Jane Ayres - Pread Street Project
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Information regarding migrant sex work in the UK.
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Jane Ayres - Pread Street Project
- 1. Migrant Sex Workers 30 years of specialist service delivery for female and Trans sex workers Jane Ayres Outreach and Praed Street Project Manager
- 2. 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.
- 3. 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
- 4. 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
- 5. Impact on the sex Industry • Volume/ Saturation • Competition • Transience • Fragmented support networks
- 6. 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
- 7. 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, Baltic states and Russia Uk and Ireland Asia Western Europe Central America and Caribbean africa Other/unknown
- 9. 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
- 10. 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
- 11. 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
- 12. 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
- 13. 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)
- 14. 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
- 17. • Thank you for listening! • Contact details: Praed Street Project • 0203312 1549 • Jane.ayres@imperial.nhs.uk
- 22. Outreach
Editor's Notes
- Migrant patterns are such that they often migrate to where there is a settled community already of they come to where the work is. This is probably why the first migrant sex workers came to London, particularly Westminster as it is a significant centre of sex work in the UK. 25 years ago mainly indigenous; we started to see small groups of Thai women in London and some small groups of older African client- very reticent to tell us which part of Africa they were from. Suddenly we had lots of Brazilian women mainly because there was a host community of Brazilians in west London already concentrated; As a group Brazilians are more integrated, more open and utilised their support mechanisms more than for example Thai women. In 2004/5 we were inundated with eastern European women from all over attendances went up 42% in that year. That stabilised. Now we have some settled populations of those who chose to stay either legally or illegally ( explain Thai women status.) The recent groups are Chinese women and lots of Romanians.
- As the capital and the most populated sex industry most migrants started working in central London indoors. For over 10 years SW services in central London have between 70%/80% migrant populations. 2 major triggers changed this pattern and Migrant SWS started moving to other cities Saturated market/ competition Increased legislation/ policing focussing far more on the Indoor sex industry To avoid detection either as individuals or organised groups networks mushroomed elsewhere and both Individuals started ‘Touring’ and organised crime groups moved women around frequently to avoid visibility and also as a displacement technique. Some Independent migrants have settled in new towns now as well as London whilst others have a base in London but frequently ‘go on Tour’
- The traditional peer support networks we used to see among Indigenous sex workers became much more fragmented within migrant populations. Working alone became much more common and new types of work set ups developed to remain invisible e.g.. London Taxi flats.
- Nb. Changes in composition of client group
- Coercion is not the numbers you see quoted but significant for small numbers of women. We must acknowledge the spectrum of control is hugely variable and can range from new migrants simply working long hours/ 7 day weeks- (exploitation) to a woman who is supervised, escorted, moved around with no freedom. Sometimes it takes a long time to disclose this; Women often don’t want intervention; If they do we need to consider risk to them and others and what is the reality of finding them a safer option. I would urge you to approach this with an open mind and find out what the individual wants not what do we ‘wish’ for on their behalf. Discrimination-New migrants can experience discrimination from peers, clients, owners, bosses Misunderstandings- if you are the key service/ only service women ring about all other issues like finding a GP, CAN’T MAKE A COLPOSCOPY APPOINTMENT, things outside your remit like sorting out internal work problems, how to start a bank account, get a reference for a flat- we need to be prepared for what is in our capacity/ remit and know where to refer women to- bearing in mind they often don’t want to go elsewhere. Interpreters- mixed reactions, sometimes they don’t trust/ want them, want to bring in friends- not appropriate or can mask hidden power dynamics; Incidents- less likely to report; previous bad experiences in host country with police; fear deportation; if disclosure may fear putting other women at risk if there is an investigation
- Contraception- beliefs; sent from home; Unwanted pregnancy and entitlement/ misconceptions that pregnancy will gain rights to remain in UK PID/UTI’S likely to work long hours because of goals and lack of freedom sometimes multiple customers. Lack of language unlikely to set boundaries/ negotiate less painful sex. Small numbers HIV ; those who fall ill in UK and the reality of that fear and no family whilst very ill in hospital; previous sts and hep b;TB partnership fall in target group/ missed population hidden. Bv-trigger factors often in conflict with cultural beliefs and self medicating practices- douching, herbal remedies Plastic surgery quite common done abroad and sometimes complications in UK. No NHS- private management
- How does transience impact on our service delivery? Increased suspicion and fear can compromise building trust with support services Communication- what do you get translated and in what languages? Working on safety issues is very different with a woman on her own, from Thailand, doesn’t speak English, more targeted, isolated etc…..
- Two very different groups: Almost all Thai women come in on a debt bondage( contract) Not integrated at all and only mix in group of Bosses/’ Friends/ ‘Sisters’, work exclusively with other Thai women or often alone; 24 hours a day; Little / no English