This article sets out some of the main problems faced by sex workers in
their relationship with the State, and concludes with a brief interview
with Jenn Clamen of the International Union of Sex Workers. You're
self-employed, running a legal small business on a tight budget and want to
advertise your services. For most, a card in the local shop window or phone
box might be just the ticket. But not if you're a sex worker, it seems.
Clamp down Though prostitution is legal, soliciting on the streets isn't.
Until the Criminal Justice & Police Act came into force in 2001, the
prostitute's tactic of advertising sex by putting cards in phone boxes was
legal too � not anymore. It's estimated that 13m cards are distributed
across Britain each year and in 2001 BT removed 150,000 from phone boxes in
central London alone � though it didn't stop schoolboys swapping cards in
playgrounds when the Pokemon craze died down! Apart from the waste of
money, carding is now attracting severe penalties as the police and local
councils clamp down.The police pose as clients and get the addresses of
people selling sex. They are visited, warned, often the landlord is
informed. With most landlords afraid of being charged with abetting
prostitution, such a warning usually ends in eviction. The woman (and it
usually is a woman, sometimes with children) is moved on again and again.
Their livelihoods are lost as it takes time to re-build your client base.
Immigration officials often accompany police, and women working illegally
are issued a deportation order and dumped at the nearest airport. Sometimes
the only way they can raise the airfare is to head back into town and go
back on the streets. If they have been trafficked (smuggled into the
country) they may still owe the traffickers their fare and be in immediate
danger here and in their home countries. Cards at flats are confiscated and
the card boys, if caught, face heavy fines, up to �1,000, or 28 days in
jail. One operation in the area covered by right-wing Westminster Council
(all-part of its family-friendly tourist strategy) led to 60 card boys
being charged, though none of the women were. As Jenn Clamen says: "The
real agenda is not getting rid of the cards, but getting rid of the women.
Prohibition is unlikely to drive sex workers into convents but harassment
will force them underground where there is less access to support networks
and where they risk more violence." Interview Organise!: When was the union
formed, what are its main policies, how many members does it have and what
do they see as the main benefits of membership? Jenn: The IUSW was formed
in 2000 and now has 100 members. It has recently affiliated to the GMB and
its Sex Work & Fantasy Branch has 40 members. The main demands of the IUSW
are: decriminalisation of all aspects of sex work involving consenting
adults; the right to form and join professional associations or unions;
zero tolerance of coercion, violence, sexual abuse, child labour, rape and
racism; legal support for sex workers who want to sue those who exploit
their labour; the right to travel across national boundaries and obtain
work permits wherever we live; clean and safe places to work; the right to
choose whether to work on our own or co- operatively with other sex
workers; the absolute right to say no; access to training � our jobs
require very special skills and professional standards; access to health
clinics where we do not feel stigmatised; re-training programmes for sex
workers who want to leave the industry; an end to social attitudes which
stigmatise those who are or have been sex workers. O: What are the main
benefits of membership? Jenn: The main benefits of membership are that
being part of a collective group that is ostracised and generally doesn't
get to enjoy all of the benefits of a free society, gives power and
confidence to people in the sex trade. Being part of the GMB has the usual
practical benefits: discounted travel insurance, free legal advice,
compensation for injuries at work (although this only applies to people
working in wholly `legal' aspects of the trade i.e. massage parlours or
dance clubs). O: What are the main forms of discrimination faced by sex
workers? Jenn: Because the law around sex work is so contradictory and
ambiguous, it is very difficult to ensure that sex workers can be safe and
healthy in their jobs. This in itself is discrimination. The Government has
set up the law to feign approval of sex work, by making it `legal'.
However, none of the activities around sex work (including living off the
money earned) is legal. This too is discrimination. On a more practical
level, sex work is not considered a real job, so people who sex work cannot
enjoy the benefits of working in a `real' job i.e. compensation if hurt,
health benefits, etc. O: Is sex work dangerous? Jenn: There is a lot of
danger in sex work because of the lack of proper laws. Sex workers are
exposed to a lot of violence from punters and pimps, if they have a pimp,
because there are no laws to protect them. If raped or assaulted, proving
it is difficult because generally the population thinks it's part of the
job: many women who work on the street will tell you that this is exactly
what police called to the scene will say. A lot of women are forced to work
underground because they must remain out of sight so as not to get a fine
for soliciting. This puts them in more danger, as they are not always
familiar with the working area and the punters in that area. O: To what
extent are sex workers able to control their transactions with clients and
their employers (if any)? Jenn: Sex Workers are usually in control of the
transaction. For women who work in flats, it's a simple transaction. There
is usually a maid, who answers the phone and keeps the money, and a working
girl. The punter comes in, requests a service, woman gives a price, money
is exchanged � simple. Where a woman has a pimp, a lot of her money goes
over to him or her, resulting in a lack of control. With regards to
services, however, most women determine what services they offer, and how
they offer them, bar none. If people are new to the industry, it obviously
takes time for them to devise their own working regime, so they may not be
in as much control as they would like to be. In some massage parlours and
escort agencies, and even flats, the owner will demand the girl see a
particular client she may not want to see, or perform certain services like
oral sex without a condom. However, the answer to this dilemma is simple,
move to another sex working job. If a woman wants control over her
business, she will seize it. O: What is the general attitude of officialdom
� police, social workers, local councils and so on? Jenn: The general
attitude is that sex work is a pest. Most councils will deny that it exists
in their area (very typical of posh suburban areas). At the same time they
are beginning to use anti- social behaviour orders (introduced originally
to deal with `neighbours from hell') against street women � if breached
they face up to five years in jail. A lot of the police and general public
think it should be decriminalised but still maintain a `not on my doorstep'
attitude. There are a lot of people in favour of a `red-light district'
where sex work would be `contained': fair enough, at least they are aiming
for a decriminalised area. O: And the Government? Jenn: The Government will
not make any efforts to change the law; this is the main problem. The
current laws themselves are the real problem, the nuisance. I think there
is a general attitude that if the law made more sense, there wouldn't be so
many problems. In the meantime, while the laws don't make sense, people
think that visible sex work (I stress visible because a lot of it is
indoors) is a pest � even though many of the people with this attitude are
punters themselves. O: What are the main other ways by which sex workers
are controlled by society? Jenn: The lack of structure in the law controls
the lives of sex workers. They cannot go public. They must live double
lives. They must always be on guard because of a lack of safety. They must
suffer with the stigma attached to sex working. They are not controlled as
other people can be: most are confident and self-assured. But in general,
it's the law that gets you down. O: Some people argue that street
prostitution attracts kerb crawlers who accost women not interested in
selling sex and are perceived as a menace to children. The trade seems to
attract crime � especially drug-related crime � and can be a nuisance,
affecting the whole neighbourhood. Are sex workers to blame for this and
should they ply their trade indoors? Jenn: No. Street sex workers are not
to blame for drugs or menacing punters. Many street workers are homeless
and can't trade indoors. I have been to residents' meetings where this is
suggested, but it's ridiculous: where would they go? They don't have homes.
The main problem with street sex work (aside from complaints about mere
visibility) is condoms and syringes around parks and schools. This is why
needle exchanges and sex work projects exist, to help people dispose of
them safely. The councils also have to train rubbish collectors to handle
these things (with gloves, sterilizing equipment etc). Safety is the
biggest issue in street sex work but I wouldn't blame the women themselves
for a lack of it. The social context around street sex work does not allow
for a dialogue between residents and working women. O: What are the IUSW's
proposals for addressing these issues of perceived and actual nuisance,
crime and safety? Jenn: The anti-kerb crawling campaign being mounted
currently in some areas is not a safe or effective way of targeting punters
or sex workers; it makes sex work more dangerous by pushing the women
further underground and into working areas they are not familiar with. With
regards to punters approaching women who aren't sex workers, there is
danger because some punters can get rude and intimidating. A designated
working area may solve that problem. Educating residents and council
members so that they do not need to feel against the women is one way.
Decriminalising an area where sex workers can work, shower, and see punters
is another. Residents need to acknowledge sex workers as residents and come
to an understanding together about safety in the neighbourhood. O: What
change in the status of sex workers and society's attitudes to sex workers
would you like to see? Jenn: Society, and especially Government, needs to
pay attention to what is going on in the world, the fact that London is
laden with sex and sex work, that there is a demand for it. That people
need to feel protected. It would help if the double standard that most
Britons have about sex was dumped, that the stereotypes of sleazy, broke
sex workers was forgotten or changed for good. O: What are the means by
which this could come about? Jenn: Decriminalisation of all aspects of
adult sex work involving consenting adults. Accepting sex work as a
profession and a choice. Legislation needs to be changed. An anarchist view
As anarchists we may have an inkling of some of the problems sex workers
face. We too lead double lives and often find ourselves arrested for doing
things that up to a moment before were entirely legal! Though there's not
as much demand for our politics as there seems to be for sex, more's the
pity! We also recognise the truth that collective organisation brings
strength and confidence. Some lessons have been well learnt. We would
certainly support the formation of more IUSW branches and are glad to see
that sex workers recognise the limitations of trade union membership! Where
we differ perhaps is in expecting any change in attitude from Government or
that legislation will do anything more than increase control and lessen
perceived public nuisance while doing nothing to curb those who exploit or
harm sex workers. ****************************************** >From
Organise!, thrice yearly magazine of the Anarchist Federation
(Britain/Ireland), now available in PDF format at:
http://www.afireland.cjb.net [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.afed.org.uk http://flag.blackened.net/af/alba
