Violence Against Sex Workers (original) (raw)

All were drug users between the ages of 19 and 29. Wright dumped their remains in isolated spots around the town of Ipswich during a six-and-a-half-week period in 2006 (Malkin 2008). In 2010, PhD student Stephen Griffiths, who termed himself the 'crossbow cannibal', was convicted of the murders of street sex workers Shelley Armitage, Suzanne Blamires and Susan Rushworth, after body parts were found floating in the river Aire. The women, all drug users aged between 31 and 43, had disappeared over a period of just under a year (Carter 2010, Press Association 2010). The £300-an-hour call girl blogger Belle de Jour, revealed in 2009 to be Bristol research scientist Dr Brooke Magnanti, may appear to be working in a different industry to these women. However, in an interview with the Times in 2009, Magnanti described herself as 'very lucky' because she had not experienced violence. 'You need to be aware of your surroundings: if it goes wrong, how can I get out of this room; how can I get into a taxi; how can I brush someone off if I need to?' (Knight, 2009). In 2003 as Belle, she had written about an encounter with a fellow call girl in a public toilet. I turned round to see A crouched on the floor, sobbing. I almost didn't stop. But something about the fragile bow of her heaving shoulders made it impossible to walk away. "Are you okay?" I whispered, kneeling beside her. It all came out in fits and starts-first man trouble, then family problems, then a recent surgery gone wrong, then the reason for the surgery. It turned out A was the victim of a particularly notorious rape several years ago. It was the anniversary of the incident. "That was you?" I whispered. She nodded. "I'm so, so sorry." The incident was reported in some papers as an attack in which the victim escaped, but all the girls knew the truth. No one gets away from a man with a hammer. Although sex work is a multifaceted industry with a diverse workforce, a central feature is the risk, or experience, of violence. Sex workers are a resourceful group, who as individuals and communities have developed a complex set of coping and safety strategies. These do not often bring them into contact with statutory services: but social workers in these and third sector organisations who are aware of the issues and can operate without judgment may be able to offer support.