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Preventing Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Changing culture by challenging demand

This project aims to address commercial sexual exploitation by exploring its extent, supporting victims, and raising awareness. It presents recommendations and actions to prevent and respond to this form of exploitation.

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Preventing Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Changing culture by challenging demand

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  1. Preventing Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Changing culture by challenging demand Helen Smart Senior Health Promotion Specialist NHS Lothian Veronica Campanile Violence Against Women Coordinator East Lothian and Midlothian Public Protection Office

  2. Overview • Aims & methods • Findings from the literature • East Lothian and Midlothian context • Recommendations & actions All images courtesy of “Inside Outside the Sex Industry” project http://www.insideoutsidescotland.info/

  3. A partnership approach VAWG, one of four strands of public protection under East Lothian and Midlothian Public Protection Committee http://emppc.org.uk/home/ Senior police officer, chair of VAWG Delivery Group, pushes for partnership position statement on Commercial Sexual Exploitation Working group convened to take forward the project with representation from NHS Lothian (Helen Smart), EMPPO (Veronica Campanile; Neil Whettam), Women’s Aid EML (Julie Watson), Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (Caroline Burrell); Police Scotland (Stuart Reid) Produced the CSE Briefing paper and Position Statement for the Critical Services Oversight Group, signed by the Chief Executives of respective councils http://emppc.org.uk/home/

  4. The project Aims • Ensure that commercial sexual exploitation is explicitly addressed in the local Violence Against Women and Girls improvement plan and strategy • Ensure adults are included along with the current focus on child sexual exploitation • Explore further, the extent of commercial sexual exploitation in local areas (e.g. scope issues and needs in East Lothian and Midlothian)

  5. Methods • Review of available evidence • Requests for information from partner organisations • On-line searches of adult entertainment sites • Interviews with women involved in the sex industry • Case studies from organisations working with women involved in the sex industry • Position statement produced, informed by data from research

  6. What is commercial sexual exploitation? Sexual exploitation can be defined as sexual activity that: ‘breaches a person’s human rights to dignity, equality, respect and physical and mental wellbeing. It becomes commercial sexual exploitation when another person, or group of people, achieves financial gain or advancement through the activity’p8 Source: COSLA/Scottish Government (2009), Safer Lives: Changed Lives, a shared approach to tackling violence against women in Scotland

  7. Defining Prostitution • A legitimate form of employment? OR • A form of gender-based violence? • An outcome of gender-inequality? • A human rights issue?

  8. The reality of commercial sexual exploitation • Poverty; welfare cuts; substance misuse; homelessness; involvement in criminal justice system • Emotional, physical, mental and sexual trauma • Sexual and physical violence

  9. Preventing commercial sexual exploitation • Legalisation • Decriminalisation • Challenging Demand • Decriminalises those exploited • Criminalises purchasers

  10. Activity in East Lothian and Midlothian No evidence of criminal activity Not visible to statutory services Limited, evidence from online adult services sites Nothing happening in East Lothian and Midlothian? Intelligence from 3rd sector suggests otherwise

  11. Service user perspectives • Women coerced by partners to provide sexual services in return for drugs • Women may not be aware of risks involved in sex work. • Lack of awareness among professionals • Increase in online platforms • Women coming forward for help with historic sexual abuse

  12. Recommendations & Actions • Support of Elected Members and Integration Joint Board members • Scoping of comprehensive trauma-informed services which support exit and provide realistic and viable alternatives to involvement in the sex industry • Explore the opportunity for providing enhanced sexual health services for vulnerable women, men and young people

  13. Recommendations & Actions • Develop the evidence base • Provide awareness-raising • Support the delivery of relationship education within the Health and Wellbeing Curriculum • Ensure all staff receive Violence Against Women and Girls awareness which includes commercial sexual exploitation

  14. Next steps • Position statement to Midlothian Council in November • to East Lothian Council and the respective Health and Social Care Partnerships at a date yet to be decided

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