Migrant Sex Workers

30 years of specialist service delivery for female and Trans sex workers

Jane Ayres Outreach and Praed Street Project Manager

Definition a Migrant sex worker from the UKNSWP:‘A person who, not being a UK national, enters or transits the UK, for whatever purpose, by whatever means, with or without assistance, and who at any stage of their residence

in the UK engages in sex work.’Legal Status

 

Once in the UK, migrant sex workers can fall into and move among the following categories:

Legal: those who have a legal right to be present in, reside in or work in the UK and are fulfilling all conditions attached to those legal rights. Coerced, facilitated and independent migrant sex workers can all fall into this category.

Irregular: those who have a legal right to be present or reside in the UK but not the right to work in the UK and who are therefore not fulfilling all conditions attached to their stay in the UK. Coerced, facilitated and independent migrant sex workers can all fall into this category.

Illegal: those who have no legal right to be present or work in the UK and for whom it is unreasonable to expect such permission to be granted. Coerced, facilitated, smuggled and independent migrant sex workers can all fall into this category.

 

Background

Milestones:•25 years ago very small numbers overall•20 years ago small populations of Thai and African women•15 years ago the ‘ New Brazilians’•10 years ago Eastern Europe opened up•Currently ‘settled’ migrants and new arrivals

National picture and Transience

• What happened in Central London

• How market forces influenced the movement of Migrant Sex Workers

• Settled Migrants and those who ‘tour’ the UK

Impact on the sex Industry

• Volume/ Saturation

• Competition

• Transience

• Fragmented support networks

Impact on migrant sex workers

• Often Minimal knowledge/ support systems

• More reliant on only 1 or 2 key friends or controllers

• More exposed to safety risks

Where do PSP Women come from?

Nationality 1999

7%

11%

15%

67%

Country of Birth by region 2010

4%

20%

13% 26%

32%

3%1%

1%South America

Eastern Europe, Balticstates and Russia

Uk and Ireland

Asia

Western Europe

Central America andCaribbean

africa

Other/unknown

Diversity

• While there are some common issues please be mindful that each group is unique…….

• Take time to find out about where women come from and their different expectations of you and the sex industry

• Their realities whilst in the UK will be variable and change depending on their longevity, integration and personal circumstances

A snapshot of Two very different Journeys

Thai women•All on a contract/ Debt bondage•Tourist visa•Only mix with other Thai women or Bosses/ ‘Sisters’•Crystal Meth/ ICE dependency used to control them•Often Work alone 24 hours a day•Must take all bookings sent from agency with simply a text ‘Appointment at 2pm. John’•No choice to refuse a customer or service•Minimal/ no English•Steered to Chinese Dr’s only•Medication/ Pills sent from home•Intense grooming to mistrust services•Mistrust each other and often exploit each other to change their own position in the ‘Hierarchy of control’•Common presentations of PID/ Urine infections

Brazilian women

Student visas

Local host networks

Open disclosure in services

Independent escorts

Network with other Brazilian sex workers

Often confident and interactive in drop in groups with other sex workers

More likely to learn English at college whilst in UK.

Develop their own profile on the internet

Work in groups

Significant cocaine use at work

Specific issues for Migrant Sex Workers

• Pre conception of services

• Lack of local knowledge• Isolation and Families• Confidentiality• Goals/ Responsibilities/Timeframes• Coercion/ Control• Discrimination• Deportation• LANGUAGE• Misunderstandings/ directions

• Interpreters• Risk to violence at work/ increased barriers to reporting incidents

Sexual Health/Health Issues for Migrant Sex workers

Contraception/ Chinese steel coil

Pregnancy

PID/UTI’S

Can be from high risk countries- Hep B/ STS/ HIV/ TB

Education in relation to management of BV

Post plastic surgery complications

Clinical follow up because of transience

General health issues for vulnerable groups with no GP’S or no entitlement

Cocaine and Alcohol use common either to cope or a specific customer request in many bookings/ ( Migrant SW often not entitled to support services)

Key Challenges

• Transience• Increased legislation targeting sex industry has increased suspicion within this group=

more hidden/ harder to reach• Language and resources• How discrimination/ a client’s personal circumstances affects our ability to offer an

equitable service

• Thank you for listening!

• Contact details: Praed Street Project

• 0203312 1549• Jane.ayres@imperial.nhs.uk

Outreach