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Author Topic: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work  (Read 2073 times)

JohnBBC

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BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« on: 05 July 2017, 10:26:38 am »
The BBC?s Victoria Derbyshire Programme is working on a piece about how current regulation of the sex industry might result in making sex-workers less safe. We are especially interested in examples such as how anti-brothel laws discourage women from working collectively for mutual protection, and how working in a criminalised environment might make sex work more dangerous for women working in the industry.

We?d like to hear about what legal protections sex-workers need to stay safe, and how relations with police can be improved (so that sex workers feel able to report any abusive or otherwise criminal behaviour). We are also interested in why women choose sex work, and in discussing their own experiences of working in the industry.

If you would like to get in touch for a confidential initial chat about this, do please email; john.owen@bbc.co.uk or call 0203 614 3111 and ask to speak to John...

Many thanks for your time - Happy to answer any questions in this thread as well!

John

amy

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Re: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« Reply #1 on: 05 July 2017, 10:53:45 am »
So just to be clear, you're not interested in the experiences of any sex workers who are not women?

JohnBBC

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Re: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« Reply #2 on: 05 July 2017, 12:43:53 pm »
Yes I think for this piece that it is the case - I realise of course that regulation will affect the safety of people who are not women working in the industry as well, but one initial reason for looking at this issue is the case of the three Romanian women arrested in Swindon on suspicion of brothel keeping, who say that they were simply working collaboratively for mutual protection. Happy to take any advice on this, but I think this piece would be best focused on the experience of women working in the sector. Thanks, John

amy

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Re: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« Reply #3 on: 05 July 2017, 02:39:21 pm »
Yep, it's your programme. The brothel laws don't discriminate and all sex workers are equally subject to them, but piling a bit more sexism on male and trans workers by pretending they don't exist probably doesn't matter. They're used to it.

Any prostitutes 'working collaboratively for mutual protection' are breaking the brothel laws, irrespective of whether or not they have vaginas. Given that the only possible reason for your approach is to take the lazy route and stereotype women in particular as fragile, helpless victims who must be protected rather than ignoring gender completely to offer a neutral focus on the absurdity of the law as it stands and how it endangers everyone involved, I'm out.

JohnBBC

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Re: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« Reply #4 on: 05 July 2017, 02:58:14 pm »
Hi - I'd like to talk about this if you have time. I certainly wouldn't want to make a piece that would stereotype female sex-workers as helpless victims, in fact quite the opposite. I was interested in the question of why those three particular women in Swindon are facing prosecution for taking a common sense approach, which lead to a few conversations that focused on the experience of women working in the industry. Understand if you don't want to chat, but I'm really just trying to better understand a set of issues that I don't know much about, so would be grateful for any advice. Thanks, John

SheilaStar

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Re: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« Reply #5 on: 05 July 2017, 04:47:55 pm »
I fully agree with what Amy wrote.

This piece seems like a good idea. Perhaps use the three-women case as a case study to introduce the issue, but then discuss more generally encompassing all genders involved in the industry?

amy

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Re: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« Reply #6 on: 05 July 2017, 10:28:51 pm »
The point I was making is that the relevant information in the case you're talking about is that the people involved are sex workers and not that they are women. The fact that many prostitutes are women is often used cynically as a tool to make it seem that sex workers are weak, passive pawns who are constantly being exploited and abused by The Evil Menz; see also the people who use language like 'women-and-girls' as if it's all one word. Women are not children and we don't appreciate being infantilised.

If Sheila and I were motor mechanics and decided to pool our resources so we could buy a garage to work from to save on costs and also so we could look out for each other in the event of an accident, or answer the phone if the other was busy under a car (as opposed to a punter :)), most people would think that was an eminently sensible thing to do. The idea that the law would prevent us from doing so is nothing short of bizarre, yet in an identical situation where we're sex workers that's exactly the current state of play and I think most people would agree that there are far more pertinent issues for that debate than the contents of our underwear.

« Last Edit: 06 July 2017, 12:24:42 am by amy »

JohnBBC

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Re: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« Reply #7 on: 06 July 2017, 12:39:55 pm »
Thanks both, yes - definitely see that point - thanks for making it so clearly, and from what you say sounds like there's no need to be specific about gender in discussing this at all. Sheila yes, you're quite right that using the three women as a case-study doesn't mean that we'd need to speak only about one gender to the exclusion of any other.

Just speaking earlier to an experienced sex-worker, it sounds like there's a fairly broad consensus amongst people working in the industry that decriminalisation of activities connected with selling sex and other services (roughly on the new Zealand model) is the way to go in order to make sure that common sense safety measures aren't dis-incentivised... If that's right, I'd like it if we could amplify the voices of sex workers (of any gender) who are making that kind of argument.

Let me know if you'd like to have a chat on the phone and discuss any terms for filming (just to see what might be theoretically possible)

Thanks again, John

Erotic Masseuse

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Re: BBC - Regulation of voluntary sex work
« Reply #8 on: 24 September 2017, 12:40:25 am »
We should be able to work in pairs for our own safety, as long as we prove we are sharing costs for rents and bills etc....  working alone can put us at risk of attack, rape, murder, robbery etc.... if this was permitted there would probably be less women working in brothels and giving upto 60% of their earnings to the brothel owners.