News

December 2018

Event hosted by members of the East London project team to discuss the Health impacts of the criminalisation of sex work.

Event date: December 12th 2018 12.30-15.00 GMT

Download the Health Impacts of Sex Work Criminalisation Review_Policy brief pdf

Paper available at PLOS Medicine: Associations between sex work laws and sex workers’ health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative and qualitative studies

Listen and ask questions via live-stream video link: https://panopto.lshtm.ac.uk/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=007851e6-a675-47dd-a67b-5e386a44900a

Speakers include: Dr Lucy Platt (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Luca Stevenson (International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe), Katherine Footer (John Hopkins University), Peninah Mwangi (Chief Executive of the Kenya-based organisation Bar Hostess Empowerment and support Programme and co-author of the review), Dr Raven Bowen (Chief Executive of the UK-based organisation National Ugly Mugs), Dr Mirna Guha (Anglia Ruskin University).

Only the presenters and presentations will be on the livestream (not the audience). The event is open to media.

Description:

The event is timed to coincide with the upcoming publication of a systematic review in PLOS Medicine of the public health evidence on the impacts and pathways in which sex work laws and police enforcement practices affect sex workers’ safety, health and access to services. Dr Lucy Platt will present findings from the review on behalf of the co-authors (Lucy Platt, Pippa Grenfell, Rebecca Meiksin, Jocelyn Elmes, Susan Sherman, Teela Sanders, Peninah Mwangi and Anna-Louise Crago).

Luca Stevenson (International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe) will present evidence on how sex work laws affect sex workers’ health in France where the purchase of sex is criminalised. Katherine Footer (John Hopkins University) will present findings from Baltimore, US – where all aspects of sex work are criminalised – on how policing affects the health and welfare of trans women working in sex work.

Peninah Mwangi, Chief Executive of the Kenya-based organisation Bar Hostess Empowerment and support Programme and co-author of the review will talk about how her organisation advocates for sex workers in the criminal justice system and works to reduce violence and discrimination against sex workers. Dr Raven Bowen, Chief Executive of the UK-based organisation National Ugly Mugs, will talk about their work to reduce violence by raising awareness of dangerous clients and assisting individuals to bring about prosecutions. Dr Mirna Guha from Anglia Ruskin University will draw on her research in India to discuss how women experience and navigate ‘everyday’ violence and power inequalities in social relations within and outside sex work.

Chair: Dr Joanna Busza, Director, Centre for Evaluation and Associate Professor in Sexual & Reproductive Health.

Schedule for event [time in recording speaker starts]:

12.30 Lunch and registration

12.55 Introduction (Pippa Grenfell) [Panopto recording starts]

13.00 Presentations on health impacts of criminalisation (Lucy Platt [start 7m20s], Sarah Dorman [21m50s], Katherine Footer [27m40s])

13.45 Discussion [42m00]

14.00 Presentations on sex workers’ experiences of violence, safety and accessing justice (Peninah Mwangi [1h9m00s], Raven Bowen [1h24m30s], Mirna Guha [1h38m25s])

14.45 Discussion [1h53m00s]

15.00 End [2h07m10s]

Link to LSHTM page https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2018/criminalisation-and-repressive-policing-sex-work-linked-increased-risk

November 2018

Are you a sex worker working in Hackney, Newham or Tower Hamlets?

Would you like to take part in research about how laws and policing affect sex workers’ safety, health and access to services?

We’re a group of researchers led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, including people with current or former experience of sex work or working with sex workers, working in collaboration with Open Doors (an NHS sex worker support service) and National Ugly Mugs to find out how removing sex work-related police enforcement could affect sex workers’ safety, health and access to services. The results will be used to fight for laws, policies and services that protect sex workers’ safety, health and rights, across London and the UK.

You can read more about the research here: http://eastlondonproject.lshtm.ac.uk/

Ready to take part? Have a unique enrolment key? You can complete a confidential online questionnaire here: https://text4health.lshtm.ac.uk/trials/UI/public_htm/east_london_project/Passcode.aspx

Or email us for your unique enrolment key: elp@lshtm.ac.uk or jocelyn.eastlondonproject@gmail.com

The questionnaire is completely confidential and you do not need to give your name or contact details if you do not want to. We will give you £20 (paypal or amazon voucher) to thank you for taking part and you can access free HIV, Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea testing (and we link you into treatment if necessary).

The questionnaire asks about your experiences of police enforcement, how your sex work is organised, contact with outreach services, your physical, mental and sexual health and housing and financial situation.

Some questions may be difficult to answer and you don’t have to answer any questions you do not want to. If you like, we can also put you in touch with organisations that provide support on safety, health and rights.

September 2018

The East London Project – Important UK Research

Recruitment for the surveys has started! We want to hear from you!

The East London Project is a research project looking at how removing sex work-related police enforcement could affect sex workers’ safety, health and access to services. The results will be used to fight for laws, policies and services that protect sex workers’ safety, health and rights, across London and the UK.

The team: we are a group of researchers led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, including current and former sex workers, working in collaboration with Open Doors (an NHS sex worker support service) and National Ugly Mugs. You can read more about the research here: http://eastlondonproject.lshtm.ac.uk/

Who: If you are a sex worker, working in Hackney, Newham or Tower Hamlets, we would value your participation.

How: We are asking people to take part in a survey online, or on a tablet computer with a member of our research team. All information is treated as strictly confidential and anonymous. We are also looking for a small number of people to participate in a separate 60-minute interview. If you’re interested in taking part in either the survey or interview, please contact elp@lshtm.ac.uk

Benefits: We will give you £20 to thank you for taking part. We will also offer you free and confidential testing (online or in-person) for HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and access to treatment if needed. We will give you information about organisations that provide support on safety, health and rights, and we can put you in contact with them if you want.

August 2018

A new publication from members of the East London Project team!

Pippa Grenfell, Lucy Platt and Luca Stevenson’s chapter “Examining and Challenging the Everyday Power Relations of Sex Workers’ Health” was published this month in “Realising Justice for Sex Workers: An Agenda for Change” edited by Sharron A. FitzGerald and Kathryn McGarry. The book can be bought online from the publishers, Rowman and Littlefield, but the chapter is freely available for download online via LSTHM here.

November 2017

The qualitative study (component A) is underway. We’ve started accompanying Open Doors on outreach, attending clinics and drop-ins, and getting in touch with people online, which have been great ways to meet people working in the boroughs. We have begun interviewing but we are still looking for more people to take part, so please do get in touch if you’re interested in participating: contact us. You can check your eligibility here . And look out for upcoming tweets from us @EastLdnProject