Nov 13, 2023
Each day during the week starting Monday 13th November, we’ll be releasing another part of this blog which covers 5 topics that play a part in exasperating multiple disadvantages, and routing women into situations such as selling sex in the UK.
The effects of housing scarcity, affordability, and quality have been felt by people for centuries. In the 1881 census, 7 years before the ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders, over 30,000 residents were living in Whitechapel, which only contained just over 4000 houses. Today, in the midst of another housing crisis, many women we work with now are selling or exchanging sex to meet their rent payments. Women come to us seeking support to achieve their life goals, which increasingly includes supporting them in breaking away from being ‘trapped’ selling sex to afford extortionate rent.
Recently, in relation to the housing crisis, we submitted a response to the government’s consultation on ‘sex for rent’.
We raised the need for any discussion of ‘sex for rent’ and of protective and/or preventative measures to be situated within the context of the gender pay gap, women’s hidden homelessness, domestic abuse (especially the “price to pay” for leaving, e.g., insecure housing and income), and the UK’s broken housing system in general, including the freezing of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates by the government since April 2020.
It is not uncommon for women to highlight to us the gap between Local Housing Allowance rates and private rental costs. This situation is further exasperated for some women due to the trauma they have experienced, which means it is not appropriate for them to live in cheaper accommodation such as houses of multiple occupancy.
We’ve raised the issue of an inadequate welfare system. Changes are needed to the ways in which Universal Credit operates in order to reduce vulnerability to being compelled to sell sex, in particular abolishing the five-week wait for a first Universal Credit payment. Age discrimination is also built into the system; for example, Universal Credit is lower if you are under 25, and Local Housing Allowance rates are often lower if you are younger (e.g., under 35). Living costs are not necessarily any cheaper for those who are younger, and these age ‘penalties’ can leave some young people vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Women’s experience of the Criminal Justice System can also contribute to experiences of homelessness. Over 3 out of 5 women are sent to prison for less than 6 months, which is enough time to lose their housing.
Shorter sentences often mean less statutory support is put in place upon leaving, and women can be held a considerable distance from their homes, making it difficult to retain a ‘local connection’ which is often a precondition for Local Authority housing.
Roughly half of women leave prison without settled accommodation.
It’s been our experience that women struggle to access housing support while on remand, with this only becoming accessible once formally sentenced.
Rough sleeping and hidden homelessness:
This includes unsuitable accommodation, sex for rent arrangements, sofa surfing, and squatting. Ongoing barriers for the women in Tower Hamlets, where our Door of Hope project operates, include:
Without concerted effort, investment, and political will to address the underlying causal factors driving women to sell or exchange sex to meet their housing needs, the opportunity for abuse and exploitation will remain.
Existing records show that at least one of the women killed by the unknown murderer in 1888 was a survivor of domestic abuse. During those times, few laws were in place to support women experiencing abuse by partners. The laws that were in place, for the most part, were tailored to the male population. For example, an 1890s City of London bylaw made it illegal for men to hit their wives between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., but this was only because the noise was keeping neighbours awake.
While laws have developed to make acts of domestic abuse illegal and societal attitudes have changed since this time, domestic abuse is still a significant issue, with 1 in 4 women in England and Wales experiencing domestic abuse during her lifetime. On average, 2 women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales.
As mentioned in our previous blog on housing this week, a lack of financial independence can mean that women feel forced into remaining in domestically abusive relationships because they fear the financial ‘price to pay’ for leaving. Women experience violence from a variety of directions: pimps, men who buy sex, and partners. When analysing our Door of Hope initial assessment data, 67% of the women disclosed experiences of domestic abuse. Recently, COVID exacerbated this situation; women opted to stay with abusive male friends, boyfriends, or men who buy sex to abide by guidance to socially distance and self-isolate. This placed them at greater risk of abuse and added to the trauma they are experiencing.
The link between domestic abuse and coercion resulting in involvement in selling sex should not be ignored. Our recently published research, ‘Lessons Learnt? Domestic Homicide Reviews Through a Sex Industry Lens’, which draws on data from 23 Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHR) across England, explores the commonalities in the lived experiences of the individuals involved in the sex industry within DHRs and examines agency responses to these individuals in order to share the learning emerging from these reviews more widely. Within the research, 100% of the individuals had experienced domestic abuse and violence, either historically or at the time of the homicide or suicide. Nine of the DHRs highlighted how male partners were coercing the individuals into selling sex or exploiting their involvement in the sex industry, indicating how domestic abuse can result in individuals becoming involved in the sex industry in an exploitative context.
We hope that this report highlights the complex and intersecting challenges faced by those involved in the sex industry and how support services and agencies can better recognise and respond to them. We also hope that this report will encourage any professionals to consider what language they use in this field and the impact this language can have on the way we think about the sex industry and the individuals who are involved in it. We have set out a series of recommendations for services within the report, which we hope will be useful and will have an impact on future policy and practice.
Another theme that has carried through from the late 1880s until today, is substance misuse.
In the 1880s, one of the women who was targeted and killed by the so-called ‘Jack the Ripper’, Annie Chapman, developed alcohol dependency during her marriage after the loss of her 12-year-old daughter to meningitis. Her husband and sisters sought to help her, including placing her in one of the country’s first rehab centres near Windsor for a year.
However, the success of this was short-lived, and Annie and her husband, John, separated in 1884, with John also becoming dependent on alcohol. Annie’s husband sent her 10 shillings a week, but when he died, the payments stopped, and this plunged her suddenly into destitution.
Today, we see women struggle to access mental health services due to ongoing substance misuse which is often a coping mechanism that has arisen in response to childhood trauma, sexual violence, and coercive control.
Recent research by the Centre for Justice Innovation and Staffordshire University has highlighted that women are being failed by drug and alcohol treatment services and has uncovered evidence that women are at risk of being targeted by abusers in “chaotic, intimidating, or unsafe” drug and alcohol treatment services.
Some women, according to the research, are forced to attend mixed-gender treatment groups. This can make it difficult for women to talk about traumatic experiences that may be linked to their substance use, such as sexual violence. The paper goes on to highlight that women are being targeted by predatory males in mixed alcohol treatment groups, posing risks alongside the challenges they experience accessing appropriate support.
This research also highlighted that the way that services are set up can cause challenges in managing childcare responsibilities alongside treatment, and barriers to treatment were seen as more pronounced “for members of some minority communities, including women of South Asian or Eastern European backgrounds.”
We notice that when women do engage with services, there can be a lack of professional curiosity about the woman’s potential involvement in the sex industry and a lack of trauma-informed support when engaging with her. Some women report being asked inappropriate or triggering questions by caseworkers.
At Beyond the Streets, we see the importance of offering a safe and judgement-free space, along with developing access to mental health provision for women who are still addressing their dependence on substances, in order to break the vicious cycle between dependence and unresolved past trauma experienced by some women. This year, on top of our regular counselling provisions via trained volunteer counsellors and partner organisations, we have begun offering support for complex PTSD and trauma via a trained psychotherapist, once a week, within our Door of Hope project.
The therapy offered at the Door of Hope in London is flexible and adaptable to fit in with women’s lives and needs. We offer long-term support in a setting, frequency, and session length of their choice. Some people find it hard to take part in a 50-minute session, so we start with 10 minutes and build this up over time.
The therapy service is open to women using substances; we don’t penalise women who miss an appointment, and we focus on building autonomy, confidence, and self-esteem. We understand that a fear of exploring trauma from session one can often mean women are reluctant to engage in therapy, so we work at an appropriate pace and level for each individual woman, ensuring she is taking the lead.
During the 1800s, the east end of London was significantly worse off than west London, with slum areas and abject poverty. This socio-economic gap is best demonstrated in the differing life expectancy, which was 55 in the West End compared to 35 in the East End. This demonstrates the resilience of the women killed, as four out of the five women were well over the life expectancy age at the time of their deaths.
Mary Ann Nichols, or ‘Polly’, as she preferred, married in 1864, and had 5 children with her husband; however, this marriage ended in 1881, possibly due to her husband having an affair. During the marriage, Polly became alcohol dependent. When the marriage broke down, Polly had little economic support in place. She was unusually educated for her gender and class; having remained at school till 15, she could read and write. However, this was to be no protection against the patriarchal-dominated Victorian times she lived in, where women had few rights, few employment opportunities, and no voice.
As a single woman, in 1880, there were fewer options to gain an income than for men, and if they did do the same work, it was not for the same level of earnings. This discrimination was felt by the migrant workforce too. Options included working in sweatshops, working in laundry’s, making artificial flowers for hats, or doing domestic tasks on a casual basis for families who could not afford a domestic servant. This kind of work often meant insecure income as workers were often hired on a day-to-day basis; their wages changed with no warning; or they could be fined for the smallest indiscretions, including talking, going to the toilet, and not completing huge, insurmountable tasks. The jobs involved very long hours, often exposure to dirty, cramped, and dangerous conditions, and could lead to poor physical health.
Today, as the country faces the reality of rising costs of living, we want to raise awareness of the adverse impacts of income inequality on the women we work with. Most of the women are already experiencing multiple disadvantages in addition to facing financial insecurity.
Women we support are having to increase selling sex, or those who have previously exited are feeling financial pressure to return to it. Some women who contact us for support are involved in selling sex in order to provide basic necessities for themselves or their families. This includes employed women who are having to top up their wages; women unable to afford furniture and basic white goods, such as a fridge to store food; and multiple cases of women who are having to choose between food and heating.
Our Women’s Support Workers are hearing from women who are concerned about how to cope both now and in the future. Our Women’s Support Workers are able to help them access benefits, grants, to address their income poverty. One woman said to us:
“Thank you for your help. You never make me feel judged and do your best to help me. I’ve never experienced this from services before.”
The gender pay gap, lack of secure housing opportunities, and inadequate welfare system all play into income and food insecurity being an issue that we see with the women we work with today. Official ONS data from April 2022 estimated the gender pay gap for full-time employees to be 8.3%. This rises to 14.9% for all employees, reflecting the greater proportion of women in part-time work.
Recent research by the Centre for Justice Innovation and Staffordshire University has highlighted that women are being failed by drug and alcohol treatment services and has uncovered evidence that women are at risk of being targeted by abusers in “chaotic, intimidating, or unsafe” drug and alcohol treatment services.
Some women, according to the research, are forced to attend mixed-gender treatment groups. This can make it difficult for women to talk about traumatic experiences that may be linked to their substance use, such as sexual violence. The paper goes on to highlight that women are being targeted by predatory males in mixed alcohol treatment groups, posing risks alongside the challenges they experience accessing appropriate support.
This research also highlighted that the way that services are set up can cause challenges in managing childcare responsibilities alongside treatment, and barriers to treatment were seen as more pronounced “for members of some minority communities, including women of South Asian or Eastern European backgrounds.”
We notice that when women do engage with services, there can be a lack of professional curiosity about the woman’s potential involvement in the sex industry and a lack of trauma-informed support when engaging with her. Some women report being asked inappropriate or triggering questions by caseworkers.
At Beyond the Streets, we see the importance of offering a safe and judgement-free space, along with developing access to mental health provision for women who are still addressing their dependence on substances, in order to break the vicious cycle between dependence and unresolved past trauma experienced by some women. This year, on top of our regular counselling provisions via trained volunteer counsellors and partner organisations, we have begun offering support for complex PTSD and trauma via a trained psychotherapist, once a week, within our Door of Hope project.
The therapy offered at the Door of Hope in London is flexible and adaptable to fit in with women’s lives and needs. We offer long-term support in a setting, frequency, and session length of their choice. Some people find it hard to take part in a 50-minute session, so we start with 10 minutes and build this up over time.
The therapy service is open to women using substances; we don’t penalise women who miss an appointment, and we focus on building autonomy, confidence, and self-esteem. We understand that a fear of exploring trauma from session one can often mean women are reluctant to engage in therapy, so we work at an appropriate pace and level for each individual woman, ensuring she is taking the lead.
As well as our aim to humanise these women, who are all too often dehumanised in ‘Jack the Ripper’ themed entertainment, we want to tell their stories here to dispel the large amounts of misinformation that is spread about their lives, often for commercial reasons. Despite what’s often published in the media, we know that not all of these women were selling sex to make ends meet; in fact, we only know that Mary Jane was, and she should not be stigmatised for doing so. Many of the 5 women had stays at workhouses, where singleness and substance abuse were enough for women to be labelled as ‘prostitutes’ within these institutions. The weaponization of the label ‘prostitute’, often by mainstream media, against women facing multiple disadvantages has been used throughout history to diminish any violence and injustice they face. A tactic used by the press and society to this day and across the centuries due to the negative stigma towards those involved in selling sex around the world. Enough is enough.
The above shows a news artice that featured victim blaming from the 1800s, focusing on the woman rather than the perpetrator:
“…it should be remembered that this type of woman choses to go alone to the place where she has agreed to meet a man…”
In 2022, Kent MP assumes in a tweet that rape victim is selling sex, and therefore unlikely it’s rape.
The article from 1888 describing the ‘imagined’ events leading up to one of the murders and the present-day response by a member of parliament to a rape case shows the on-going issue in our society of victim blaming. There is a willingness to believe that the crimes are brought upon a victim by themselves and so aren’t viewed as serious or impactful. It is often underpinned by the base emotion of fear that leads us to question the decision-making and actions of the victim rather than solely of the perpetrator; ‘she was drunk’; ‘She’s asking for it wearing that outfit’; ‘I wouldn’t walk down that alley’. We convince ourselves that we are immune from being victims of these crimes.
Unfortunately, we still live in times where crime reporting and the narratives and comments on social media platforms continue to publicise that women involved are selling sex, whether this is true or not. Negatively charged labels are used to diminish the crimes against women, frame women who sell sex as ‘fallen’ women, and employ language to ‘other’ women who sell sex to distance readers from victims so they don’t feel these crimes could affect them. This perpetuates the idea of the ‘ideal’ or ‘worthy victim’, reinforcing notions of what a victim should conform to, which affect how cases are treated by professionals and the justice system.
This blog is a part of Beyond the Streets’ NOvember Campaign, we want to say thank you for reading to the end, and we sincerely hope to empower you by offering practical ways to drive positive change with us, and raising awareness together about the issues around violence against women and girls in the UK.
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