Harlots Parlour

I think we have to ask why the police fail to see that there is a connection between their enforcement of bad laws and an increase in violent attacks upon sex workers. As we have seen in Bradford and Ipswich and other towns the murder of sex workers seems sadly to be an inevitable outcome when vulnerable people are targeted by the police because of ill thought out legislation. Police enforcement disperses street sex workers forcing them to work alone and in more isolated and dangerous areas. Sex workers fearful of arrest both for themselves and their clients make quick and often lethal decisions. Because of ill conceived law and its enforcement street sex workers in particular become obvious and easy targets for those with violent and murderous intentions.
Clients are now the fashionable target for police operations. Clients however are not the problem. To suggest they are is the most simplistic and naive political posturing. The problem is the law that forces the most vulnerable and desperate people to work in dangerous circumstances. Fearful of violent criminals and of the law many street workers are caught in a trap.
Anti sex worker organisations will claim that selling sex is the problem. It is not.
The selling of sex itself is not the issue and neither is the purchase of sex but rather the manner in which, in this case street sex; is being sold and the reason for which it is being sold which is all to often to feed drug habits.
Criminalising both the sex worker and the client will not stop the transactions from taking place and neither will decriminalising the sex worker while criminalising the client. Getting rid of all the bad and unjust laws that prevent sex workers from organising their work safely would however be the most effective step we as a society can take toward tackling violence within the sex industry. It is simply common sense. If the government were to encourage local authorities to work with sex workers and with local support and out reach groups to establish safe areas where street sex workers could work in greater safety, areas where they could obtain the help they needed and where they could begin to establish a trusting relationship with the police, one that is supportive to both them and their clients; then things would change for the better.
Anti sex work groups will again argue that murders do occur even within so called managed zones. This may be true but the authorities job should be to try and prevent tragedy and not to encourage it. The sad reality is that because of police enforcement of bad laws sex workers are placed in greater danger and sex workers are murdered.
If we are serious about preventing tragedies like those in Bradford occurring again and again then the government must decriminalise sex work.

In the following article from the Morning Star on line the police in Bradford admit to taking robust action against sex workers and their clients. It is a policy that as we have seen over and over again leads to tragedy.
History has proven that criminalising sex work DOES NOT WORK.
Is it not time the government tried something new, something that has been proven to work. Decriminalisation in New Zealand is a documented success.
Decriminalisation has not over night stopped all the abuses within the sex industry, that will take time and patience and understanding. The New Zealand experience has shown however that positive change is possible and that the relationship between the police, local communities and sex workers can improve for the benefit of everyone.
New Zealand has shown that placing the safety and health of sex workers first above moralistic and dangerous political posturing is not only the sensible thing to do but also the right thing for a just and tolerant society to do.
Our government must now do the same. Decriminalisation, often confused with legalisation, is I firmly believe what the British public want. I hope the politicians are listening and that they do not continue to simply reinvent or to continue to enforce abusive and discriminatory laws that have failed and always will fail. I hope that these deaths in Bradford are not yet another tragedy in a long line of preventable tragedies. I hope politicians do the right thing this time and listen to sex workers, listen to out reach workers, listen to academics and listen to the the British public.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/90903

Bradford killings ‘show safety is top priority’
Friday 28 May 2010
by Paddy McGuffin
A union representing sex workers has called for safety to be prioritised in the wake of the murder of three women in Bradford.
Suspected multiple murderer Stephen Griffiths appeared in both magistrates’ and crown court in Bradford yesterday charged with the murders of Suzanne Blamires, Susan Rushworth and Shelley Armitage.
All three women were heroin addicts and sex workers.
The killings have shocked the Bradford public, its local representatives and police.
Speaking to the Star yesterday, Bradford City Council Labour leader Ian Greenwood said:”First of all we should all pause and give thought to the families and friends of these women who were the innocent victims of truly awful crimes.
“These were women with hopes, aspirations and dreams. That has been taken away from them by a murderous individual.
“The vast majority of these women are poor people who are dependent on alcohol and or hard drugs. These are poor women trying to feed their habit.
“Those who can’t afford the habit are getting forced into the sex trade. This doesn’t mean that drug and alcohol addiction does not occur in more affluent areas – it does.”
Bradford South Police Superintendent Angela Williams said: “It’s easy to forget that every woman involved in prostitution didn’t start out that way. They all have families, personal stories and often personal tragedies which have led them to where they are today.
“Whilst we accept that these women are among the more vulnerable members of our society, we fully accept that it is an illegal activity and one on which we do take robust action – both towards the women and also the men who travel into the area to solicit them.
“But we also recognise that the women involved in prostitution need help and support if they are to make a fresh start.”
But the GMB sex workers’ branch said the killings had highlighted once more “the human tragedy that results from laws which discount sex workers’ safety.”
A spokeswoman said: “Sex workers pay the price most directly for this failure, at worst in tragedies like that in Bradford, but communities also suffer the consequences of damaging and futile law enforcement.”

Read Full Post »

A new post from Marie Brown

“How can you forget the first trick you ever turned?

Standing on the streetcorner at a bustling intersection in Hollywood late one night, I wore a crimson-red blouse tucked into a sleek, slim pair of black jeans, which were in turn tucked into high-heeled black suede boots, my long hair tumbling past my shoulders.

An older-model Mercedes slowed and then stopped at the curb. The driver, a man in his mid-forties, neither handsome nor unattractive, waved me over. I peered into the passenger window. “You dating?” he asked. “Maybe,” I replied. “How much can you spend?” “Well, I’ve got seventy-five bucks. How about half-and-half?” (street slang for fellatio followed by intercourse) I agreed to this and got in his car. He drove to a nearby motel. The room was small and a bit care-worn but clean. He handed me the cash and mentioned he had brought a condom to use. We then got undressed, and I serviced him per his request. Afterwards, he drove me back to the corner where he had picked me up, telling me to be careful (men are always telling me to be careful, probably because I’m petite and vulnerable-looking).

The incident was as quick and as perfunctory as I have described; it took place quickly, with no fuss and no emotion. Right then, I felt as if I had found my calling: what an easy way for a girl to make some fast money! And there was no sense of shame on my part – it all seemed so natural.

The second trick I turned occured about two weeks later, with someone younger, close to my own age. Again, I felt that sense of exhilaration of a job well-done. By the following month, I was doing this full-time.

As the months went on, I learned the game: how to sense which guys would be safe to go with, which ones seemed creepy, how to sense if the potential customer might actually be a police officer working undercover.

And I also learned that no matter how careful I was, there were dangerous situations I had to navigate. One night, I was robbed: the customer grabbed the money out of my purse (I since learned to secrete the cash in a safe place, usually inside my stockings or boots); when I reached for it, he forcefully grabbed my wrist and said, “Now wait a minute” in a harsh tone, with a cold, hard look in his eyes. I scrambled out of his car and ran. Another time, I had to jump out of a moving car; the customer had swerved onto a side street, away from the motel I had indicated. Fortunately, he was not driving very fast, so I sustained only minor scrapes and bruises.

There were other lessons I had to learn, including how to get along with the other girls on the street. I was working free-lance, which is not the usual way for ladies who are streetwalkers. I soon discovered the other working girls were pressured by their pimps to recruit for their “stables”. Since I was not interested in working for a pimp, I learned to be friendly with other girls while keeping my distance.

So much to learn, to absorb: and it was tremendously exciting. However, not all of of my experiences as a streetwalker have been exciting – this includes the times I have been arrested (for “public nuisance” as well as prostitution); this is a situation which induces feelings of shock, fear, and humilation. Since prostitution is illegal in the U.S. (except for certain designated counties in the state of Nevada), if you’re going to work as a hooker, then you always have to be on your guard in case of arrest. I will relate this experience in my next article.”

Read Full Post »

The IUSW (International Union of Sex Workers) have issued a public statement regarding the recent events in Shipley, Bradford. The IUSW will also be shortly writing to the Prime Minister and other government ministers asking for a review of the bad laws that target sex workers and force them to work in dangerous situations with often very tragic consequences.

PRESS RELEASE
28 May 2010
The IUSW and GMB sex workers’ branch call to prioritise safety in the wake of the Bradford murders.

The recent murders in Bradford have highlighted once more the human tragedy that results from laws that discount sex workers’ safety.

The International Union of Sex Workers released this statement:

An inherent contradiction between prosecution and protection.

There is an inherent contradiction between the police role of prosecution and protection, Street sex workers have faced additional criminalisation in the Policing and Crime Act 2009 (which defined persistent soliciting as more than twice in three months and removed the requirement for persistence by kerb crawlers); indoor sex workers are also more vulnerable as a result of premises closure orders. Bradford Police have acknowledged they have been using the full range of the law against women working onstreet – arrests, ASBOs and kerb crawling crackdowns.

Increased enforcement

endangers sex workers. It does not add to the options and support available, but increases antagonism and distrust between street workers and police. Those deterred by knowledge of police campaigns against kerb-crawlers are the most law-abiding; such campaigns do nothing to affect the behaviour of those intending to assault, rape, abduct, rob, or kill, who will not be prevented by the prospect of a fine for kerb-crawling.

Greater fear of the police

and a smaller number of clients does nothing to reduce the amount of money the women need, so street sex workers are more likely to interact with those they would otherwise avoid, cut prices in order to secure a client, take greater risks and engage in activities they would prefer to avoid, including sex without a condom.

Greater desperation

leads women to work in more isolated locations (further from other sex workers) and to go with clients without negotiation as they have no time to assess potential clients or agree prices, boundaries, safe sex and other limits. Women are more likely to find themselves in a situation they would have declined with more time to make a decision.

the cost to communities

Sex workers pay the price most directly for this failure, at worst in tragedies like that currently playing out in Bradford, but communities also suffer the consequences of damaging and futile law enforcement.
Kerb crawling crackdowns result in:

• sex workers’ dispersal over a wider area
• sex workers are more likely to approach passersby in search of business,
• more aggressive competition to attract clients and between sex workers
and
• longer hours onstreet needed to generate the same amount of money
All of which not only harm women selling sex but increase impact on communities. In addition, women revert to other forms of crime as a way to make up the money that cannot be earned from sex work.

failed legislation

The Street Offences Act 1959 has had more than fifty years to demonstrate beneficial effects; the Sexual Offences Act 1985, which criminalises kerb crawling, more than twenty five. If this legal approach was going to solve the problems associated with street prostitution, it would have worked by now. Yet, rather than listen to the voices of projects that provide frontline services to women onstreet and to sex workers themselves, the Policing and Crime Act brought in “more of the same”.

putting safety first

The law endangers us, but it doesn’t have to be this way. In Liverpool, specialist service the Armistead Project and Merseyside Police have worked together, and crime against sex workers is treated initially as hate crime. Armistead have built trust with sex workers to increase reporting of crimes against them. The results speak for themselves – a 67% conviction for rape and 90% of cases for violence against sex workers that went to court during 2005 to end March 2009 resulted in convictions.

The IUSW campaigns for these policies to be adopted nationwide.

To contact the IUSW call 07772 638748.

To contact the UKNSWP call 07957 978018.

Notes:

The International Union of Sex Workers is the only UK organisation of individuals themselves working in the sex industry. We campaign for human, civil and labour rights, and the full protection of the law for everyone who works in the sex industry and for the inclusion of sex workers in decisions which will affect our rights and safety. The IUSW offers a unique source of expertise and experience from people who see the reality of the industry day to day.

The UK Network of Sex Work Projects (UKNSWP)

is the umbrella body for nearly 70 frontline services across the UK, including Bradford and Huddersfield. http://uknswp.org/

Read Full Post »

Read Full Post »

More daughters, sisters, girlfriends, wives and mothers taken before their time.

These girls were a target, not just because they were prostitutes, but specifically because they were street girls.

Any self respecting psychopath knows that if you want to go on a killing spree, you look amongst society’s lost folk for victims. If you’re looking for women to kill, then the obvious thing to do is find street prostitutes.

Why?

Because what they do is illegal, so they will hide themselves away. Out of sight, out of mind.

Maybe our hypothetical psychopath will strike it lucky, maybe his victim will be a runaway, homeless on the street and selling herself. If she has no home to go to, then she won’t be missed when she doesn’t return. Maybe, if he’s really lucky, she will have a drug problem as well. Maybe through her addiction she has isolated her self completely. Maybe the only person who will miss her is her dealer.

Why are these girls still out there? Making what they do illegal doesn’t stop them, it just makes them withdraw into dark places.

Why, in our enlightened society, where the AA and RAC will send a patrol at super speed to a woman on her own, where we are sent a text with details of our taxi after a night out so that we don’t get into the wrong car, are these girls left to hope for the best and fend for themselves.

Kick a little. Demand a change in the law. Not a law that drives them even further underground. A law that supports them. A law that lets them work together, in safety. The means to change their lives and get out of prostitution, if that’s what they want. Come on people… Kick a little.

Cross posted from http://www.sensuous-amanda.com/blog

Read Full Post »

Marie has kindly written a brief introduction to the Goth/Industrial scene in Los Angles.

The goth/industrial scene has a strong presence in Los Angeles. While Los Angeles has many goth/industrial events and nightclubs from which to choose, by far the best events occuring on a regular basis are RUIN Hollywood and Malediction Society, presented by LADEAD: Los Angeles Darkside under the auspices of an exceptionally talented nightclub promoter/DJ known as DJ Xian (pronounced “zeeahn”); her artistry as a DJ is highly respected and admired.

These two events take place within a sleekly elegant venue called the Monte Cristo. Situated in the bustling mid-Wilshire district, just west of downtown Los Angeles, the Monte Cristo is nestled upstairs in a modest building. Clad in sumptuous, all-black finery, you approach the entrance from the rear, climbing up and up the twisting, mysterious flights of stairs as the compelling music from within tantalizes and beckons. You part the heavy black velvet curtains at the threshold – a threshold into a world of musical magic and enchantment…

Immediately, you are enveloped by the seductive, almost erotic darkness…a deep grey slate floor, a lavishly stocked bar, plush, black velvet seating, and the focal point: the spacious and opulent dance area, lushly appointed with dark wood flooring, deep red crystal chandeliers, swirling spotlights of red, blue, and magenta, and a truly fine, state-of-the-art sound system. This beautiful dance floor is the nexus – this is where the enchantment comes to life.

RUIN Hollywood takes place on the second and fourth Saturday of each month; on these nights, you dance to the darkest, dreamiest music played by DJ Xian and DJ Baron, the fine DJ at Severance as well as another LADEAD creation, Disko.Nekro (old-school goth/deathrock): darkwave, goth, trip hop, downtempo, tribal, synthpop, and some very avant garde selections – featuring the works of artists such as Delerium, Lisa Gerrard/Dead Can Dance, Portishead, Imogen Heap, Depeche Mode, and Azam Ali/Niyaz.

Malediction Society takes place every Sunday night: get ready to cavort in the sexy darkness to the delightfully divergent musical styles: industrial, EBM, goth, synthpop, aggrotech, and elektro – featuring the music of Velvet Acid Christ, Angels And Agony, VNV Nation, Combichrist, Informatik, and Nitzer Ebb, among many others – played by DJ Xian and the equally talented and sensational DJ Amanda Jones (who also DJs at Das Bunker and Perversion).

In addition, there are special art gallery receptions which take place once a month within the dark and mysterious room just off The Main Hall, known as The Parlour. This is an intriguing, all-black room: a black chandelier with dark red, softly glowing lights, elegant black velvet seating, and walls adorned with antique mirrors and esoterica, as well as mysterious cult projections. And, very occasionally, you just might get the opportunity to savour absinthe within The Parlour while a Mistress dominates her submissives…
If there is ever a time when you are swept off your feet into a another world, RUIN Hollywood and Maledicton Society are where it takes place…

“La conformité est la mort de l’âme…” (“Conformity is the death of the soul…”)

Read Full Post »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford_and_west_yorkshire/10159300.stm

It seems that yet another woman has been found dead. Another prostitute killed by a man who felt that he could. Another woman killed because the government sends a clear message that prostitutes are not human, not women but simply disposable non people who do not deserve rights or the protection of the law. It is a dreadful vindication of government attitudes toward sex workers that yet another daughter has died because politicians refuse to accept responsibility for the bad laws that they have made and which they encourage the police to enforce. They are laws which force women to work alone and in increasingly dangerous areas to avoid arrest both for themselves and for their clients. They are laws that force women to make quick decisions and that necessity combined with forced isolation places them in danger.
It could be so different but ignorance and prejudice and the fear of troublesome headlines and the possible loss of votes are more important to politicians than decency and common sense.
A new government has been elected. Much has been made of a freedom bill that will repeal some of the most unjust legislation created by the previous Labour government. The Liberal Democratic party alone of all the political parties promised to look at the laws governing prostitution. I have looked at the legislation that has so far been announced by the new coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Despite repeated references to fairness and justice I have found nothing to indicate any positive revisiting of the legislation on prostitution.
I therefore urge all voter but especially every Tory voter and every Liberal Democrat voter to write to the home secretary Theresa May and demand that this government look at decriminalisation. Only public pressure will make things change. If the public do not demand change then women like Suzanne Blamires will continue to go missing, will continue to be murdered.
I am that sure everyone who reads this will send their condolences to Suzzanne Blamiers family. Lets work together to stop this happening.

Write or Email the home secretary and minister for women and equality Theresa May at:Rt Hon Theresa May MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 5206
Fax: 020 7219 1145
mayt@parliament.uk

Read Full Post »

This is the new press release from the ECP. Although I have posted on this case before I thought it would be good for the official ECP appraisal of this case to be put onto Harlots Parlour. The ECP (English Collective of Prostitutes) are also asking for financial support. If anyone can donate then I urge you to do so.

Congratulations once again from all at Harlots.

Victory for Claire Finch, victory for sex workers safety!

A malicious prosecution with a happy ending.

On Thursday 29 April, in Luton Crown Court, Claire Finch was found NOT GUILTY of a criminal charge of keeping a brothel. The jury, in line with public opinion, refused to criminalise Ms Finch for working together with friends from her own home for safety. Ms Finch, her friends and colleagues, her legal team and the English Collective of Prostitutes which co-ordinated the case, celebrated this victory for rights and safety.

This case is a precedent – it forges a way for sex workers to work together from premises. Thousands of women who want to protect their safety now have the possibility of a legal defence against criminal charges. Sex workers are 10 times more likely to be attacked on the street than indoors, and it is much safer to work with someone else than to work alone. Yet the law expressly forbids this – two or more women working together are classified as a brothel.

Following the decision of the court, all pending prosecutions of women working together without force or coercion must now be dropped. Parliament must now look to decriminalise as New Zealand did successfully nearly seven years ago, improving women’s safety without increasing prostitution.

The case

This victory follows 36 years of campaigning by the ECP and, more recently, the Safety First Coalition we co-ordinate, and thousands of cases we have helped with over that time. It is also an expression of a massive anti-rape movement spearheaded by Women Against Rape, which has established that every woman deserves protection, regardless of her occupation or relationship to her attacker.

Winning also took determination, access to experienced and accountable lawyers, attention to detail, and a jury which reflected what we have known for some time – that most people are now more concerned with safety than with prejudice. .

The prosecution barrister, Samantha Cohen, claimed that under the law Ms Finch’s home was a brothel because more than one woman was offering sexual services. She implied that Ms Finch was greedy and lazy, and suggested that she could instead have worked as a “secretary, beautician, shop assistant or chef”. She seemed oblivious to the recession that is throwing thousands of people out of work, and of the irony of a woman on a comfortable professional wage giving glib career advice to a mother-of-two struggling to pay her mortgage. Her suggestions of other security measures, such as employing a receptionist, showed her ignorance given that a number women in central London who work in exactly that way are facing threats of prosecution.

The jury heard from Ms Finch, that she worked from her home collectively with friends, providing massage with a happy ending. There were always two women in the house for safety. Supportive neighbours gave evidence that they were aware of what Ms Finch did for a living, and that she was considered a caring, respected and much loved member of their community.

The court was told that there had been nearly 20,000 sexual and other violent attacks reported against women in Bedfordshire during the past five years. 18 sex workers had reported being attacked – a figure likely to be very conservative as most women do not report for fear of being prosecuted instead of their attackers.

Summing up, Anna Morris, the defence barrister told the jury that the brothel-keeping laws under which Ms Finch was being prosecuted, were introduced in 1956 when it was still unlawful for men to have sex with each other and when rape in marriage was not legally recognised as a crime. She said that nowadays, “. . . parliament is struggling to keep up with modern morality . . . women who chose to sell sexual services want to be able to do so safely. . . In reality, it was a collective of mature women, sharing work and finances, working in a way that was necessary to protect themselves, not working alone or on the streets or in a way that may expose them to serious violence.”

In directing the jury, Judge Mensah outlined that if they found Ms Finch was the keeper of a brothel they could consider the defence of duress of circumstances: that she was compelled to work with other women for fear of assault if she worked alone.

Ms Finch should never have been prosecuted

This malicious prosecution was motivated by the moral crusade which resulted in the passing of anti-prostitution clauses in the Policing and Crime Act (PCA). The PCA has increased criminalisation driving the sex industry further underground and women into more danger.

It was also motivated by financial incentives. Proceeds of Crime legislation allows police to keep money and assets resulting from raids. The police raid on Ms Finch’s home was lead by Kempston Economic Unit. 90% of her police interview was focussed on what income and assets she had.

Whilst this case is a very significant breakthrough, it should never have been brought to court. Ms Finch commented:

“My family and I have been through 16 months of distress with the fear of a criminal conviction and possible prison sentence hanging over me. In this case it had a happy ending but charges should never have been brought. I thank the ECP, which co-ordinated my campaign, from the bottom of my heart. They found me lawyers, helped prepare my defence and stuck with me throughout. Together we intend to press for this bad law to be abolished.”

Cari Mitchell, ECP commented:

“This landmark decision strengthens other women facing similar prosecutions. Like Ms Finch, many women now facing prosecution are mothers supporting families. At a time of economic crisis and brutal cuts in welfare and resources, women, whether they work on the street or in premises, should not be criminalised for trying to survive.
We note the deafening silence from so-called feminists who enhanced their careers by pushing through repressive legislation against sex workers, and have nothing to say about prostitute women’s safety and rights.”

Defending cases like this cost money.
The ECP relies on unwaged volunteers. Travel and other expenses have to be covered from donations. Ten other prosecutions are currently in the pipeline. All need the detailed and consistent work that this case required in order to win it. If you need our help or support our work, please donate what you can afford by cheque or through our website, to ensure that we can continue.

020 7482 2496, ecp@allwomencount.net, http://www.prostitutescollective.net

Read Full Post »

The problem with radical feminism is that it does not listen and refuses women the right to make up their own minds on how they want to use their bodies. I could write more but this You Tube video speaks for itself. I also just love the expression body autonomy. It does very simply sum up what pro sex feminists and free thinking human beings are fighting for.

Read Full Post »

http://stephenpaterson.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/an-open-letter-to-theresa-may/#comment-149

For those of you who do not know Stephen Paterson writes for An Anthology of British Pros. It is a blog that deals with specifics regarding research and legalities around sex work. He has written a most inspiring open letter to the new home secretary Theresa May. I would recommend everyone to read it.

I hope that British sex worker activist groups such such as the IUSW (International Union of Sex Workers) and the ECP (English Collective of Prostitutes) are equally inspired and also write to Theresa May in the hope of begining a new and productive dialogue.

The previous government did so much harm. I hope that this new government will at least begin a conversation that may lead to positive changes in the law for sex workers.

Read Full Post »