Migrant Workers in the UK Sex Industry

Lead Research Organisation: London Metropolitan University
Department Name: ISET

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
 
Title Normal - Real Stories from the Sex Industry 
Description Normal is a 48min artistic documentary that brings the real life stories of male, female and transgender migrants working in the sex industry to the screen. Drawing on original interviews with people working in the sex industry in Albania, Italy and the UK, documentary director and anthropologist Nicola Mai reveals their unheard voices. In Tirana we meet Besnik, an Albanian young man who uses violence to stop his women getting under his skin. In Rome, Catalin is a Romanian minor selling sex to other men as it's the best job he's ever had. Having used violence in the past, Adrian, a Romanian young man, now respects his working girl to keep himself safe and out of jail. In London there's Candy, a Romanian young woman who loves her trafficker to the point of getting convicted for controlling. Alina, a Moldovan woman, decides to work independently in the UK sex industry after having been trafficked. We also meet Cynthia, a transgender woman selling sex to feed her estranged family while waiting to fix her papers. These voices often go against the grain of popular expectations that most migrant sex workers are exploited and forced to sell sex against their will. Confronting these attitudes, Normal uncovers a layered, human story of migration and sex work. What we hear are unexpected, disturbing, sometimes moving and often contradictory life stories. The viewer is continually challenged by the truth of their words, their dreams and the lives that they lead. All the characters are portrayed by actors, guaranteeing the anonymity and safety of the original interviewees and emphasizing the inherently performative nature of selves. By choosing to narrate the histories of 'imperfect' victims and villains and by using actors to embody real research interviews and ethnographic settings, Normal also questions humanitarian and scientific notions of authenticity. 
Type Of Art Film/Video/Animation 
Year Produced 2011 
Impact Mai's film 'Normal' is informed by the combined findings of Mai's research and was selected at the Raindance International Film Festival 2012. It was screened at several projects and events of the UKNSWP, as well as at a range of national and international academic, policymaking and activist settings. The film has been regularly included in syllabi of teaching modules in Criminology, Gender and Sexuality, Public Health, Anthropology and Sociology at several UK (Leeds, LSE, LSHTM) and international (Paris - EHESS, Nijmegen - Radboud, Columbia University, NY) universities and has impacted on the training of prospective practitioners and policymakers. It has been seen as helping sex workers to 'voice their own experiences of migrating to the UK' (Open Doors director) and 'helping break down stereotypes' (ECP) while project practitioners have seen it as 'an important resource to inform their partner agencies and the general public about migrant sex work' (UKNSWP representative). 
URL https://vimeo.com/69792536
 
Description - the large majority of interviewed migrant workers in the UK sex industry are not forced nor trafficked,



- immigration status is by far the most important factor restricting their ability to exercise their rights in their professional and private lives,



- working in the sex industry is often a way for migrants to avoid the unrewarding and sometimes exploitative conditions they meet in non-sexual jobs.



- by working in the sex industry, many interviewees are able to maintain dignified li
Exploitation Route The research findings analysed in the report, also highlight the following possibilities for intervention:



- Supporting education and training as well as combating youth unemployment both in the countries of origin and in the UK, in order to offer migrants a wider range of skills and choice of employment opportunities, including in the sex industry, if they so wish,



- Offering free or subsidised language courses to help migrants negotiate better terms for themselves in their professional a
Sectors Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Healthcare
URL http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/research-units/iset/projects/esrc-migrant-workers.cfm
 
Description The research informed and shifted public policies and media debates towards a distinction between migrants' involvement in the sex industry and trafficking (i.e. see Guardian article by Nick Davies on 'Prostitution and trafficking - the anatomy of a moral panic', 20 October 2009). The ECP (English Collective of Prostitutes) used the research in their campaign against the 2009 Policing and Crime Act and 'the increased criminalization of sex workers and the closures of premises justified in the name of clamping down on trafficking'. Following the launch of the research findings, Mai was consulted by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) during the preparation of the 'Setting the Record' report, so far the only official police quantification of sex trafficking in England and Wales, confirming that only a minority of migrant sex workers are trafficked. The findings were presented at the ACPO 2010 and at two of the UKNSWP (UK Network of Sex Work Projects) yearly national conferences in 2009 and 2010. The research completed a tradition of participative and ethnographic research engaging sex workers directly in identifying their needs and priorities. It has 'directly informed policy development at a national level and informed support service practice across the UK' (UKNSWP representative) and was pivotal in producing a forceful impact on current UK government guidelines and strategies on trafficking, which are now separate from those on prostitution and acknowledge that a minority of migrants working in the sex industry are trafficked. The findings of the research inform the influential 2012 report 'Silence on Violence' on the violence experienced by sex workers in London and on the way anti-trafficking campaigns exacerbated their vulnerability. The report was authored by a London GLA member, according to whom Mai's research 'helps both quantify and qualify' the 'options and choices open to trafficked people' and provided 'invaluable' insight in an area characterised by 'little data'. Mai's film 'Normal' (2012) is informed by the ESRC project's research findings and was selected at the Raindance International Film Festival 2012. It was screened at several projects and events of the UKNSWP, as well as at a range of national and international academic, policymaking and activist settings. The film has been regularly included in syllabi of teaching modules in Criminology, Gender and Sexuality, Public Health, Anthropology and Sociology at several UK (Leeds, LSE, LSHTM) and international (Paris - EHESS, Nijmegen - Radboud) universities and has impacted on the training of prospective practitioners and policymakers. It has been seen as helping sex workers to 'voice their own experiences of migrating to the UK' (Open Doors director) and 'helping break down stereotypes' (ECP) while project practitioners have seen it as 'an important resource to inform their partner agencies and the general public about migrant sex work' (UKNSWP representative). The ESRC research impacted directly on public debates and policymaking. It informed the parliamentary debates of the Policing and Crime Bill 2009 and several news items, including: three BBC programmes (Newsnight, BBC London News and London Politics Show); the Economist's advertising campaign in Winter 2011; two articles in the Guardian; two articles in Metro; one article in the Evening Standard, the Hackney Gazette, the Islington Informer, the Herald Scotland (Glasgow) and the Telegraph, and over 100 mentions in internet based newspapers and policymaking websites. They are also mentioned in at least 30 internet based UK and international newspapers - the list can be made available on request. In April 2013 Mai was interviewed by Danish TV in the context of a national debate on the criminalisation of sex work and by 'Information' and other national Danish newspapers. The following is a selection of the main UK and international media items through which Mai's research impacted on public debates: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/oct/20/trafficking-numbers-women-exaggerated http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/25/catherine-bennett-prostitution-trafficking http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15522279 http://www.standard.co.uk/news/majority-of-sex-workers-not-forced-or-trafficked-6362420.html http://metro.co.uk/2011/10/31/prostitutes-believe-selling-sex-beats-doing-a-menial-job-study-202607/ http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/7625#.UnEVZBZ4G2w http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/crime-courts/is-there-really-a-sex-trafficking-epidemic.15396708 http://www.information.dk/456280 (in Danish) http://www.information.dk/457129 (in Danish)
First Year Of Impact 2009
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education
Impact Types Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services
 
Description A*MIDEX RISING STAR PROGRAMME
Amount € 360,000 (EUR)
Organisation Aix-Marseille University 
Sector Academic/University
Country France
Start 01/2014 
End 12/2015
 
Description valuation of the Services Offered to Migrant Sex Workers in Haringey 
Organisation Haringey Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Haringey Council's Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) commissioned ISET (The Institute for the Study of European Transformation at London Metropolitan University) to explore the extent or otherwise to which female migrant sex workers were 'trafficked' in the London boroughs of Haringey and Enfield and to make recommendations as to the most effective model to identify and respond to the needs of migrant women working in the off-street (saunas, massage parlours, brothels, etc.) sex industry operating in the two boroughs. The project was built onto the existing sex workers project SHOC (Sexual Health On Call), which serves the boroughs of Haringey and Enfield. The evaluation was funded by the Migrant Impact Fund (MIF). The key objectives of the evaluation are to: 1. Conduct a literature review of other projects that have successfully worked with this group of women. 2. Gain a better understanding of the profile of sex workers working in Haringey, and the differences between those who engage with services and those who do not. 3. Assess whether there is a cost benefit to the NHS for funding a specific scheme for migrant sex workers. 4. Assess the effectiveness of the support offered by SHOC against the MIF project objectives. 5. Identify sex workers health (including drug and alcohol use), social, psychological needs. 6. Identify unmet need and gaps in services. 7. Obtain information about how women came to be working in Haringey. 8. Obtain information about women who are trafficked and then accommodated in Haringey.
Collaborator Contribution The evaluation met its objectives by adopting the following methodologies: • 1 literary review of projects offering existing services to migrant sex workers and other associated literature. • 30 semi-structured in-depth interviews with female migrant sex workers. • The evaluation adopted a participatory community-based approach, by training one SHOC project worker and by training and employing as peer researchers 2 female sex workers, one British and the other belonging to one of the most significant national groups involved in sex work in Haringey (Lithuania). We also employed a fourth researcher with specific experience of qualitative interviewing and ethnographic observation in the context of the sex industry. At the beginning of the project, the evaluators meet with SHOC outreach and support staff to consult with them about their understandings of the issues and support needs of migrant sex workers. The Manager of SHOC was also interviewed. The evaluation team is composed of Dr Nick Mai, the evaluation co-ordinator, and Rosie Campbell, consultant researcher. All of the researchers contributed to the analysis of the findings by commenting on specific interviews and on the final report.
Impact The results of the evaluation were used by the council and by SHOC to develop their activities. they were summarised in a report which was made available online on the ESRC's project webpage at LMU: https://metranet.londonmet.ac.uk/research-units/iset/projects/esrc-migrant-workers.cfm
Start Year 2011
 
Description Dissemination of research findings 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The research informed and shifted public policies and media debates towards a distinction between migrants' involvement in the sex industry and trafficking (i.e. see Guardian article by Nick Davies on 'Prostitution and trafficking - the anatomy of a moral panic', 20 October 2009). The ESRC research impacted directly on public debates and policymaking. It informed the parliamentary debates of the Policing and Crime Bill 2009 and several news items, including: three BBC programmes (Newsnight, BBC London News and London Politics Show); the Economist's advertising campaign in Winter 2011; two articles in the Guardian; two articles in Metro; one article in the Evening Standard, the Hackney Gazette, the Islington Informer, the Herald Scotland (Glasgow) and the Telegraph, and over 100 mentions in internet based newspapers and policymaking websites. They are also mentioned in at least 30 internet based UK and international newspapers - the list can be made available on request. In April 2013 Mai was interviewed by Danish TV in the context of a national debate on the criminalisation of sex work and by 'Information' and other national Danish newspapers. The following is a selection of the main UK and international media items through which Mai's research impacted on public debates:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/oct/20/trafficking-numbers-women-exaggerated
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/25/catherine-bennett-prostitution-trafficking
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15522279
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/majority-of-sex-workers-not-forced-or-trafficked-6362420.html
http://metro.co.uk/2011/10/31/prostitutes-believe-selling-sex-beats-doing-a-menial-job-study-202607/
http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/7625#.UnEVZBZ4G2w
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/crime-courts/is-there-really-a-sex-trafficking-epidemic.15396708
http://www.information.dk/456280 (in Danish)
http://www.information.dk/457129 (in Danish)


The English Collective of Prostitutes used the research in their campaign against the 2009 Policing and Crime Act and 'the increased criminalization of sex workers and the closures of premises justified in the name of clamping down on trafficking'. Following the launch of the research findings, Mai was consulted by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) during the preparation of the 'Setting the Record' report, so far the only official police quantification of sex trafficking in England and Wales, confirming that only a minority of migrant sex workers are trafficked. The findings were presented at the ACPO 2010 and at two of the UKNSWP yearly national conferences in 2009 and 2010. The research completed a tradition of participative and ethnographic research engaging sex workers directly in identifying their needs and priorities. It has 'directly informed policy development at a national level and informed support service practice across the UK' (UKNSWP representative) and was pivotal in producing a forceful impact on current UK government guidelines and strategies on trafficking, which are now separate from those on prostitution and acknowledge that a minority of migrants working in the sex industry are trafficked. The findings of the research inform the influential 2012 report 'Silence on Violence' on the violence experienced by sex workers in London and on the way anti-trafficking campaigns exacerbated their vulnerability. The report was authored by a London GLA member, according to whom Mai's research 'helps both quantify and qualify' the 'options and choices open to trafficked people' and provided 'invaluable' insight in an area characterised by 'little data'.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014
URL https://metranet.londonmet.ac.uk/research-units/iset/projects/esrc-migrant-workers.cfm
 
Description In whose name? : migration and trafficking in the UK sex industry : delivering social interventions between myths and reality 
Form Of Engagement Activity Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Type Of Presentation keynote/invited speaker
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Dr Nick Mai was been awarded funding to hold a public event on 31 October at Londonmet as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2011.

The Festival objectives are to celebrate the diversity of ESRC research by promoting and increasing awareness of ESRC and social science, and its impact on UK society and increase public awareness, understanding and engagement with social science amongst the UK population, in particular the public and young people.

RES-622-26-367


A press release was circulated and several media items resulted.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012
URL https://metranet.londonmet.ac.uk/fms/MRSite/Research/iset/Nick%20Mai/In%20Whose%20Name_Findings%20Re...