This is an open letter to Brighton University in response to the presence of a Freshers’ Week stall run by the Sex Workers’ Outreach Project (SWOP). The letter was sent this morning, 24 October 2018.
October 2018
Debra Humphris, Vice Chancellor, Brighton University
Tomi Ibukun, President, Brighton University Student Union
Amy Jaiteh, VP Welfare & Campaigns, Brighton University Student Union
Dear Ms Humphris, Mr Ibukun and Ms Jaiteh,
We write to express our concern that a stall run by the Sex Workers’ Outreach Project (SWOP) was made available to your students during Freshers’ Week.
Most of the freshers are young, many still teenagers; many are vulnerable and worried about money. All of these factors can lead young people – especially girls and young women – to consider prostitution as a viable option.
However, research shows that the life of women involved in prostitution is at best unstable, at worst extremely dangerous. Long-term physical, emotional, and psychological consequences are inevitable. This is how one young woman described her recent experience in prostitution:
“People think prostitution is about having consensual sex for money. It’s not. Those men don’t want to pay for that. They paid me and then used me however they wanted. I was beaten with objects until I bled; spat at; anally raped; gang raped; passed around at sex parties like a toy, men slipping off their condoms; I was shouted at, threatened, choked, told to look like I enjoyed it or he’d take the money back. I was scared every single second.”
How is it ethical to suggest, even obliquely, that this is a reasonable option for a young woman to whom you have a duty of care? Or the corollary – that buying sex – is an acceptable option for a young man?
We understand that the institution’s response was that the stall “was aimed at students who are already involved in ‘sex work’ with the aim of making sure they knew where to find support”. This does not really wash because we know from speaking to women currently and previously involved in prostitution that they would never approach such a public stall, for fear of being outed to their peers, which could put them in real danger of assault by men. SWOP must be well aware of this dynamic. A genuine effort to reach students currently engaged with prostitution could more appropriately be made discreetly through the student welfare service.
What then was the real purpose of the stall?
It’s hard to see any purpose other than promoting, glamorising and normalising the renting of (mostly) women’s and girls’ bodies to men. As such the stall would inevitably serve to groom both young women and young men to accept and participate in this most oppressive and inhumane institution that is both a cause and consequence of the gross inequality between the sexes.
One of the many reasons we campaign for the Nordic Model, is that it improves boys’ and young men’s attitude to women and girls, and encourages them to reject the sex industry and the objectification of women on which it is predicated.
The university has a legal obligation under the Public Sector Equality Duty to consider the impact of its measures on the need to eliminate sexist discrimination and harassment, to advance women’s equality of opportunity, and to foster good relations between male and female students and staff. How is allowing a stall that implicitly (if not explicitly) condones and trivialises an institution that feeds male entitlement and entrenches the second-class status of women compatible with that?
We are acutely aware of the devastating poverty that is gripping large sections of the community because of the Government’s austerity policies, and the impact of the student fees. However, there are many other more positive ways to help young people negotiate and survive these problems, and we would suggest that this is where you should be aiming your focus.
We urge you to take your responsibilities to young people and to equality between the sexes more seriously in future and to never allow such a thing to happen again.
Yours sincerely
Organisations
- Nordic Model Now!
- Cambridge Women’s Rights Action Group
- Campaign Against Sex Robots
- Campaign to End the Leeds Sex Trade
- Cardiff Women’s Aid
- CEASE UK
- Chelt Fems
- Create Women’s Project
- Critical Sisters
- Essex Feminist Collective
- FiLiA
- Hackney Women’s Forum
- Liverpool ReSisters
- London Feminist Network
- Manchester Feminist Network
- Nia – delivering cutting edge services to end violence against women and children
- Not Buying It
- Not for Sale in Scotland
- OBJECT
- RadFem Collective
- Resist Porn Culture
- Rooms of our Own
- Scary Little Girls
- The Judith Trust
- VictimFocus
- Women’s Voices Matter
- Zero Option Sheffield
- ALARM! Gegen Sexkauf und Menschenhandel e.V.
- Association for Equality (A4E)
- Association of American Trained Nigerian Professionals
- Associazione IROKO Onlus
- Canadian Feminist Network
- Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Australia
- Edmonton Small Press Association
- EVE (formerly Exploited Voices now Educating)
- Holding Hope.com
- Indigenous Women Against the Sex Industry
- La Maison de Mélanie
- Montreal Men Against Sexism
- National Center on Sexual Exploitation
- Native American Warriorz Task Force
- Osez le Féminisme!
- Prostitution Research & Education, San Francisco
- Purple Hearts Missions Possible & Healthy Horizons
- Resistanta (Ukrainian Abolition Organisation)
- Resistenza Femminista
- Révolution Féministe
- SERP (Sexual Exploitation Research Programme), University College Dublin
- Sisters – für den Ausstieg aus der Prostitution! e.V.
- The Organization for Prostitution Survivors
Individuals
- Al Garthwaite, I know a number of women who have at one time been involved in prostitution, or who still are. It’s an appalling life. I am shocked that this stall was allowed.
- Alabama Whitman, Abolitionist
- Alan Ferry, Former drugs worker
- Alex Kempton, Former University of Brighton student.
- Ali Ceesay, Former outreach worker
- Alice Bondi, Woman – dealing with sexist attitudes for seven decades
- Alisa Bernard, Director of Education and Partnerships, MPAc, Survivor of Prostitution
- Alishea Rashid
- Alison Garraway, Student ( many years ago). Mother. Have experienced sexual abuse.
- Alison Lacey
- Amalia Arvaniti
- Amanda Farinas, Survivor of sexual exploitation and violence
- Amanda Frank, Being a member of society makes me an interested party
- Amanda Hogg
- Amanda Norris
- Amy Moore
- Ana Garcia
- Ananiya Varma
- Anber Raz, Worked with survivors of sex trafficking for many years
- Andrea Holland, Mother
- Andrea Smith
- Andy Burton
- Angela Fletcher, Partner of a recovering sex addict
- Angela Garrod
- Angie Partis
- Ann Hall, Meeting with survivors of the sex industry and seeing first hand the damage caused to a person as a result of the inherent violence, abuse and exploitation of this industry.
- Ann Hayne
- Ann Keeling, Former Head Gender Equality Policy UK Government with 35 years working in international development including on programmes to prevent violence against women, and mother of two sons.
- Anna Borg, Academic
- Anna Brown
- Anna Komissarova, MA, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Anne James
- Anne Kazimirski, I have conducted (published) research on the childhood experiences and mental health of women selling sex (clients of a service supporting women to exit the sex industry), which identified a high level of vulnerability through having experienced child sexual abuse, and a large negative impact of selling sex on their mental health.
- Anne Marie Manning, For 4 years I managed a social work project which provided health care and support to women involved in prostitution. We supported women to leave prostitution when they were ready.
- Anne Plouët
- Anne Robinson
- Anne Skjoth, I am an adult human female and have empathy.
- Anne Wilcox
- Annette Brennan
- Annette Lawson
- Annie Gwillym Walkerc
- Annie Wilson
- Anthony Martin
- Any Sampson
- Arianna Vacca
- Ashli Ricco
- Benedicte Kaare Fjeld
- Bethan Pink
- Beti Baraki
- Beverley Forbes
- Bhoomika Kalwani,
- Bianca Guth, Social Worker
- Billie Wealleans, Campaigning for the Nordic Model on the Holyrood CSE CPG and as a lib/dem to change their policy on this. Also an associate member of WEP who support this policy.
- Birte Lühr
- Brigitte Lechner
- Brii Davis
- Britta Schwarz
- Cait Demicoli
- Caitlin Hurley
- Carell Wingrave, Concerned grandmother
- Carol O’Byrne, Unison member
- Carol O’Dea
- Caroline Ayerst
- Caroline Hadley, Campaigner against prostitution
- Caroline Horne
- Caroline Victoria Hadley
- Caroline Wood
- Caterina Gatti
- Catherine Clarke
- Catherine Etherington, Professional working with sex addicts and partners
- Catherine Farrar, Adult Safeguarding professional
- Catherine Mitchell
- Catherine Nixon
- Catherine Parkin
- Cathy Turner
- Cecile Cardoza, Lawyer
- Cecile Werey, Student
- Celia Holmes
- Char Verishine
- Charlie Dacke
- Charlotte Wright
- Chelsea Geddes, As a prostituted woman who knows first hand what PTSD from ‘sex work’ can do to your chances of success with higher education, I have to speak out against the sexist assault on young women’s education and futures. Sex is not work.
- Chiara Carpita
- Chris Hall
- Christina Parajene, Survivor
- Christine Milla
- Chuck Derry
- Claire,Teacher
- Claire Dodds
- Claire Hart
- Clare, A Mother who does not want stalls like this to effect girls..
- Clare B Dimyon MBE [LGBT], Survivor of life-threatening physical assault in which I taught a man consent while he was raping me at 18yo in 1984, 30 years before public discussion of Consent
- Clare McElhatton
- Cllr Louise Paine
- Colleen Glynn, I am a woman who has been fighting for women’s rights for decades
- Conn Suits
- Corrine Streetly, MA Womens Studies
- Cynthia Ton
- Barnes, BSc. Hons. PGCE
- Daniel Marsh
- Danielle Caswell, I’ve been abused and assaulted. It’s not a choice if there are no other options. Please say no!
- Dany Newbery
- Dario Saluz
- Dawn Kuehn, Survivor/Lawyer
- Debbie Galton, Development Manager in Sexual Violence Support Service
- Deborah Berns, Woman, mother and gradmother, Impossible for our family to send one of our young people to University of Brighton while it engages it normalising the abhorrent practise of prostitution.
- Deborah Royle, Post Grad Diploma Social Work
- Dee
- Dee Sheehan
- Delamare Deboutteville
- Denise Charlton
- Denise Wightman, CSA survivor
- Diane Langford
- Dmitry G., B.A. in Philosophy
- Dr Claire-Marie Malpas, MBBCH
- Dr Emma Hilton
- Dr Holly Craggs, Educational and Child Psychologist
- Dr J Gamble
- Dr Jacci Stoyle, Ambassador of Cahira House; a safe house for women trafficked for Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE), member of the Cross Party for CSE in the Scottish Parliament and Representative of the Scottish Episcopal Church on the Anti-Trafficking group of Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS).
- Dr Jane Howcroft
- Dr Judith Dodds, Medical doctor
- Dr Lesley Orr, Gender justice research, teaching and advocacy
- Dr Lesley Semmens, Senior Lecturer (retired) Leeds Beckett University
- Dr Lynne Harne, I have undertaken research with prostituted women helping them to exit from prostitution
- Dr Meagan Tyler, PhD
- Dr Monica O’Connor, Researcher
- Dr Sasha Rakoff, I have successfully campaigned and raised awareness for 15 years over the harms of the sex trade
- Anne Lacey
- Katherine Cascio, Psychologist who treats and researches the experiences of women who have been in the sex trade
- Simon Peter, European External Action Service, European Commission
- B.A.Reay, I’m a doctor, who has seen the consequences of prostitution.
- Ed McArthur
- Eden Atherton
- Elda Evans, Support worker for 15 years counselling victims of sexual abuse.
- Elena
- Elise O, A young woman who is frightened for those easily influenced & vulnerable women at risk of being taken in by an awful trend, that will only end with disastrous results.
- Elizabeth Campbell, Teacher, writer.
- Elizabeth Carola
- Elizabeth Fisher
- Elizabeth Miller, I am a woman, and all women are harmed by how men’s attitudes towards women and girls are influenced by their experiences with pornography and prostitution, which are consumerized abuse of women and children.
- Elizabeth Patterson, Sister of a (so called) ‘sex work’ survivor.
- Elizabeth Pickett
- Elizaveta Morozova
- Elle Savvy
- Ellen Grogan
- Emily Weir
- Emma Dresser
- Emma Robertson,
- Emma Rompani, Social worker
- Emma Salmon
- Erica shorter
- Erin Tinsley, Compliance/coercion is not consent. Money coerces compliance.
- Esohe Aghatise
- Euan Brown
- Eve Tidswell, Live near Holbeck Leeds, see evidence every day.
- Evelyn Silver
- Fiona Hawke
- Fiona McAllister, BA Hons MA
- Fiona Roberts
- Fran Hopwood, Parter of a man with problematic sexual behaviour
- Frances Gillard, Ex social worker ex foster carer of teenage girls
- Francine Sporenda
- Frankie Green, Living as a woman for seventy years so #MeToo, and as a campaigner from the Women’s Liberation Movement since 1968 opposing commodification of women’s bodies
- Gemma Kelly, Campaigner for the Nordic Model
- Georgina Veitch, Specialist Refuge Service Manager
- Ghada Jabbour
- Giulia Cavicchia
- Grossetete Marie Paule, Militante contre la prostitution
- Hannah Harrison
- Harriet Evans, Survivor of the sex trade
- Hasina Daya
- Hayley Martin
- Hayley Tweddle
- Hazel Frew
- Heather Child
- Heather Finlay
- Heather Harvey, Worked on violence against women and girls for 25 years a large part of which has specifically focussed on supporting women to exit prostitution
- Heather Strohl, One of the exploited class called FEMALE
- Hedvig Kärnekull
- Helena Brors
- Helen Bishop
- Helen Freeborn
- Helen Mary Jones, Assembly Member, National Assembly of Wales
- Helen Richmond
- Helen Saxby
- Helen Sneddon
- Henrike van den Hoff
- Hilary Wise
- Holly Brewer, Ex sex industry worker
- Irena Fick
- Irene Torres
- Isabel Buckley, I graduated from Brighton Uni in 2003 and am deeply shocked that the Student’s Union nowadays is unpolitical, uninformed, naive and downright misogynistic.
- Isobel Hart
- Ivietta Kamienieva
- J Burke
- J Gourley
- Jackie Britton
- Jackie Lynne, I am a survivor/thriver of the sex industry
- Jacky Grainger, Therapist who works with survivors of the sex trade.
- Jacky Holyoake
- Jade Byng, I am a woman. Stop encouraging misogyny.
- Jalna Hanmer, I am a retired academic that has researched and published on violence against women all my working life.
- James Meechan
- Jan Baxter
- Jan Oliver
- Janaina Roberts, Education professional.
- Jane Anglin, Rape Crisis Centre Trustee
- Jane Ayres, Parent, Socialist, Humanist, Feminist
- Jane Connelly
- Jane Harris, PhD
- Jane May Morrison, PhD Researcher
- Jane Roberts
- Janice Hurne, B.Sc., M.Sc., C. Eng., PgCEd
- Janice Williams
- Jayne Gosnall, I am a survivor of the sex trade
- Jayne Watmough
- Jeff White
- Jemma Carnell
- Jenna Lampers
- Jennifer Forsyth, MSc Ed Psy. Experience of sexual assault and rape.
- Jessica Ahlberg
- Jessica Mock
- Jewell Baraka, Survivor
- Jill Gardner, Sexual assault victim
- Jill Leigh, Social worker and mental health adviser in university setting
- Jo Bagshaw
- Jo Phaure, Survivor of sexual assault
- Joanna Campbell, I was coerced into selling sex by older people when I was a teenager
- Joanna Lovett, Senior Research Fellow
- Joanna Wilson, Graduate of Brighton University, survivor of sexual violence
- Joanne Hayes
- Jocelyn Gaskell, Sister to all prostituted women
- Jodie Woodward, Senior Manager of Violence against Women and Girls charity.
- Joe Weaver
- Jonny Rust, Consultant Gynaecologist
- Jordan Dior
- Josepha Scotney
- Josephine Bartosch
- Joy Sturgess
- Judith Whittaker
- Judy Ferguson, I work with women selling sex
- Jules Sheridan, Project Manager, supporting women involved in or affected by commercial sexual exploitation.
- Julia Hopten, Teacher
- Julia Marshall, Ex Police Officer
- Julia Tippett
- “Julian Vigo, PhD, I am an anthropologist and have worked within these communities.
- Julie Elliman
- Julie Furlong
- Julie Kavanagh
- K Badlan
- Kai Haskins, Sexual assault survivor, feminist, ex student, estranged from family at 16 and left to fend for myself on the streets and in hostels.
- Kaitlyn Rush
- Kai-Uwe Bevc, Several sex trade survivors as friends
- Kara Newsome, Hypnotherapist focusing on healing women’s trauma (including rape survivors and survivors of the sex industry), woman with lived experience of broken relationships due to the sex industry, misogyny, sexual harassment and being surrounded by sexualisation and objectification of women. Woman with eyes who can see sexual harassment in the local area caused by the presence of brothels, red light district and strip clubs.
- Karen Bohr
- Karen Cayer, I was an original founding staff of Passages a program for girls under 18 who are selling their bodies for sex in Montreal. I pulled 15 years old girls out of strip clubs. I’ve stood between pimps and these children. Today Passages program is for women over 18 years of age. There is no program for girls but there remains a need to protect our most vulnerable.
- Karen Davies, Survivor
- Kari Muller
- Karrie Payne, Survivor
- Karyn Irwi
- Kate Morrissey, Counsellor and social worker
- Katherine Brierly, Social worker
- Katherine Sumner
- Kathleen Caskie
- Kathleen Richardson, Professor of Ethics and Culture of Robots and AI, and founder of the Campaign Against Sex Robots
- Kathy Cohn, Survivor
- Kathy Parker, I worked for many years, with survivors in housing support.
- Katie Cosgrove
- Katie Jenkins
- Katrin Lehmann
- Kelly Power
- Kerensa Gardner
- Kersten Myers
- Kim Vernon
- Kirsten Ficklin,
- Kristina Hastings
- Kseniia Bilash
- Kylee Gregg, Child-sex trafficking survivor
- Kym Barlow, Worked to provide an exit for women in the sex industry.
- LaTosha Summers
- Laura Briggs
- Laura Grove
- Laura Hacking
- Laura Protheroe
- Laura Tagliabue
- Laura Wingham, Secondary school teacher
- Lesley Boyes, Survivor of previous involvement in prostitution
- Lesley McLarty, Friends have been raped, sexually assaulted, murdered through their reluctant involvement in the sex trade, with some ultimately committing suicide. Paying (mostly) women to let (mostly) men fuck their body is not something that should ever be held up as work, because it’s not. Its exploitation of people in need.
- Lesley Painter
- Levi-Nicolle MacKenzie
- Liliana Forero, Activist
- Lily, I’m an exited woman. I was trafficked from the ages of 4 to 22 by my family and ex partners. There is no real line between trafficking and prostitution: the violence, the entitlement to women’s bodies, the fear and the risk of death is all the same and claiming a distinction based on who gets the money completely misses the experience of most prostituted women where pimps take that money. Young women in a scary, vulnerable and financially unstable position do not need to be exposed to the lies of the ‘sex work is empowering’ industry which is predominantly run and managed by pimps and those with very limited experience of direct prostitution and trafficking. The impact is immeasurable but let me try. Several years on disability benefits – unable to work, live a normal life or engage with society. Thousands and thousands and thousands of £ on trauma therapy – and that’d with a good therapist, there’s just so much trauma to deal with. Life long physical and emotional effects – including for me a dissociative disorder, traumatic stress, anxiety, chronic migraines and knee injuries. The impact never goes away.
- Linda McGurk
- Lindsey Cooper-Brown
- Lisa Ware
- Liudmyla Antonets, I’m a survivor of rape
- Liz Curran
- Liz Swanson, Psychotherapist
- Lizzie Roper
- Lois Bernard, Survivor of the sex trade, Clinical Social Worker
- Lorna Ward, Woman who cares about other women
- Lorna wheeler
- Lorraine
- Lorraine Busby, Former worker in child protection
- Lou Almond
- Louise Bond
- Louise Cameron
- Louise Franklin, Used to work with a charity that helped street sex workers
- Louise Somerville, Mother of three sons
- Louise Taylor
- Louise Waters
- Louise Wild, Social Worker.
- Lucia Reggiani
- Lucy Tann
- Lucy Wainwright
- Lyn Ferguson
- Lynda Murphy, Survivor
- Lynn Alderson, I have close relatives who have been pushed by our appalling benefits system to consider prostitution because of poverty. This should never happen. It is a very damaging lifestyle. To encourage young women to think in this way is tantamount to grooming.
- Lynn Maloney, Survivor of the sex trade
- Lynn Tully
- Lynne Wells
- M N Hughes
- Maggi Knowles
- Mags Cross, Survivor of abuse
- Majbritt Petersen
- Manon Marie Josée Michaud, Survivor of the sex trade
- Margaret Grant
- Margaret Manning
- Margarida Teixeira
- Margret Odam
- Maria
- Maria de la Paz Romero Sanchez,
- Maria Warren
- Marian Larragy
- Marie-Eve Martel, BSc Criminology & MA Woman and Child Abuse
- Marika Mason
- Marilyn Glen
- Marine
- Marion Sporing
- Marta Iris Lopez C
- Martin Dufresne, Awareness-raising speaker about sexism and prostitution
- Martina Baradel
- Martina Farrugia, Women’s & Gender Rights Activist working on the issue of prostitution in my country.
- Martina Gorman
- Mary Buttolph
- Matthew Gough, A parent helping daughters consider universities
- Maureen O’Hara, Senior lecturer in law, carrying out research into sexual exploitation
- Maya
- Meagen Renea Baumann, Rape survivor
- Mélanie Carpentier, I’m a survivor
- Melanie Jones
- Melanie Painter
- Melanie Stratten, Sibling of survivors of childhood sexual abuse
- Melissa Farley, Ph.D., Author of 37 peer reviewed publications on the topic of prostitution, sexual violence, trafficking, and PTSD. Recent research available on request regarding ‘seeking arrangement’ and ‘sugar dating’ which is pimp targeting of college aged young women. See for example https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/style/sugar-dating-seeking-arrangement.html
- Michael Möller
- Michael Murphy
- Michaela-Clare Addison, MA Women and Child student. Young women’s advocate at a women’s organisation
- Mick Patrick
- Miranda Turvey
- Miranda Yardley
- Misslin Emmanuelle
- Monica Sharma
- Monika Jeri
- Morven Magari, Mental health advocate
- Frederice O. Uyigue
- Mrs J Lane
- Naomi Green
- Naomi Miles
- Natalia
- Natascha Verbrakel, I was once prostitute
- Natasha Ransom
- Nathalie Birkett
- Nicola D’Costa, Support worker
- Nicola Newman
- Nicola Stone
- Nika Abkowicz-Bieńko
- Nina Katz
- Noémie GUY
- Nusha Yonkova, Support work of migrant women survivors of sex trade
- Olena Zaitseva, Lawyer
- Olha Tverdokhlib, Feminist
- Olivia Kenny
- P Gibbons
- Paddy Tanton
- Pam Isherwood
- Patrick Trueman, Former Chief Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, U.S. Department of Justice
- Pauline Spinazze, Feminist and abolitionist activist
- Penny Leroux
- Penny White, I am a survivor of cruel sexual exploitation, and I have dear friends who are survivors of the sex trade.
- Peter Macdonald
- Philippa Vipham
- Phillip Budd
- Professor Kathleen Lynch, B.Soc.Sc., M.Soc.Sc. PhD. Professor of Equality Studies (Sociologist), University College Dublin
- Professor Kirstein Rummery, Academic concerned with student wellbeing and gender equality
- Professor Richard Byng, Medical professional working with disadvantaged groups including prostitutes
- R Keith
- R Liptrot
- R Mulligan
- Rachel Bell, Modern Slavery Support Worker, Ambassador to domestic abuse service and journalist
- Rachel King
- Rachel White, MA Women & Gender Studies
- Rae Evans
- Raphaëlle Rémy-Leleu, Feminist & University Chief of Staff
- Rebecca Brueton, Brighton University Alumni
- Rebecca Craddock
- Rebecca Harrison, MA, DipSW
- Rebecca Mordan
- Rebecca Mott, I did indoors prostitution
- Rebecca Pert
- Rebecca Pickles
- Rebecca Stanton
- Rebecca Whisnant, Professor and chair, Department of Philosophy, University of Dayton
- Rebekah Wershbale
- Hamilton, I am a survivor of the sex trade and an outreach worker for other survivors
- Rhianna Keen
- Rita Rake, A woman – who has had the good fortune not to be placed in the position of being desperate enough to consider prostitution. Who has never suffered the terror or sexual violence that prostitution brings with it. A mother – who would never want this life for her daughter and who has taught her son to have respect for women. He is 23 and appalled by this.
- Robert Daw
- Robin Fessey Holmes, BSc Sociology student at the LSE, radical feminist and campaigner for the Nordic Model
- Robyn Self
- Rodrigo Montero, Gender Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Rosa Del Fresno
- Rose Frain
- RoseAnn Cameron, BA Hons Criminology
- Rossella Renosto, Call centre advisor and feminist
- Ruby Till
- Ruth Breslin
- Ruth Conlock
- Ruth Greenberg
- Ruth Pearson
- Ruth Sinclair
- Ruth Webster
- Ryan, Friend of former sex worker
- L. Bondarchuk, Researcher; ally to exited women & men
- Sajida Zar
- Sally Ann Hart, Teacher & Trainer in Protective Behaviours
- Sally Jackson
- Sally McDonagh
- Sam Alexander
- Sam Batista, Have had friends involved in the sex trade
- Sam Britton
- Samantha Pollock, A former female student of the University of Brighton, and a mother who is horrified at this wholly inappropriate stall
- Samantha riches
- Sandra McNeill
- Sara Stewart, Worker in a hostel for women involved in criminal justice system. Many of these women were sex workers.
- Sarah, My best friend growing up became an escort and was very excited about the money but a week or two into doing it she was assaulted on the job. The body guard that was charged with her safety could not prevent the assault. The escort agency had already coached her on how to keep herself as safe as possible and it didn’t prevent anything. The agency had a no drugs policy but she was still able to do and sell ecstasy while working. After quitting she owed money to a drug dealer. He beat her and threatened to pimp her to repay the money and felt he could be successful in coercing her because she had already done sex work. Fortunately he was wrong. She then went into stripping. Eventually her lifestyle lead to her overdosing on drugs, being raped while overdosing, losing access to her child and a string of abusive relationships. I believe her involvement in prostitution was one of a short list of factors that lead to her being unable to live without self medicating. She is now an anti prostitution activist and has a degree in social work. I also have personal experience with self objectification but am unable to disclose the details.
- Sarah Bowden, I am a woman and mother and I have thought about this.
- Sarah Cooksley
- Sarah Ferguson
- Sarah Gamble, MA student
- Sarah Johnson
- Sarah Mathewson, Labour rights advocate
- Sarah McCann
- Sarah Namdarkha
- Sarah Richardson
- Sarah Sharkey
- Shabanah Fazal, Retired teacher
- Shally Shefer, Worried mother of a student!
- Sharon Allen, Qualified social worker, Housing BA Hons, MBA
- Sharon Campbell
- Sharon Gascoigne
- Sharon Kirby
- Shawnee Love HHD, PhD
- Sheena Best
- Sheila Jeffreys
- Shernaz Dinshaw, I worked on several projects with CSW’s in Kamatipura, Mumbai as a coordinator with an NGO in the early 90’s
- Sherri Ingrey
- Sibyl Grundberg, D.O.
- Silvia Loi
- Simon Lakin
- Simona
- Simone Freeman, Teacher BSc Hons
- Siobhan Jess
- Solveig Senft, Engaged in helping women to exit prostitution
- Stacey O’Brien
- Staci Sprout, Sold for sex as a child
- Stan
- Stefania Prigoda
- Steffen Radtke, Engaging with Sisters, a German organisation which supports prostitutes who want to leave prostitution, from them I know how much women suffer when they are paid for sex
- Stephanie Davies-Arai, Mother of daughter and sons
- Stephanie Howarth
- Stephen Charity
- Stephen Garner
- Stephen Jordan
- Sue Laughlin, Former Health service representative on Routes out of Prostitution social inclusion project, Glasgow
- Sue Peters, Human rights activist
- Susan Austin, I once prostituted myself when I was recovering form a major bout of depression
- Susan Bewley, Doctor, academic, previous sexual offenses examiner
- Susan Cottee
- Susan Houston, Midwife, teacher, mental health worker
- Susan Moffat, Years of working in the NHS to tackle violence against women
- Susan Williams
- Susannah Oldham
- Suzie Love
- Suzzan Blac, I am a survivor of the sex trade
- T O Walker
- Tamlyn Gray
- Tamsen Williams
- Teresa Hope
- Thain Parnell, Feminist Activist and Writer
- The Reverend Claudia Neely, Survivor
- Toby Lindsay, MSc
- Tony Newbery
- Tracy Allard, Survivor of the sex trade, poor
- Tracy Earnshaw, Independent Domestic Abuse Advisor
- Trish Black, Survivor of Rape & Sexual Assault
- Trisha Baptie
- V S-Smith
- Valerie Bernham
- Valerie Sygrove
- Venice Fielding
- Victoria Fletcher
- Victoria Pittman
- Virginia Farman
- Vivienne Roberts
- Wendy Davis
- Wendy Metcalfe
- Yarina Dehtyar
- Yaroslava Mykhailova, I had experience working as a hostess in a brothel
- Zac Dexter
This letter was also published in the Morning Star.