In response to the news of the Durham University sex work courses, many politicians and charities got on their High Horses and proceeded to throw their toys out of their prams.
Labour MP Diane Abbott – who appears to have not read past the erroneous headlines – tweeted: “Horrific that Durham University is offering training to students who want to be sex workers part-time. Sex work is degrading, dangerous, and exploitative. Uni should have nothing to do with it.”
She totally misrepresented what the course was about. She also promotes a dangerous stereotype that all sex work is harmful and increases the stigma, putting more at risk. Maybe she has met sex workers who have been harmed, and not met those who have worked safely.
Research from 2015 by the Student Sex Work Project estimated there were five percent of students working in the sex industry. Other research put the figure at 3%, and of those only 105 of student sex workers are escorts providing intimate relationships with the clients. The other types of sex work include sending nudes or used clothing items, being a creator on sites like OnlyFans, sugar dating, phone sex, camming. The most common type of student sex work is selling intimate photos, followed by used clothes and OnlyFans,
The training done by Durham University did not place emphasis on escorting, which the media exploited. Instead much was for the staff working at universities to learn about sex workers, tackle their own misconceptions, and support students”.
Laura Watson from the English Collective of Prostitutes stated that paying for rent, food led students into sex work. Other jobs did not pay well, or were not available to them, or took too much of their time. Sex work was well paid and flexible allowing these students to concentrate on their education. Watson also countered Abbott’s comments on sex work as degrading and dangerous, by saying that this was true because the violence is caused by the criminalisation of the sex industry. Violent men know that they’re going to get away with and nothing will happen to them, because when women (engaged in selling sex) go to the police for help, they get threatened with arrest themselves.