I was thirteen when I started working as a prostitute.. not one punter complained or refused due to my age Jo
75% of women involved in prostitution entered when they were children (Women's Resource Centre)
It tears me apart when programmes like Diary of a call girl etc are on TV. It devalues my experience, makes me feel less able to speak about the reality Angel
Up to 70% of women in prostitution spent time in care, 45% report sexual abuse and 85% physical abuse within their families (Home Office,2006)
More than half of UK women in prostitution have been raped and/or seriously sexually assaulted. At least three quarters have been physically assaulted (Home Office,2004)
If I pay £20 then you have to do whatever I want Male punter
65% of UK population believe paying for sexual services is an act which exploits women (ICM,2008)
the real choice in prostitution is up to the punter and whether he decides to be violent or not. But even if he doesn't, he is using and legitimising an industry which other men exploit to be abusive and cause harm Rebecca
Up to 95% of prostituted women are problematic drug users, including around 78% heroin users and rising numbers of crack cocaine addicts (Home Office, 2004)
You pay for the convenience, a bit like going to a public loo Male punter
9 out of 10 surveyed women in prostitution would like to exit prostitution but feel unable to do so (Farley et al, 2003)
I was expected to make up to £400 per day for the men[pimps]. I was not allowed to keep any of it Olena
Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Lithuania, Cambodia and South Korea have outlawed various forms of purchasing sexual acts. Numerous other countries are considering the introduction of simliar legislation
Latest News
- Bradford Murders - Take Action
- Bradford Murders - Press Release
- BREAKING NEWS: Victory as Act passes to criminalise the purchase of sex from a person who has been exploited.
- Double Victory as Bill is passed to tackle commercial sexual exploitation
- Press release: Victory as Peers vote for women, not pimps and punters
- Joint Statement on Clause 14 - a crucial step to end commercial sexual exploitation
- Launch of online petition to tackle demand for prostitution
- Photos of Demand Change! Launch
- Launch of Demand Change!
- Website Launch
Further reading
Factsheets
Curbing the demand for prostitution
Reports
Jan Macleod et al (2008) Challenging Men’s Demand for Prostitution in Scotland (pdf)
Rachel Durchslag, AM Samir Goswami (2008) Deconstructing The Demand for Prostitution: Preliminary Insights From Interviews With Chicago Men Who Purchase Sex (pdf)
POPPY Project (2008) Good Intentions A Review of the New Asylum Model and its Impact on Trafficked Women Claiming Asylum (pdf)
Sarah Richards at POPPY Project, Mel Steel and Debora Singer Refugee Women’s Resource Project at Asylum Aid ( ) Hope Betrayed: An analysis of women victims of trafficking and their claims for asylum (pdf)
IOM Migration Research Series (2003) Is Trafficking in Human Beings Demand Driven? A Multi-Country Pilot Study (pdf)
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (2006) Primer on the Male Demand for Prostitution (pdf)
Home Office Review (2008) TACKLING THE DEMAND FOR PROSTITUTION: A REVIEW (pdf)
Home Office (2006) A Coordinated Prostitution Strategy and a summary of responses to Paying the Price (pdf)
Home Office (2006) Paying the Price: A consultation paper on prostitution (pdf)
Articles
Melissa Farley (2004) Bad for the Body, Bad for the Heart: Prostitution Harms Women Even if Legalized or Decriminalized (pdf)
Donna M. Hughes, Professor & Eleanor M. and Oscar M. Carlson, University of Rhode Island (2004) Best Practices to Address the Demand Side of Sex Trafficking (pdf)
Monica O’Connor and Grainne Healy (2006) The Links between Prostitution and Sex Trafficking: A Briefing Handbook (pdf)
Julia O'Connell Davidson (2006) Men, middlemen, and migrants (pdf)
Julie Bindel – POPPY Project (006 ) No Escape? An Investigation into London’s Service Provision for Women Involved in the Commercial Sex Industry (pdf)
Janice G. Raymond (2004) Prostitution on Demand Legalizing the Buyers as Sexual Consumers (pdf)
POPPY Project (2008) Routes in, routes out:Quantifying the Gendered Experience of Trafficking to the UK (pdf)
Sandra Dickson - The Poppy Project ( ) Sex in the City: Mapping Commercial Sex across London (pdf)
Julie Bindel and Helen Atkins, The POPPY Project (2007) Streets Apart: Outdoor Prostitution in London
Gunilla Ekberg (2004) The Swedish Law That Prohibits the Purchase of Sexual Services Best Practices for Prevention of Prostitution and Trafficking in Human Beings (pdf)
Mary Sullivan, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Australia ( ) What Happens when Prostitution Becomes Work? An Update on Legalization of Prostitution in Australia (pdf)
Links
Dr Brooke Magnanti says she enjoyed her life as Belle de Jour. Please don't let this distort the grim reality of prostitution (The Guardian)
Battling an old-age scourge of society (Morning Star online)
Majority Think Paying for Sex should be Illegal: Sex survey – law to change? (BBC online)
Get prostitutes off the streets - and into a Jack the Ripper show (The Guardian)
Sex: a dangerous trade for women and children (Montreal Gazette)
'It's abuse and a life of hell' (The Guardian)
‘Neither legalizing prostitution nor having a brothel would have prevented the murder of our daughter’ (Orato)
World takes notice of Swedish prostitute laws (The Independent)
Scotland's Sex Trade Fight Looks To Success Of Swedish Model (Daily Record)