Spearheaded by the award-winning journalist Maggie O'Kane, Channel 4 commissioned a survey of over a hundred street prostitutes in 18 towns and cities about the safety of prostitutes on the street.
Their results of the year long survey, which are presented in the show Dispatches: Sex on the Street on Sept 16th, are published below.
EXPERIENCE OF VIOLENCE BY PUNTERS – PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS
Three quarters of street prostitutes (73%) said they had been attacked by punters in the previous 12 months – 42% on more than 3 occasions.
60% said they had either been badly beaten up or raped in the previous 12 months.
44% said they’d been strangled (men had squeezed their throats).
27% said they’d been stabbed or threatened with knives; 8 women had been threatened with guns.
17% said they’d been kidnapped – taken somewhere in a car against their will.
55% said men had refused to pay them for their services.
WHO ARE VIOLENT CLIENTS?
50% of the street prostitutes surveyed said they’d been attacked in the previous 12 months by men who seemed respectable.
That figure rose to 65% for ‘the most violent attack’ suffered in the previous 12 months.
REPORTING TO THE POLICE
69% of women said they reported no or hardly any attacks to the police.
The mean reason given for not reporting was that they didn’t think the police would be sympathetic (60%).
EFFECT OF POLICE CRACKDOWNS
87% of women surveyed had experienced a police crackdown in their town or city in the previous 3 months. As a result of the police crackdown:
65% said they worked longer hours. 40% worked ‘a lot more’ hours.
71% worked later into the night than usual, to avoid the police.
24% agreed to sexual services that they’d normally refuse – like sex without a condom or anal sex.
Only 1% (2 women) said they stopped street sex work altogether as a result of police activity.
VIEWS ON SAFETY
43% of women wanted CCTV cameras in the streets where they were soliciting. 28% were unsure. Only 29% did not want cameras.
84% said they’d like a tolerance zone in a non-residential area with good lighting and CCTV cameras, where they could work more safely without the police arresting them or their clients.
Thanks to the team at Liverpool University who analysed the survey data and to Europap-Uk.
110 prostitutes in 18 towns and cities were interviewed over a one year period. The results are presented in the show Dispatches: Sex on the Streets, broadcast Channel 4, Sept 16th 9pm.
