Faq & Research

Survivors present the evidence alongside their experiences [upsetting content]

Those harmed in porn & prostitution are often told ‘it’s just work’. How do you square that with the extreme trauma experienced (even by those few women who weren’t groomed or trafficked and never encountered an abusive punter)?

The only possible explanation for this trauma then is that they just ‘weren’t strong enough’ to handle this kind of ‘work’.

Knowing the reality, can help reduce this stigma because, unfortunately, being deeply harmed in the sex industries is the norm, not the exception.

'Choice'

The sex trade is usually ‘chosen’ by those already abused and vulnerable – often while underage. It is certainly never an informed choice – not a single person in the industry has ever entered it knowing the harms or risks involved. Is that a genuine, free and informed choice or a total failure to protect the most vulnerable?

60% of women in prostitution sexually assaulted as a child Global
33% spent time in care Home Office
60% beaten to the point of injury by a care giver as a child Global
75% of those in prostitution have been homeless Global
55%-90% report childhood abuse prior to entry Global
45% report childhood sexual abuse in the UK Home Office
50% (possibly up to 75%) entered sex trade as a child Home Office
70% say childhood abuse influenced their decision to enter Global

Escaping - The Real Choice?

The data clearly indicates that the only real choice (ie: free, informed and made by an adult) is the vast majority in the sex trade would make is to get out. Although this can be done relatively swiftly with the right support, this is rarely provided. Without this, the barriers can be overwhelming. This leaves many trapped in the industry far longer than they want (or might even survive):

50% coerced to remain in sex trade UK
50% have debts, making it hard to leave UK
40% have no formal qualifications, making it hard to leave UK
67% have a criminal record (50% directly due to prostitution) UK
50% have a substance dependency UK
77% are experiencing homelessness/housing problems UK
90% would choose to escape (but feel unable to) Global
85% want to escape where pimps & buyers decriminalised New Zealand Government
Exiting is highly achievable with appropriate support UK

Harm in the industry

Decades of evidence from across the globe clearly shows that ‘the oldest profession’ is, as it always has been, inherently harmful and almost invariably violent, regardless of any and all attempts to regulate it:

Violence in prostitution is ‘near pandemic’ APPG on Prostitution

50% UK women in prostitution raped/seriously sexually assaulted Home Office
50% women in indoor prostitution experience punter violence UK
70% of women in prostitution physically assaulted Global
65% of women in prostitution threatened with a weapon Global
60% of women in prostitution raped Global
[most raped multiple times]
60% of women/transwomen in prostitution endure traumatic brain injury North America
[The same as for professional boxers]
Harms of strangulation [normalised in porn/prostitution] J Sex & Marital Therapy
Harms of anal sex for women [normalised by porn/prostitution] Guardian
Multiple and extreme physical harms of sex trade Gynaecologist

Paying the Ultimate Price

Women in street prostitution 60-100 times more likely to be murdered than average
Murder rate highest where pimps & buyers legitimised Sex Industry Kills
60% say: ‘legitimising pimps/buyers did not improve safety’ Germany

The Buyers & Sellers

Appalling attitudes/violence of buyers and sellers Global
Pimps control through threat, intimidation & violence J Violence vs Women
25% sex buyers feel entitled to anything from women they buy UK
50% of sex buyers believe women they buy have no rights UK
Most sex buyers fully aware sex is unwanted or coerced

The Wider Impact

The Consequences

The impact of sex without desire and of turning sex into a transaction (let alone the high levels of violence, exploitation and abuse within the industry) are extreme and long term: