National Ugly Mugs (NUM) is an organization that collects reports of violence against sex workers and circulates anonymous alerts to warn others. NUM's services are important because sex workers often face stigma and negative treatment by police that discourages reporting crimes. NUM helps bring perpetrators to justice while supporting victim's choice to report or not. It also identifies health issues, like linking an assault to an offender with tuberculosis, allowing for quick treatment. NUM has helped convict many violent criminals and refers sex workers to health and social services, but continued funding is needed to sustain this vital work.

1. Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Alex Feis‐Bryce
Director of Services
National Ugly Mugs www.uglymugs.org
Email: alex.bryce@uknswp.org.uk
National Ugly Mugs

2. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
A reminder: why we need NUM

3. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
If they had intended to hurt you
they would have done it by now.
Response to a woman who reported being robbed by
two women who threatened her with violence
What do you expect advertising on
those sites like that? He’s kept you
there a week and took your
money – it’s like paying rent
Response to woman who was abducted and repeatedly
raped
What you did was prostitution
Response to a woman when reporting a
serious violent sexual assault before
categorising the assault as a non‐crime.
It’s not worth reporting formally as it
would involve a lot of paperwork
Response to a woman who was attacked by two men
who pulled a coat over her head beat her up, stole her
bag and attempted to sexually assault her.

4. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
“I don’t want any police
contact as I have no faith
in the police anymore
after their response.”

5. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
How it works
A mechanism for sex workers or health and
social care support services to report incidents
directly via the website, the phone app or to the
National Ugly Mugs Team.
NUM then produces sanitised alerts to warn sex
workers of dangerous individuals. Projects and health
providers also use these alerts to warn their service
users or members.
The alerts can be received:‐
• By e‐mail or SMS message
• Through the website
• Through the phone app
With victim consent intelligence is shared anonymously
with the Serious Crimes Analysis Section (SCAS) to help
bring perpetrators of crimes against sex workers and
other people to justice. NUM also acts as an intermediary
between police and sex workers.
1. Reporting and Recording System 2. Production & Circulation of Alerts
3. Sharing information with the police and
Serious Crimes Analysis Section (SCAS)
Incident/Attack

6. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Total reports: 1199
Total members: 2563

7. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Total
Individuals:
2108
Total Projects: 341
Total Establishments: 114

8. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives

9. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Yorks. & Humber

10. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Leeds

11. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Reporting to Police
In June 2013, only 6% of sex workers in W.Yorks reporting
to NUM were willing to make a full report to police.

12. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
NUM regularly results in the
apprehension and conviction of violent
serial offenders.
“One of my clients was raped, beaten, kept prisoner for 2
days. Without the support from the dedicated staff and
the NUM sharing of information the perpetrator would
not have been apprehended. Police believed he would
have committed crimes and become more violent.
Thankfully he was quickly apprehended and was given
life sentence with the recommendation he serve 25
years very good outcome.”
(Third sector agency)
Criminal Justice outcomes

13. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
A NUM conviction
• Christina, a London escort, was raped at knife point by a client in April
2013.
• She didn’t report to police but was plagued by nightmares and flashbacks.
• She disclosed to an Open Doors NHS nurse who immediately reported this
to NUM.
• NUM shared the intelligence anonymously with police.
• The police asked for NUM and Open Doors to act as intermediaries to
assist identifying the offender.
• Eventually, Christina decided that she wanted to report the incident
formally.
• Dale Brown was arrested and charged with rape.
• March 2014: Brown found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years in
prison in.

14. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
A health outcome
• A sex worker reported a violent assault to NUM.
• Information about this incident was passed to police
anonymously.
• Police informed NUM that they had identified the offender and
that they believed that he had TB.
• NUM contacted the local sex work support service to obtain
information about whether this was something they could deal
with.
• Woman was contacted and given information about their local
sex work support service.
• The woman had a positive diagnosis which was then quickly
treated.

15. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Outcomes
NUM has referred
209 sex workers to
health and social
care providers.
55% of organisations
and 63% of sex
workers felt they
were more likely to
report incidents to
the police.

16. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Feedback
SexWorker
Regardless of the TB outcome,
massive thanks to @NationalUglyMug
for helping to nab the bad guy, and
letting me know he was ill <3
2 hours ago
Tweet

17. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
“I work as an escort and
signed up to National Ugly
Mugs and I have to say it has
saved my life. I arranged
business with a client, he
was waiting in a car and [the
number plate matched one]
I had previously been given
the majority of via text from
NUM [which] said he was
violent and robbed the girls.
Because he hadn’t seen me I
walked away… a lucky
escape.”
(Female escort)

18. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Awards and recognition

19. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Spot Del and Rosie…

20. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Funding
• Despite our success,
we face a constant
battle for funding.
• It costs around
£120,000 per year
to run the scheme –
about the same as
the cost to
investigate a single
rape.

21. National Ugly Mugs Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives
Thanks for listening
@NationalUglyMug