MURDER OF SEX WORKERS

I am a former sex worker and now author of a book about my journey. Each time a sex worker is murdered I get an alert on Google. I feel the loss personally but also feel helpless and wish I could do more. Part of my motivation for writing my book was so that if just one person took a more positive life choice after reading about all my mistakes my experiences would not be wasted.

It is not my role to speak on behalf of all working girls either, my opinions are my own based on several years in the industry working at all levels from the streets, to the saunas and as a high-class escort and eventually madam. I've also spent four years as a media specialist which has allowed me access to many organisations including, police, Government and outside agencies who have all helped shape my opinion based on their own findings.

I estimate in the last 10 years there are around 75 missing or murdered unsolved crimes against sex workers. I have strong opinions on the way the media deals with murder in a way it is desensitised by the sensationalised headlines that also serve to put off potential witnesses.

A lot of the problems of street prostitution are at grass root level. Currently the majority of street workers are hooked on heroin, some have housing and benefit problems others childcare. These are all things that can be assited with - in my opinion with the integration of various agencies and a scheme that could be developed not dissimilar to the prolific offenders scheme,. Under the current system we use ASBOS to lock up these women (many of who are mothers) and or give them fines which only serve to chain them to the streets further! Under ASBOS we are naming and shaming the women and criminalising them which was not suppose to be the aim of the new paper paying the price. There are many working girls of all price brackets now available and therefore the clients who use street girls are either:

Looking for a cheap / seedy thrill or experience similar to the psychology behind 'dogging'

Seeking an under-age child

Searching for women who will do sex unprotected

Or worst of all they have a more ulterior, sinister motive such as mutilation, assault, rape or even murder.

Therefore it is my opinion it is these clients who need to be hounded not the girls for surely if there was no demand for street girls the girls would have to find other ways of earning. This is not a view all in the industry share many think tolerated zones are the answer but I have my own ideas on those.

There are two types of serial killer that kill working girls, those who wish to kill prostitutes and those who wish to kill but use a vulnerable sex worker as first accessible victim. We live in a country that now (following the US) values all forms of notoriety - it is my belief that the glorification of serial killers to almost cult-status in this country has not helped; since the media frenzy the body count keeps rising, this isn’t an opportunist - this is someone out for 'glory'.

Don't believe for a minute that the English Collective of Prostitutes is an unbiased unpolitical organisation that represents the views of all working girls. I don’t hold or share the majority of their beliefs and don't feel attacking the Government is the way forward. Although I don’t want to be seen causing "in-fighting" it has to be said that if your programme is to use their voice ask yourself these questions: How do they know what working women want - how many in the industry have they actually spoken to and when and how exactly? I owned a string of parlours and never once did they encourage anyone who worked with me or anyone I knew in the industry to contribute to any of their London based meetings or debate.

I feel totally devasted by the loss of such young and vulnerable women - something that could have been avoided if only social policy had been changed sooner. I was unfortunate enough to know personally 3 sex workers that have been murdered. The last trial I sat thru was a girl who was not only murdered but who's body was dismembered. You cannot imagine how hard it was for me not to break down hearing evidence during that trial. I also asked some awkward questions of the murder squad and subsequently discovered this particular sick-puppy had even revisited the body parts.