Prostitution and Trafficking
While there is no clear legal definition of 'commercial sexual exploitation' activities that would come under this heading would include:
• Prostitution
• Lap Dancing
• Pole Dancing
• Phone sex lines
• Stripping
• Brothels
• Massage and sauna parlours
• Escort agencies
• Trafficking
• Mail order brides
• Sex tourism
• Pornography
The prostitution market and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation are driven by customer (male) demand for sexual services. This demand for sexual services contributes to the mass global trafficking of women and children to western countries to meet the needs of commercial sex industry. There are many means used by Traffickers to ensure that women are compliant and remain under their control.
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Women from at least 40 nationalities are involved in the off street sex industry in Glasgow (TARA Project)
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In 2004 the Home Office estimated that 4000 women had been trafficked to the UK for the purposes of prostitution. The End Violence Against Women campaign estimated this number to be nearer 10,000 (Eaves)
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More than half of UK women in prostitution have been raped and/or seriously assaulted and at least 75% have been physically assaulted at the hands of both pimps and punters (Home Office 2004)
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68% of women in prostitution meet the criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the same range as victims of torture and combat veterans undergoing treatment (Melissa Farley 2003)
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Between 1991 and 1998 there were 6 murders and 1 suspicious death of women involved in prostitution in Glasgow.