sexual exploitation

In the Booth with Ruth – Maria, Prostitution Survivor

Maria, a survivor of prostitution, who was beaten and raped while in the sex trade, bravely shares her experience proving why the Merseyside model needs to be made UK wide. She says, “I was too frightened to go to the police. The way they’d dropped me off when I was young. I had expected them to take me home, back to my mum. But they didn’t do that the first time. And there was lack of trust. You didn’t know which policemen to trust. Half the girls were being touched up by them. It was a vicious circle. There was no one to help you. It would be like you chose to do this job: get out and do it, or get a life.”

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

Maria, Prostitution Survivor

How do you feel about the police?

I’m in two minds because as far as working girls go, they have no compassion. They don’t believe them. They think the girls and women put themselves in that danger, so why should they be helped.

Have your feelings towards the police changed since exiting the sex trade?

Still the same. Nothing has changed. The system hasn’t changed and that’s from talking to other girls.

Did you ever have any dealings with the police before or after you were in the sex trade?

When I was fifteen, I went to see my friend who’d moved in with her sister. I was thrown out of the house, and found myself in Piccadilly, Manchester where I met gypsies. The police put me in this hostel. There was about one hundred and ninety women in there. I was petrified. I didn’t know what to do. I…

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In the Booth with Ruth – Jackie Summerford, Mother of Bonnie Barratt, Murdered at 24 Years Old in the Sex Trade

“The police should offer the hand of support and show understanding and compassion to the victim. But to a working girl, it’s the opposite. There wouldn’t be that kindness. With another person, they’d be sympathetic, but with working girls, they’re not. They should treat everyone the same.” Jackie Summerford, mother of Bonnie Barratt who was murdered at 24 years old in the sex trade, speaks bravely about why the Merseyside model is needed UK wide.

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

Jackie and Bonnie

How do you feel about the police?

At the time of my daughter’s murder case, I didn’t get on with them. I didn’t get on with the liaison officer because when he came to tell me about Bonnie, he was talking about Xiao Mei Guo, the lady who was selling counterfeit DVDs, and he tried to make Bonnie sound worse by talking about the other lady as if she was better, pure. We clashed there and then, after that one meeting.

How were you treated by the other police officers?

I didn’t meet the others until the actual court case. I think it was the sergeant of homicide who realised something was wrong. One of the officers always stayed outside with us, and he asked my daughter, Kelly, what was wrong with me. She explained to him that for the whole year we’d waited to go to court, the liaison…

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In the Booth with Ruth – Andrew Boff, Conservative Member of the London Assembly

Conservative Member of the London Assembly, Andrew Boff, explains why the Merseyside model – making all crimes against people in prostitution/sex workers hate crimes – is needed in London.

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

andrew-boffFrom your research of the Metropolitan Police, can you tell me how they are dealing with crimes committed against people in prostitution/sex workers? 

Some police, and indeed some boroughs and units in the MPS, are doing a great job. However unfortunately, it takes just one bad officer to disproportionately damage relations between sex workers and police.

What concerns were raised in your report?

One of the concerns in my report, Silence on Violence, was that there was consistent evidence that police had been proactively raiding sex establishments without complaints or significant intelligence that exploitation was taking place.

Can you explain how this affects people in prostitution/sex workers when a crime is committed against them?

NHS projects had noted that ‘brothel’ raids and visits had led to the displacement of sex workers away from their support networks, which led to their lives and health being at increasing risk. There is another concern – that when police…

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