioned here has been convicted.

The judge praised the bravery of the women involved.

Defending Linton, John King said Linton was from a stable and supportive home, but had fallen in with the wrong crowd.

"These women decided to stand up for themselves, whatever society thinks of them."
Judge Shani Barnes

He said: "He was under the influence of Fuller. He was to some extent afraid of him and felt pressurised."

Mr King explained that Linton had occasionally worked with his father in the construction industry, and that he had musical talent, having produced a demo to send to the record label EMI.

He said: "He appears to have had some money problems because the music was not going as well as it should have been."

But Judge Shani Barnes said Linton should have taken responsibility for his situation, rather than preying on vulnerable women.

She said: "There is no doubt that those responsible created an atmosphere of fear among the women over many, many months.

"These women decided to stand up for themselves, whatever society thinks of them. They are entitled to the protection of the law. I found them courageous and brave."

Linton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob on the first day of that trial, after earlier being found guilty of manslaughter of Norman Delopp in Croydon and conspiracy to rob at another trial.

Linton was sentenced to 13 years in February for the manslaughter and conspiracy to rob and is now appealing the guilty verdict.

Quotes from Judge praises prostitutes' bravery by Lisa Williams of This is Local London.


I hope that other women in this situation feel able to do this.

Labels: News, Prostitutes, security, Sexworkers, This is Local London

I came across this article about workplace injuries. It took me back to what I had talked about, in my occupational hazards post.

A phone sex operator in Florida was awarded a workers' compensation, after she was injured from masturbating at work.

While some consider this tale to be another example of America's "I sue, you sue, we all sue" culture, it seems unfair to say that just because someone derives pleasure from her job, it is frivolous to sue for an injury caused by that pleasure. After all isn't masturbatory carpal tunnel for a legal sex worker no different than typing carpal tunnel for a secretary? On the other hand, judges and juries might not be inclined to see it that way. After all, can you imagine a porn star attempting to get cash for a sex-related stress injury? Even in Australia, where prostitution is legal, "sex workers have entitlement to workers compensation for a work-related injury," but "[i]n practice this rarely occurs."

So as ridiculous as these cases may appear on the surface, they raise an important question that I'll throw out to you readers: Should the morality of one's job be called into question when interpreting employment law?

Quotes from Do Sex workers deserve Workers compensation by Emil Steiner of the Washington Post.

The morality question is interesting. I wonder what chances an escort who was outed at her day job, would have if she took it to an employment tribunal?

Labels: News, Occupational Hazards, Sexworkers, Washington post

The numbers of sexworker are rising in Dundee, and some of the residents are being propositioned by kerb crawlers.

Does every woman walking on the streets of Dundee look like a sexworker?

Is that how it works if you are a kerbcrawler?

If some of these women are very young, I can appreciate the residents concerns for their daughters, of similar ages.

The resident says the numbers of prostitutes operating are rising and she fears for her daughter’s safety.

Councillor Dawson said, “The police are doing a wonderful job despite not having the resources to be on site at all times.

“But the residents are complaining they cannot even wait on a bus or a taxi without being propositioned and in some cases they will not even let their children play in the street through fear that they will also be propositioned.

“My constituent has described some of the girls as looking very young, so fears for her own daughter’s safety whilst going to friends etc.

“A worrying thought is that it would appear young Polish girls are appearing on the street now as well.

“The residents know who the girls are and are finding an increasing amount of new faces appearing.

“My main point is this is a residential area with a vast array of people living in it, from families with kids to elderly.

Quotes from Prostitution on rise again by Alan Wilson of the Evening Telegraph.

My view is that there should be controlled zones, to avoid these sorts of problems.

Have a good weekend!

Labels: Evening Telegraph Dundee, News, Prostitutes, Sexworkers

Security is essential for all escorts. It is important that someone or several people know where you are, when you meet clients.For those who provide Incall Cctv cameras, are essential too.

A man accused of posing as a client to steal earnings from prostitutes around Kingston has gone on trial.

Daniel Fuller, 25, from Clifton Road, South Norwood, stands accused of conspiracy to rob on 16 occasions from June to December 2005.

He also faces a charge of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit a crime and a further charge of blackmail.

He said Fuller targeted discreet "massage parlour" operations in quiet suburban areas where typically there would be one working girl and one receptionist.

Mr Millett told the jury the robberies were carried out by Fuller, who would phone the parlours' receptionist to make an appointment, but on arriving would say he had to leave immediately.

When the door was opened for him to leave he would be joined by one or two other men who would help him to take cash and mobile phones from the sex worker and receptionist.

Mr Millett said: "The men robbing them were not on a moral mission to clean up prostitution, but to make a profit from what they saw as easy, vulnerable targets."

The court heard that, spurred on by a succession of robberies which gained the men around £150 cash and mobile phones each time, Fuller went on to demand one woman for a weekly payment of cash.

Mr Millett said: "By December 2005 Fuller decided he would start a protection racquet by blackmailing owners into providing him with weekly payments."




Quotes from Man denies robbing massage parlours by Lisa Williams of the Surrey Comet.

My understanding is that this is how most of the robberies are carried out. I read about some Escort agencies and Independent escorts that have bodyguards in their flats, and cannot blame them.

I have had an influx of readers popping in from the USA over the past few days, more than usual.On Wednesday, USA outnumbered UK readers.I would suggest that my new readers have a look at the other bloggers on my sidebar, who have lots to say.Thank you for stopping by.

Have a good weekend!

Labels: News, Prostitutes, security, Sexworkers, Surrey Comet

It looks like things will change for sex workers in Delhi, as the general view is that most sex workers are victims of circumstance.

They are thinking of revising the laws to fine and imprison clients.

I wait to see if it will go through. I wonder whether this has been set in motion, because the police picked up a senior government official's daughter.

The government is planning to revise anti-prostitution laws drastically to provide for the imprisonment and fine for anyone caught with prostitutes and to drop provisions, which make soliciting a crime. The existing law provides for action only against prostitutes. The amendment, proposed by the department of women and child and awaiting cabinet clearance, provides for three-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 for the patrons. The department has also proposed to do away with Sections 8 and 20 of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), which makes soliciting a punishable offence. The proposed change is being justified on the grounds that most sex workers are victims of circumstances. The perception that most engage in prostitution due to compulsions has also led the department to drop Section 20 of ITPA, which provides for the eviction of prostitutes. The punishment for traffickers, however, is proposed to be made stringent. Those convicted will face imprisonment upto 10 years and fined Rs 1 lakh. As in the case of the Money Laundering Act, the proposed law seeks to confiscate all the property of those guilty of trafficking. The existing law provides for confiscation of property above Rs 3 lakh. To control large scale human trafficking in the country, the new proposal talks about setting up a central nodal agency like a Central Narcotics Bureau.


Quotes from Vivek social research.

Update

Thank you for adding me to your sidebar Miss No Full Service. I found you during my housekeeping this weekend.

Miss No full service has been added to my sidebar. She is a blogger from New York. Pay her a visit.

Have a good week!

Labels: Escorts, News, Prostitution laws, Sexworkers, Vivek social research

This is another paper by Teela Sanders who wrote
Sex work is a risky business, which is on my booklist on the sidebar.

Teela, has kindly given me permission to share this paper with my readers, as it is not available on the internet. Thank you Teela.

This is the type of information that Margaret is looking for.

This article has four core aims. First, to identify the processes of change women undertake
to leave sex work through a typology of transitions. The typology suggests four dominant
ways out of sex work as reactionary, gradual planning, natural progression, and
“yo-yoing.” Second, the article argues against the low self-control theory by asserting that
sex workers engage in specific deviant “careers” rather than stable deviant roles and,
therefore, exit to “complete conformist” once sex work is ceased. Third, it rejects
Mansson and Hedin’s claim that the “emotional commitment” of individual women is the
key factor to leaving and instead argues that structural, political, cultural, and legal factors
as well as cognitive transformations and agency are key determinants in trapping
women in the industry. Fourth, the article challenges the U.K. policy context that reinforces
“exiting” through compulsory rehabilitation and the criminalization of sex work.

Becoming An Ex-Sex Worker

Labels: Articles, Escorts, Retirement, Sexworkers, Teela Sanders

I was leaving work(non escort related) the other day, and said goodbye to our receptionist as I headed out. I noticed she was talking to someone, who I did not recognise. I heard a voice call my name, as I walked through the car park. I turned round, and it was the woman who had been talking to the receptionist. As soon as she spoke I realised who she was. We had worked together last year, but she looked different.

She is probably in her mid to late forties, but had gone grey overnight. That is why I could not recognise her, and she had cut her hair. What was to follow, was very distressing. She has been diagnosed with Cancer , and has been given eighteen months to live by the oncologist. I was fighting back the tears, as she told me her story, and the rest of the day, I felt low.

My philosophy in life, is that death is inevitable, however we never know how we are going to go, or when. I have had a number of friends and relatives die, over the past few years, including my father. Some of them have died in accidents, had heart disease or cancer. I have friends and family who have cancer, too.I am feeling emotional as I write this, because there is a part of me that feels that I should be able to come to terms with it. I remember how I felt when I got the phone call, saying that my father had died, and how everything became a blur, thereafter.The flight back home. I will always remember the day I went to the morgue to see him.

However, when I saw my ex colleague a few days ago, it shook me up in a big way. A number of issues came up for me, around how uncertain life is, and it is something that I grapple with daily. The fear of losing those close to me, which has happened and continues to happen.

Then I watched the news yesterday and felt for the women who were missing, and dead.

Paul Lewis of the guardian newspaper writes:
Don't go out alone women told.

One sex worker, who gave her name as Suzy, who knew at least one of the murdered prostitutes, said neither she nor her colleagues would heed the warning to stay off the streets. She said they were unlikely to approach police. "With Christmas coming up we don't have the choice to stay off the streets," she said. "The police make it sound like it's our fault if we get attacked."

She added: "Two women I know recently reported attacks. One was hurt badly, but police did nothing. They told her there was no chance it would come to court. That attitude gets around and so other women don't come forward. You have to ask how many women have reported violence and nothing was done?"

A serial killer is on the loose, yet these women still feel that they need to go out and work. I cannot believe it.

Why are they not concerned about their safety?

Another article by Paul Lewis of the Guardian newspaper.

Police warn prostitutes to stay off the streets.

He believes the killer uses his local knowledge to conceal the body for long enough to destroy forensic evidence, but still ensure that his crimes will be discovered, which could be an important motivation for him.
"He is clearly organised and clever. He is unlikely to be obviously weird because the prostitutes are getting into the vehicle with him."

Prostitutes made easy targets, he said, because of the nature of their work. "If a guy is smooth and hands over the money and she is comfortable, she is likely to take him somewhere away from cameras, nearby. She will protect him by doing this. That's when he kills her."

The murderer is likely to be white, because killers tend to select targets within their own racial group, he said. He is also likely to have a history of violence, but not necessarily convictions.

"It is not at all an impulsive crime to pick someone up and kill them and drive a distance away with a body. He would have to feel comfortable and not panic. There is also a drive he has got - to kill in such a short space of time."

Karen Mcveigh of the Guardian newspaper writes:

Killer is probably white, in his late 20s or 30s with local links.

The murder of one sex worker rarely makes headlines. Two within days, and in the same part of the country, will begin to attract the attention of the press, but it is only when the magic words "serial killer" can be used that the story is likely to make the front page. Those conditions were fulfilled at the weekend when police announced the discovery of the body of a third woman in woodland in Suffolk. Yesterday two more women were reported missing.

Deep-seated prejudices are at work. The press can never quite decide whether murdered sex workers are tragic victims, like any woman targeted by a serial killer, or have chosen a lifestyle that means they are partly responsible for their deaths. It is a mindset which actively gets in the way of tracking down the killer, and one simple point needs to be shouted from the rooftops: most men who kill sex workers do it not because they hate prostitutes, but because they loathe women full stop.

Joan Smith of the Guardian newspaper writes:

Prostitutes deserve as much sympathy as any murder victim.

The parents of the two girls who are dead were not aware that they were prostitutes. This does not come as a surprise to me. What upsets me is having to take that on board,as well as their children being murdered. I am aware that the type of death an individual is faced with complicates the grieving process. It becomes more complicated when the bereaved cannot talk about the death, because of the stigma attached to it.

The majority of us are not open about what we do. The last thing I would want, if I were to die in these circumstances, is for my mother to be given that information.

I have clients who have heart disease, who are all under forty! Some who have had numerous strokes, and I worry about something happening to them, while they are with me. I have had a conversation with one of my client's and asked him what he would like me to do if anything were to happen. He told me that he wanted me to call an ambulance, and then leave. I see him, when his wife and kids are away.

This is one of my greatest fears, as well as being caught in the act, which I raised yesterday.

Last year I read an article about a client dying after he saw an escort. I hope I am never in this situation, and feel I would be reduced to a giberring wreck. The police and journalist were quite sensitive, and I believe the escort called the client's wife!

I have heard that a lot of men would love to go out on the last stroke.

A related article from BBC news.

Woman quizzed on ex AM's death

I would rather whoever found me, just came up with a story. What story I do not know. If I was conscious I am happy for a client to call a friend or family, if I am unable to do it myself.

I watched the news yesterday, and thought I need to think about what to do, if anything were to happen, and to think about how those close to me would be affected.

What would you like a client or escort to do, if you were to have an emergency during a booking?

How would you want the discretion issue to be handled?

Bear in mind that the person may have passed out, before you can ask them who you can call.

Do you ever envisage a time, when you will have these types of discussions with clients or escorts who you see regularly?

I am happy that I had the discussion with my client, and feel less anxious when I am with him. This does not take away the fact, that I could be reduced to a gibbering wreck if it were to happen.

Make the most of the life you have while you can.

Labels: bbc news, Death, discretion, guardian, Ipswich Murders, Prostitutes, security, Sexworkers

I have just finished reading this paper by Teela Sanders. These articles are not available to the public, but Teela very kindly emailed them to me, to share with my readers.

Teela interviewed some clients and escorts in the UK for her book.

Sex work a risky business


The paper looks at how sex workers create emotion management strategies. It looks at Sex work as a service industry. The study concentrated on the indoor sex market. The women were selected on three criteria, they had to be aged 18 and over, British citizens and define their involvement in sex work as "voluntary".

Some of the areas that are covered are: strategies to manage emotions in the workplace, bodily exclusion zones, the condom as a psychological barrier, the manufactured identity, the preference for domination services,protecting the self and performing as a business strategy.

Teela interviews an escort called Natasha who pretends that she went to public school, and is waiting for an inheritance. Natasha 's physical appearance supports the story that she tells her clients, and the person that she pretends to be when she is marketing, negotiating, and peforming the service. Her appearance gives the impression that she is genuine the wig, implants, and penthouse that her fake character would live in. Natasha insists that her clients are convinced that the fake character she performs at work, is the same one that appears in other parts of her life.I read about Natasha, and have a strong feeling that I know who she is!

The paper looks at the importance and difficulties of maintaining multiple identities in this work. Teela also looks at how with regular clients this can be increasingly difficult, and how regular clients tend to know more about you.The escorts also talk about how stressful it is, trying to remember your cover story each time.

I know the feeling.

The dangers of telling the truth, could lead to obsessive behaviour by clients, and because most escorts are not open about the work that they do, they want to avoid the association with the whore stigma.

If you want to read the article here it is.

Labels: Articles, Sexworkers, Teela Sanders