Rosie Campbell

Living with the Other: Street sex work, contingent communities and degrees of tolerance

There is substantial literature on how fears of Other populations are prompting the increased surveillance and regulation of public spaces at the heart of Western cities. Yet, in contrast to the consumer-oriented spaces of the city centre, there has been relatively little attention devoted to the quality of the street spaces in residential neighbourhoods beyond the central city. In this article, we explore how media representations of sex workers as an abject and criminalized Other inform the reactions of residents to street sex work in such communities. Drawing on our work in a number of British cities we highlight the different degrees of tolerance which residents express towards street sex work. In light of the Home Office strategy document, A Coordinated Prostitution Strategy, this article concludes by advocating participatory action research and community conferencing as a means of resolving conflicts and assuaging fears of difference.

Tackling client violence in female street prostitution: Inter-agency working between outreach agencies and the police

Research has shown that a characteristic feature of female street prostitution globally is the high incidence of violence perpetrated against women by men who approach them as clients. Given the absence of legislation in the United Kingdom that enhances the safety of street sex workers, this article contends that schemes which promote inter-agency working between sex worker outreach agencies and the police are vital in tackling the unacceptable level of client violence in street prostitution. A case study of a scheme operating in Merseyside is provided and positive intermediate outcomes are discussed. The scheme--known as Ugly Mugs--encourages women to report violent incidents to outreach workers who can disseminate the information to other sex workers and the police. Ugly Mugs has resulted in an increase in reports of violence and contributed to convicting two clients of violent crimes against street sex workers, thus demonstrating the valuable role such schemes can play in crime reduction.

Challenging the Kerb Crawler Rehabilitation Programme

During recent years in North America and Europe many feminists have become increasingly critical of responses to street prostitution that concentrate solely on punishing women who sell sex while ignoring their male clients. In order to address this gender imbalance some feminists have advocated the enforcement and/or strengthening of kerb crawling legislation and other schemes that target men who pay for sex. During 1998–9 one initiative, which aimed to target men who pay for sex in the UK, the Kerb Crawler Rehabilitation Programme (KCRP), was piloted in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Although the KCRP received considerable media coverage there has been relatively little critical debate among feminists about this approach to working with clients of sex workers. This article draws attention to some of the opposition to the Leeds KCRP.

Criminalization, protection and rights: Global tensions in the governance of commercial sex

In this special issue we examine the global trends in the governance of commercial sex over the past decade and set out where this collection contributes to critical understandings of the governance of commercial sex through an analysis of the global legal, policy and policing trends. This collection of articles addresses the continued moves towards state control of sexual behaviours and sexual activities that do not fit dominant scripts for what constitutes ‘appropriate’ citizenship. The focus on the lived experience of the law, criminal justice system and policing practices for sex workers is the overarching theme of this special issue, as we contemplate the realities of the governance of sex work.

‘Exiting’ drug use and sex work: Career paths, interventions and government strategy targets

Current British government policy on sex work aims to reduce prostitution, challenge its inevitability and in terms of support services for sex workers is heavily focused towards exiting strategies for those in sex work. Exiting programmes are complex, often lengthy and need to meet a range of holistic needs in order to assist individuals who want to leave sex work and problematic drug use. Addressing drug use has been to the fore as part of exiting programmes due to the very high rates of problematic drug use reported amongst female street sex workers and drug use being identified as a key factor shaping routes into and sustaining involvement with street-based sex work. This contrasts with the much lower levels of problematic drug use found amongst indoor sex workers. This article brings together findings from a 2002 Home Office funded study of sex work and drug use careers and a 2007 UK Network of Sex Work Projects review of specialist services for sex workers which looked at the provision of ‘exiting services’ within projects. The principle of sex worker choice united all of the surveyed projects so that irrespective of whether exiting was seen as a vital goal or a potential end point, choice was seen as crucial for client engagement and for the ethics of service delivery. Findings suggest that current government policy focused on exiting is unlikely to meet its aims and whilst exit support is a vital part of holistic needs, an emphasis on exiting at a strategic level can endanger and erode other vital aspects of support.

What's anti-social about sex work? The changing representation of prostitution's incivility

This article considers the likely success of recent reforms of prostitution policy by reflecting on a recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation‐funded study that examined the experiences of those living and working in areas of street sex work. This empirical work points to some of the dangers of policy frameworks and techniques of control that continue to situate sex work as antithetical to the cultivation of community safety.

Internet sex work : beyond the gaze

This book takes readers behind the screen to uncover how digital technologies have affected the UK sex industry. The authors use extensive new datasets to explore the working practices, safety and regulation of the sex industry, for female, male and trans sex workers primarily working in the UK. Insights are given as to how sex workers use the internet in their everyday working lives, appropriating social media, private online spaces and marketing strategies to manage their profiles, businesses and careers. Internet Sex Work also explores safety strategies in response to new forms of crimes experienced by sex workers, as well as policing responses. The book will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of social science disciplines, including gender studies, socio-legal studies, criminology and sociology.

Desistence from Sex Work: Feminist Cultural Criminology and Intersectionality — the Complexities of Moving In and Out of Sex Work

This chapter questions the current focus on exiting sex work (Home Office, 2006) from a framework informed by intersectionality (Jackson, 2005), emphasising the importance of biographical and participatory action research (PAR) methodologies that foreground the voices and images of sex workers.1 This framework involves a cultural-materialist analysis of the intersections and ambiguities between sex, work, complex identities and material processes — the conditions and contexts through which sexual services are bought and sold. We outline the need for a more complex trajectory of exit strategies for sex workers, informed by feminist work on intersectionality and the intertwining of social and cultural categories, ‘the interaction of multiple identities and experiences of exclusion and subordination’ (Knudsen 2006).

Regulating Strip-Based Entertainment: Sexual Entertainment Venue Policy and the Ex/Inclusion of Dancers’ Perspectives and Needs

This article showcases a research, dissemination and impact study on the striptease industry that explores why key stakeholders (dancers) are excluded, and ways that inclusion in policy development is achievable. This form of erotic work has undergone increased attention from policy and regulatory officials in recent years with the introduction of a new licensing process as venues are categorised as Sexual Entertainment Venues. The article will demonstrate how community and campaign group voices were heard over that of the dancers themselves, who were not consulted in the process of the legislative change. However, the article shows how small but significant interventions into policy development by direct work with stakeholders (here Licensing Committees and officers) can make steps towards an inclusion of dancer welfare and safety issues. Finally, we propose a set of principles that can ensure dancer and sex worker voices are included in policy consultation and decision making to ensure evidence-based policy making.

Chapter 7 Diverse community responses to controversial urban issues: The contribution of qualitative research to policy development

Measures to tackle anti-social behaviour and nuisance to residents, particularly in urban areas, have been a major focus of UK Government policies over recent years. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and subsequent legislation such as the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 introduced stricter powers, particularly through the use of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), as a means of addressing problems in residential neighbourhoods. While there is clearly a need to tackle problem behaviour that impacts seriously on the quality of life of community members, evidence also suggests that behaviour previously tolerated by many is now targeted through enforcement measures, leading to increased polarisation and stigmatisation of some groups (Rowlands, 2005). At the same time, national agendas around Neighbourhood and Civic Renewal1 aim to minimise conflicts in neighbourhood renewal areas through fostering understanding and building bridges between different groups within diverse communities. There is thus some tension between the different agendas which impacts on how such issues are addressed within localities.