An increasing number of students are turning to sex work in order to fund their studies. I want to work with uea|su to make sure we’re doing everything we can to make sure these students are safe in their work, and, at the same time, I want to destigmatise sex work and raise awareness of the issues these students face.

Students and Sex Work

In the last year, the National Union of Students (NUS) worked with the English Collective of Prostitutes to gather information about student sex workers. They published it in a report.

Out of all the student sex workers they surveyed, they found that 67% of them were motivated to go into the sex work industry to help to pay for costs of University.

Only 31% of students who engaged in sex work did so because they thought they would enjoy it. Worryingly, 14% said they were coerced or pressured into the industry by someone else.

What is sex work?

Sex work is the provision of sexual services for goods or money. This can include street sex work, escorting, BDSM work, lap dancing, stripping, erotic pole dancing, pornography, web-camming, adult modelling, erotic massage and phone sex.

In England and Wales sex work is not illegal, but a number of laws criminalise activities around it. Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, it is an offence to cause or incite ‘prostitution’ or control it for personal gain. Brothel-keeping and soliciting sex on the street are also banned. 

This might seem reasonable, but what constitutes a ‘brothel’ is simply defined as two or more sex workers working in the same place. This means that it is only legal for sex workers to work alone, placing sex workers in an incredibly dangerous position.

In 2013, there was a crackdown on 'brothel keeping' and street socitation in the UK, and many sex workers were forced to work alone. Weeks later, a 24-year-old sex worker named Mariana Popa was stabbed to death in London. 

Supporting the Decriminalisation of Sex Work

Let’s clear something up.

By the decriminalisation of sex work, I mean the removal of laws and policies criminalising sex work. I’m using the term ‘sex work’ only for consensual exchanges between adults.

Decriminalising sex work does not mean the removal of laws that criminalise exploitation, human trafficking or violence against sex workers. These laws need to be strengthened.

Decriminalising sex work will actually make exploitation, human trafficking and violence easier to combat. At the moment, victims of these acts are often reluctant to come forward because they’re afraid the police will take action against them for selling sex, or their families for ‘living off the proceeds’ of prostitution, rather than prosecuting their perpetrator.

If sex work is decriminalised, it will ensure that sex workers’ rights are protected, whether that is through:

• Access to health care
• Their ability to report violence, trafficking and exploitation
• Their ability to organise and work together for safety
• The comfort of knowing their families will not be charged for ‘living off the proceeds’ of sex work

Sex Workers’ Rights Awareness Week

With increasing numbers of students turning to sex work, it’s vital that we take a stand to support their rights. That’s why next week, we're holding Sex Workers' Rights Awareness Week. From talks with Toni Mac, activist with Sex Worker Open University (SWOU), to Bake Sales with UEA Amnesty, there’s going to be loads going on. To find out more about the fight for sex workers’ rights, or to support the campaigns, head to the SU website.