The protection of working girls
Prostitution is legal. Paying for sex and kerb-crawing isn't. In most cases, when a punter is arrested he is taken away by the police, whereas the girl is left alone and vulnerable on the streets
A lot of police initiatives boast about lowering prostitution in their area, by convicting prostitutes or moving them on.
A few mention rehabilitation centers for the prostitutes
But none I looked at spoke of initiatives especially designed to help the girls themselves. Somewhere they can turn to, to report mistreatment or abuse. Somewhere they won't be judged, only given the untmost protection. A lot of girls are scared to report crimes against them for fear of getting into trouble by the police, or getting into even worse trouble by the pimps/punters they reported. They need to trust that they will be given the respect and protection they need. A safe place to go, and the knowledge that the abusers are being dealt with accordingly.
There are already an unknown number of rehabilitation centres and safe-houses around Britain, and people who want to help. But these places have to remain top secret for fear of violence if the word gets out. Another reason why proper protection is so needed. They need to ensure that the girls can get in contact with these places safetly without the fear of getting hurt, or worse...
The more protection that's given to prostitutes, the more who will feel safe coming forward to the police and the more violent crime within prostitution can be stamped out. And with safer pathways to the rehabilitation centres and medical help, the better the chances of them getting out of prostitution and their lives on track.
Phewww...rant over
Here's a (fuzzy) photo of my (messy) London deskspace. New house, wooo!
