Open letter to Brighton University

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

  1. Nordic Model Now!
  2. Cambridge Women’s Rights Action Group
  3. Campaign Against Sex Robots
  4. Campaign to End the Leeds Sex Trade
  5. Cardiff Women’s Aid
  6. CEASE UK
  7. Chelt Fems
  8. Create Women’s Project
  9. Critical Sisters
  10. Essex Feminist Collective
  11. FiLiA
  12. Hackney Women’s Forum
  13. Liverpool ReSisters
  14. London Feminist Network
  15. Manchester Feminist Network
  16. Nia – delivering cutting edge services to end violence against women and children
  17. Not Buying It
  18. Not for Sale in Scotland
  19. OBJECT
  20. RadFem Collective
  21. Resist Porn Culture
  22. Rooms of our Own
  23. Scary Little Girls
  24. The Judith Trust
  25. VictimFocus
  26. Women’s Voices Matter
  27. Zero Option Sheffield
  28. ALARM! Gegen Sexkauf und Menschenhandel e.V.
  29. Association for Equality (A4E)
  30. Association of American Trained Nigerian Professionals
  31. Associazione IROKO Onlus
  32. Canadian Feminist Network
  33. Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Australia
  34. Edmonton Small Press Association
  35. EVE (formerly Exploited Voices now Educating)
  36. Holding Hope.com
  37. Indigenous Women Against the Sex Industry
  38. La Maison de Mélanie
  39. Montreal Men Against Sexism
  40. National Center on Sexual Exploitation
  41. Native American Warriorz Task Force
  42. Osez le Féminisme!
  43. Prostitution Research & Education, San Francisco
  44. Purple Hearts Missions Possible & Healthy Horizons
  45. Resistanta (Ukrainian Abolition Organisation)
  46. Resistenza Femminista
  47. Révolution Féministe
  48. SERP (Sexual Exploitation Research Programme), University College Dublin
  49. Sisters – für den Ausstieg aus der Prostitution! e.V.
  50. The Organization for Prostitution Survivors

Individuals

  1. 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.
  2. Alabama Whitman, Abolitionist
  3. Alan Ferry, Former drugs worker
  4. Alex Kempton, Former University of Brighton student.
  5. Ali Ceesay, Former outreach worker
  6. Alice Bondi, Woman – dealing with sexist attitudes for seven decades
  7. Alisa Bernard, Director of Education and Partnerships, MPAc, Survivor of Prostitution
  8. Alishea Rashid
  9. Alison Garraway, Student ( many years ago). Mother. Have experienced sexual abuse.
  10. Alison Lacey
  11. Amalia Arvaniti
  12. Amanda Farinas, Survivor of sexual exploitation and violence
  13. Amanda Frank, Being a member of society makes me an interested party
  14. Amanda Hogg
  15. Amanda Norris
  16. Amy Moore
  17. Ana Garcia
  18. Ananiya Varma
  19. Anber Raz, Worked with survivors of sex trafficking for many years
  20. Andrea Holland, Mother
  21. Andrea Smith
  22. Andy Burton
  23. Angela Fletcher, Partner of a recovering sex addict
  24. Angela Garrod
  25. Angie Partis
  26. 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.
  27. Ann Hayne
  28. 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.
  29. Anna Borg, Academic
  30. Anna Brown
  31. Anna Komissarova, MA, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  32. Anne James
  33. 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.
  34. 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.
  35. Anne Plouët
  36. Anne Robinson
  37. Anne Skjoth, I am an adult human female and have empathy.
  38. Anne Wilcox
  39. Annette Brennan
  40. Annette Lawson
  41. Annie Gwillym Walkerc
  42. Annie Wilson
  43. Anthony Martin
  44. Any Sampson
  45. Arianna Vacca
  46. Ashli Ricco
  47. Benedicte Kaare Fjeld
  48. Bethan Pink
  49. Beti Baraki
  50. Beverley Forbes
  51. Bhoomika Kalwani,
  52. Bianca Guth, Social Worker
  53. 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.
  54. Birte Lühr
  55. Brigitte Lechner
  56. Brii Davis
  57. Britta Schwarz
  58. Cait Demicoli
  59. Caitlin Hurley
  60. Carell Wingrave, Concerned grandmother
  61. Carol O’Byrne, Unison member
  62. Carol O’Dea
  63. Caroline Ayerst
  64. Caroline Hadley, Campaigner against prostitution
  65. Caroline Horne
  66. Caroline Victoria Hadley
  67. Caroline Wood
  68. Caterina Gatti
  69. Catherine Clarke
  70. Catherine Etherington, Professional working with sex addicts and partners
  71. Catherine Farrar, Adult Safeguarding professional
  72. Catherine Mitchell
  73. Catherine Nixon
  74. Catherine Parkin
  75. Cathy Turner
  76. Cecile Cardoza, Lawyer
  77. Cecile Werey, Student
  78. Celia Holmes
  79. Char Verishine
  80. Charlie Dacke
  81. Charlotte Wright
  82. 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.
  83. Chiara Carpita
  84. Chris Hall
  85. Christina Parajene, Survivor
  86. Christine Milla
  87. Chuck Derry
  88. Claire,Teacher
  89. Claire Dodds
  90. Claire Hart
  91. Clare, A Mother who does not want stalls like this to effect girls..
  92. 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
  93. Clare McElhatton
  94. Cllr Louise Paine
  95. Colleen Glynn, I am a woman who has been fighting for women’s rights for decades
  96. Conn Suits
  97. Corrine Streetly, MA Womens Studies
  98. Cynthia Ton
  99. Barnes, BSc. Hons. PGCE
  100. Daniel Marsh
  101. Danielle Caswell, I’ve been abused and assaulted. It’s not a choice if there are no other options. Please say no!
  102. Dany Newbery
  103. Dario Saluz
  104. Dawn Kuehn, Survivor/Lawyer
  105. Debbie Galton, Development Manager in Sexual Violence Support Service
  106. 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.
  107. Deborah Royle, Post Grad Diploma Social Work
  108. Dee
  109. Dee Sheehan
  110. Delamare Deboutteville
  111. Denise Charlton
  112. Denise Wightman, CSA survivor
  113. Diane Langford
  114. Dmitry G., B.A. in Philosophy
  115. Dr Claire-Marie Malpas, MBBCH
  116. Dr Emma Hilton
  117. Dr Holly Craggs, Educational and Child Psychologist
  118. Dr J Gamble
  119. 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).
  120. Dr Jane Howcroft
  121. Dr Judith Dodds, Medical doctor
  122. Dr Lesley Orr, Gender justice research, teaching and advocacy
  123. Dr Lesley Semmens, Senior Lecturer (retired) Leeds Beckett University
  124. Dr Lynne Harne, I have undertaken research with prostituted women helping them to exit from prostitution
  125. Dr Meagan Tyler, PhD
  126. Dr Monica O’Connor, Researcher
  127. Dr Sasha Rakoff, I have successfully campaigned and raised awareness for 15 years over the harms of the sex trade
  128. Anne Lacey
  129. Katherine Cascio, Psychologist who treats and researches the experiences of women who have been in the sex trade
  130. Simon Peter, European External Action Service, European Commission
  131. B.A.Reay, I’m a doctor, who has seen the consequences of prostitution.
  132. Ed McArthur
  133. Eden Atherton
  134. Elda Evans, Support worker for 15 years counselling victims of sexual abuse.
  135. Elena
  136. 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.
  137. Elizabeth Campbell, Teacher, writer.
  138. Elizabeth Carola
  139. Elizabeth Fisher
  140. 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.
  141. Elizabeth Patterson, Sister of a (so called) ‘sex work’ survivor.
  142. Elizabeth Pickett
  143. Elizaveta Morozova
  144. Elle Savvy
  145. Ellen Grogan
  146. Emily Weir
  147. Emma Dresser
  148. Emma Robertson,
  149. Emma Rompani, Social worker
  150. Emma Salmon
  151. Erica shorter
  152. Erin Tinsley, Compliance/coercion is not consent. Money coerces compliance.
  153. Esohe Aghatise
  154. Euan Brown
  155. Eve Tidswell, Live near Holbeck Leeds, see evidence every day.
  156. Evelyn Silver
  157. Fiona Hawke
  158. Fiona McAllister, BA Hons MA
  159. Fiona Roberts
  160. Fran Hopwood, Parter of a man with problematic sexual behaviour
  161. Frances Gillard, Ex social worker ex foster carer of teenage girls
  162. Francine Sporenda
  163. 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
  164. Gemma Kelly, Campaigner for the Nordic Model
  165. Georgina Veitch, Specialist Refuge Service Manager
  166. Ghada Jabbour
  167. Giulia Cavicchia
  168. Grossetete Marie Paule, Militante contre la prostitution
  169. Hannah Harrison
  170. Harriet Evans, Survivor of the sex trade
  171. Hasina Daya
  172. Hayley Martin
  173. Hayley Tweddle
  174. Hazel Frew
  175. Heather Child
  176. Heather Finlay
  177. 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
  178. Heather Strohl, One of the exploited class called FEMALE
  179. Hedvig Kärnekull
  180. Helena Brors
  181. Helen Bishop
  182. Helen Freeborn
  183. Helen Mary Jones, Assembly Member, National Assembly of Wales
  184. Helen Richmond
  185. Helen Saxby
  186. Helen Sneddon
  187. Henrike van den Hoff
  188. Hilary Wise
  189. Holly Brewer, Ex sex industry worker
  190. Irena Fick
  191. Irene Torres
  192. 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.
  193. Isobel Hart
  194. Ivietta Kamienieva
  195. J Burke
  196. J Gourley
  197. Jackie Britton
  198. Jackie Lynne, I am a survivor/thriver of the sex industry
  199. Jacky Grainger, Therapist who works with survivors of the sex trade.
  200. Jacky Holyoake
  201. Jade Byng, I am a woman. Stop encouraging misogyny.
  202. Jalna Hanmer, I am a retired academic that has researched and published on violence against women all my working life.
  203. James Meechan
  204. Jan Baxter
  205. Jan Oliver
  206. Janaina Roberts, Education professional.
  207. Jane Anglin, Rape Crisis Centre Trustee
  208. Jane Ayres, Parent, Socialist, Humanist, Feminist
  209. Jane Connelly
  210. Jane Harris, PhD
  211. Jane May Morrison, PhD Researcher
  212. Jane Roberts
  213. Janice Hurne, B.Sc., M.Sc., C. Eng., PgCEd
  214. Janice Williams
  215. Jayne Gosnall, I am a survivor of the sex trade
  216. Jayne Watmough
  217. Jeff White
  218. Jemma Carnell
  219. Jenna Lampers
  220. Jennifer Forsyth, MSc Ed Psy. Experience of sexual assault and rape.
  221. Jessica Ahlberg
  222. Jessica Mock
  223. Jewell Baraka, Survivor
  224. Jill Gardner, Sexual assault victim
  225. Jill Leigh, Social worker and mental health adviser in university setting
  226. Jo Bagshaw
  227. Jo Phaure, Survivor of sexual assault
  228. Joanna Campbell, I was coerced into selling sex by older people when I was a teenager
  229. Joanna Lovett, Senior Research Fellow
  230. Joanna Wilson, Graduate of Brighton University, survivor of sexual violence
  231. Joanne Hayes
  232. Jocelyn Gaskell, Sister to all prostituted women
  233. Jodie Woodward, Senior Manager of Violence against Women and Girls charity.
  234. Joe Weaver
  235. Jonny Rust, Consultant Gynaecologist
  236. Jordan Dior
  237. Josepha Scotney
  238. Josephine Bartosch
  239. Joy Sturgess
  240. Judith Whittaker
  241. Judy Ferguson, I work with women selling sex
  242. Jules Sheridan, Project Manager, supporting women involved in or affected by commercial sexual exploitation.
  243. Julia Hopten, Teacher
  244. Julia Marshall, Ex Police Officer
  245. Julia Tippett
  246. “Julian Vigo, PhD, I am an anthropologist and have worked within these communities.
  247. Julie Elliman
  248. Julie Furlong
  249. Julie Kavanagh
  250. K Badlan
  251. 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.
  252. Kaitlyn Rush
  253. Kai-Uwe Bevc, Several sex trade survivors as friends
  254. 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.
  255. Karen Bohr
  256. 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.
  257. Karen Davies, Survivor
  258. Kari Muller
  259. Karrie Payne, Survivor
  260. Karyn Irwi
  261. Kate Morrissey, Counsellor and social worker
  262. Katherine Brierly, Social worker
  263. Katherine Sumner
  264. Kathleen Caskie
  265. Kathleen Richardson, Professor of Ethics and Culture of Robots and AI, and founder of the Campaign Against Sex Robots
  266. Kathy Cohn, Survivor
  267. Kathy Parker, I worked for many years, with survivors in housing support.
  268. Katie Cosgrove
  269. Katie Jenkins
  270. Katrin Lehmann
  271. Kelly Power
  272. Kerensa Gardner
  273. Kersten Myers
  274. Kim Vernon
  275. Kirsten Ficklin,
  276. Kristina Hastings
  277. Kseniia Bilash
  278. Kylee Gregg, Child-sex trafficking survivor
  279. Kym Barlow, Worked to provide an exit for women in the sex industry.
  280. LaTosha Summers
  281. Laura Briggs
  282. Laura Grove
  283. Laura Hacking
  284. Laura Protheroe
  285. Laura Tagliabue
  286. Laura Wingham, Secondary school teacher
  287. Lesley Boyes, Survivor of previous involvement in prostitution
  288. 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.
  289. Lesley Painter
  290. Levi-Nicolle MacKenzie
  291. Liliana Forero, Activist
  292. 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.
  293. Linda McGurk
  294. Lindsey Cooper-Brown
  295. Lisa Ware
  296. Liudmyla Antonets, I’m a survivor of rape
  297. Liz Curran
  298. Liz Swanson, Psychotherapist
  299. Lizzie Roper
  300. Lois Bernard, Survivor of the sex trade, Clinical Social Worker
  301. Lorna Ward, Woman who cares about other women
  302. Lorna wheeler
  303. Lorraine
  304. Lorraine Busby, Former worker in child protection
  305. Lou Almond
  306. Louise Bond
  307. Louise Cameron
  308. Louise Franklin, Used to work with a charity that helped street sex workers
  309. Louise Somerville, Mother of three sons
  310. Louise Taylor
  311. Louise Waters
  312. Louise Wild, Social Worker.
  313. Lucia Reggiani
  314. Lucy Tann
  315. Lucy Wainwright
  316. Lyn Ferguson
  317. Lynda Murphy, Survivor
  318. 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.
  319. Lynn Maloney, Survivor of the sex trade
  320. Lynn Tully
  321. Lynne Wells
  322. M N Hughes
  323. Maggi Knowles
  324. Mags Cross, Survivor of abuse
  325. Majbritt Petersen
  326. Manon Marie Josée Michaud, Survivor of the sex trade
  327. Margaret Grant
  328. Margaret Manning
  329. Margarida Teixeira
  330. Margret Odam
  331. Maria
  332. Maria de la Paz Romero Sanchez,
  333. Maria Warren
  334. Marian Larragy
  335. Marie-Eve Martel, BSc Criminology & MA Woman and Child Abuse
  336. Marika Mason
  337. Marilyn Glen
  338. Marine
  339. Marion Sporing
  340. Marta Iris Lopez C
  341. Martin Dufresne, Awareness-raising speaker about sexism and prostitution
  342. Martina Baradel
  343. Martina Farrugia, Women’s & Gender Rights Activist working on the issue of prostitution in my country.
  344. Martina Gorman
  345. Mary Buttolph
  346. Matthew Gough, A parent helping daughters consider universities
  347. Maureen O’Hara, Senior lecturer in law, carrying out research into sexual exploitation
  348. Maya
  349. Meagen Renea Baumann, Rape survivor
  350. Mélanie Carpentier, I’m a survivor
  351. Melanie Jones
  352. Melanie Painter
  353. Melanie Stratten, Sibling of survivors of childhood sexual abuse
  354. 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
  355. Michael Möller
  356. Michael Murphy
  357. Michaela-Clare Addison, MA Women and Child student. Young women’s advocate at a women’s organisation
  358. Mick Patrick
  359. Miranda Turvey
  360. Miranda Yardley
  361. Misslin Emmanuelle
  362. Monica Sharma
  363. Monika Jeri
  364. Morven Magari, Mental health advocate
  365. Frederice O. Uyigue
  366. Mrs J Lane
  367. Naomi Green
  368. Naomi Miles
  369. Natalia
  370. Natascha Verbrakel, I was once prostitute
  371. Natasha Ransom
  372. Nathalie Birkett
  373. Nicola D’Costa, Support worker
  374. Nicola Newman
  375. Nicola Stone
  376. Nika Abkowicz-Bieńko
  377. Nina Katz
  378. Noémie GUY
  379. Nusha Yonkova, Support work of migrant women survivors of sex trade
  380. Olena Zaitseva, Lawyer
  381. Olha Tverdokhlib, Feminist
  382. Olivia Kenny
  383. P Gibbons
  384. Paddy Tanton
  385. Pam Isherwood
  386. Patrick Trueman, Former Chief Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, U.S. Department of Justice
  387. Pauline Spinazze, Feminist and abolitionist activist
  388. Penny Leroux
  389. Penny White, I am a survivor of cruel sexual exploitation, and I have dear friends who are survivors of the sex trade.
  390. Peter Macdonald
  391. Philippa Vipham
  392. Phillip Budd
  393. Professor Kathleen Lynch, B.Soc.Sc., M.Soc.Sc. PhD. Professor of Equality Studies (Sociologist), University College Dublin
  394. Professor Kirstein Rummery, Academic concerned with student wellbeing and gender equality
  395. Professor Richard Byng, Medical professional working with disadvantaged groups including prostitutes
  396. R Keith
  397. R Liptrot
  398. R Mulligan
  399. Rachel Bell, Modern Slavery Support Worker, Ambassador to domestic abuse service and journalist
  400. Rachel King
  401. Rachel White, MA Women & Gender Studies
  402. Rae Evans
  403. Raphaëlle Rémy-Leleu, Feminist & University Chief of Staff
  404. Rebecca Brueton, Brighton University Alumni
  405. Rebecca Craddock
  406. Rebecca Harrison, MA, DipSW
  407. Rebecca Mordan
  408. Rebecca Mott, I did indoors prostitution
  409. Rebecca Pert
  410. Rebecca Pickles
  411. Rebecca Stanton
  412. Rebecca Whisnant, Professor and chair, Department of Philosophy, University of Dayton
  413. Rebekah Wershbale
  414. Hamilton, I am a survivor of the sex trade and an outreach worker for other survivors
  415. Rhianna Keen
  416. 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.
  417. Robert Daw
  418. Robin Fessey Holmes, BSc Sociology student at the LSE, radical feminist and campaigner for the Nordic Model
  419. Robyn Self
  420. Rodrigo Montero, Gender Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  421. Rosa Del Fresno
  422. Rose Frain
  423. RoseAnn Cameron, BA Hons Criminology
  424. Rossella Renosto, Call centre advisor and feminist
  425. Ruby Till
  426. Ruth Breslin
  427. Ruth Conlock
  428. Ruth Greenberg
  429. Ruth Pearson
  430. Ruth Sinclair
  431. Ruth Webster
  432. Ryan, Friend of former sex worker
  433. L. Bondarchuk, Researcher; ally to exited women & men
  434. Sajida Zar
  435. Sally Ann Hart, Teacher & Trainer in Protective Behaviours
  436. Sally Jackson
  437. Sally McDonagh
  438. Sam Alexander
  439. Sam Batista, Have had friends involved in the sex trade
  440. Sam Britton
  441. Samantha Pollock, A former female student of the University of Brighton, and a mother who is horrified at this wholly inappropriate stall
  442. Samantha riches
  443. Sandra McNeill
  444. Sara Stewart, Worker in a hostel for women involved in criminal justice system. Many of these women were sex workers.
  445. 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.
  446. Sarah Bowden, I am a woman and mother and I have thought about this.
  447. Sarah Cooksley
  448. Sarah Ferguson
  449. Sarah Gamble, MA student
  450. Sarah Johnson
  451. Sarah Mathewson, Labour rights advocate
  452. Sarah McCann
  453. Sarah Namdarkha
  454. Sarah Richardson
  455. Sarah Sharkey
  456. Shabanah Fazal, Retired teacher
  457. Shally Shefer, Worried mother of a student!
  458. Sharon Allen, Qualified social worker, Housing BA Hons, MBA
  459. Sharon Campbell
  460. Sharon Gascoigne
  461. Sharon Kirby
  462. Shawnee Love HHD, PhD
  463. Sheena Best
  464. Sheila Jeffreys
  465. Shernaz Dinshaw, I worked on several projects with CSW’s in Kamatipura, Mumbai as a coordinator with an NGO in the early 90’s
  466. Sherri Ingrey
  467. Sibyl Grundberg, D.O.
  468. Silvia Loi
  469. Simon Lakin
  470. Simona
  471. Simone Freeman, Teacher BSc Hons
  472. Siobhan Jess
  473. Solveig Senft, Engaged in helping women to exit prostitution
  474. Stacey O’Brien
  475. Staci Sprout, Sold for sex as a child
  476. Stan
  477. Stefania Prigoda
  478. 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
  479. Stephanie Davies-Arai, Mother of daughter and sons
  480. Stephanie Howarth
  481. Stephen Charity
  482. Stephen Garner
  483. Stephen Jordan
  484. Sue Laughlin, Former Health service representative on Routes out of Prostitution social inclusion project, Glasgow
  485. Sue Peters, Human rights activist
  486. Susan Austin, I once prostituted myself when I was recovering form a major bout of depression
  487. Susan Bewley, Doctor, academic, previous sexual offenses examiner
  488. Susan Cottee
  489. Susan Houston, Midwife, teacher, mental health worker
  490. Susan Moffat, Years of working in the NHS to tackle violence against women
  491. Susan Williams
  492. Susannah Oldham
  493. Suzie Love
  494. Suzzan Blac, I am a survivor of the sex trade
  495. T O Walker
  496. Tamlyn Gray
  497. Tamsen Williams
  498. Teresa Hope
  499. Thain Parnell, Feminist Activist and Writer
  500. The Reverend Claudia Neely, Survivor
  501. Toby Lindsay, MSc
  502. Tony Newbery
  503. Tracy Allard, Survivor of the sex trade, poor
  504. Tracy Earnshaw, Independent Domestic Abuse Advisor
  505. Trish Black, Survivor of Rape & Sexual Assault
  506. Trisha Baptie
  507. V S-Smith
  508. Valerie Bernham
  509. Valerie Sygrove
  510. Venice Fielding
  511. Victoria Fletcher
  512. Victoria Pittman
  513. Virginia Farman
  514. Vivienne Roberts
  515. Wendy Davis
  516. Wendy Metcalfe
  517. Yarina Dehtyar
  518. Yaroslava Mykhailova, I had experience working as a hostess in a brothel
  519. Zac Dexter

This letter was also published in the Morning Star.

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