Change the Picture
It is estimated that in the UK more than 80,000 women are involved in prostitution.
In this country around half began their involvement in prostitution beforetheir 18th birthday. Some studies suggest that the figure may be closer to 75%.
The mortality rate for women in street prostitution in London equals twelve times the national average. In the UK as many as 90 sex workers have been murdered in the last 12 years and have been shown to be by far the most at risk female group for homicide.
Over 80 percent of women involved in street prostitution suffer violence, compared to 48 percent of women in off-street prostitution.
Rarely do they choose a life on the streets; they are usually forced by drug addiction and a history of physical, sexual and mental abuse. In one survey over half the women said they did not like prostitution; only 13 percent said they were “fairly happy” and more than half had experienced violence.
Street prostitution is a dangerous occupation. The women make instant judgments and take enormous risks, often trying to earn enough money to combat drugs cravings.
95% of women sex workers are believed to be addicted to drugs according to the Home Office.
70% of prostitutes (and their children) are believed to have been in care at some point in their lives.
These women, are for the most part hidden, they receive little notice or attention in the press and this coupled with their disconnected lives compounds the risks they face and their isolation.
There is a need for a holistic approach to tackle the multiplicity of issues that affect these women if we want to assist them to achieve a long-term sustainable change in their lives.
Problems caused by a sex 'trade'
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Prostitution makes victims of many of those involved in it, and of those communities in which it takes place. Key concerns include:
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The nuisance caused to neighbourhoods through noise, litter and harassment
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The impact on the neighbourhood in terms of undermining economic regeneration and neighbourhood renewal
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The advertising of prostitution, particularly through soliciting on the street and the use of prostitutes’ cards.
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The spread of sexually and drug transmitted infections
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Increasing use of the internet as a grooming/advertising medium
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Links with drug abuse / markets
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Links with criminality, including robbery
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Related violence, including serious assaults against those involved in prostitution
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The increasing stigmatisation and social exclusion of those involved in prostitution
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The abuse of children through prostitution
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The impact on their families
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People trafficking for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation
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The effect on the attitudes of men to women, and on gender equality more generally.
The aims of Change the Picture were:
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To enable the women to enjoy and express themselves and work through difficulties they face through using photography as a therapeutic tool within a safe and secure environment
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To enable the women to gain confidence in their own voices and their place within society and to be empowered to speak out about their lives, needs and the issues they face
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To enable the women to learn new creative, digital and IT skills
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To create a participatory photography workshop model for working with vulnerable and abused groups
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To research the impact and potential of photography as a therapeutic tool with vulnerable and abused women
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To distribute the research findings and workshop model within in a document that will raise awareness of photography as a therapeutic tool and encourage good practice.
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To create a body of photographic work that can be used to educate public audiences on the experiences of female sex workers in London, highlighting the obstacles faced by these vulnerable women.
Click here to read a Guardian article about the work of U-Turn and the PhotoVoice project.
Click here to read an article from the Big Issue about the project.
Further Reading
Paying the Price - Home Office
Streets Apart: Outdoor Prostitusion in London