Silence on Violence

Description

Andrew Boff's report focuses on what the police can to do to make sex workers safer within the confines of the law. He has found evidence that sex workers are reporting fewer crimes to police and that raids have gone up in some parts of London. His recommendations include: focusing more resource on non-organised sex trafficking that takes place outside of the sex industry; including sex workers in police strategies which involve them; and prioritising crime against sex workers by labelling it as a hate crime.
 

Report


The Final Report (pdf)

Executive Summary
 

Updates

Amendment #1
Update #1 – SCD9
 

Press

Guardian – Met police sex trafficking investigations criticised
Telegraph – Prostitutes 'cleaned off the streets ahead of the Olympics'
BBC London – East London pre-Olympics prostitution arrests 'worrying'
Local Guardian series – Concern over police Olympics crackdown on sex trade
Newham Recorder – Newham sex workers arrested in run-up to Olympic Games
The Sun – Hookers 'cleaned off London's streets' ahead of Olympics
Daily Mail – Prostitutes being 'cleared from the streets' of London ahead of Olympics
LondonNet – Big Rise in East London Prostitute Arrests 'Not Related to Olympics'
Times
The Independent – How the Olympic clean-up put sex workers in danger
Metro – Andrew Boff urges hate crime ruling to protect sex workers

International

Fox sports
USA Today
Panarmenian
News.com.au
Toronto Sun
The Australian
 

Media

Report Release Video
Video of violence detailed in this report (warning: contains graphic violence)
Blog entry by Andrew Boff
 

Contacts

Andrew Boff AM
 

17 Comments to “Silence on Violence”

  • Well done on this great piece of work. It is fantastic to see such a report, based on evidence and fact rather than ideology and rhetoric….this is such an encouraging report and hopefully sex workers will see it and know that people are fighting their corner. Violence against sex workers is not an occupational hazard and needs to stop-now….

  • I hope (but doubt) this report will get all-party support. Both the laws in this area and the approaches of those responsible for enforcing them are long overdue radical reform, and it is high time that the over-zealous scattergun approach of SCD9 is seen for what it is.
    It is the Home Office and judiciaries' fault that the statutes and precedents concerning sex work are areas that law and order have to be achieved despite, rather than with the aid of.

  • Alarming to learn that sex workers are being excluded from the debate
    and are reporting less crimes against them. Also very enlightening suggestion that police emphasis on "organised criminality" is preventing them from reaching the real victims – those in closed communities. I hope this report opens the way for a more open-minded approach, and open and constructive dialogue between all parties involved.

  • […] You can read the report I submitted to the Mayor here . […]

  • Just read this report – so good to finally see some good, evidence-based research about this! In the 50s, Alan Turing reported a theft and was convicted for being gay as a result. 60 years on, prostitutes are reporting crimes against them and being arrested for living with other prostitutes. It's high time we stopped worrying about petty 'crimes' that don't harm anyone and start taking theft and rape seriously…

  • […] "The impact has been to force sex workers ever more into the shadows, and further and further away from the support mechanisms that might give them some kind of protection, and also a route out of sex work and prostitution, if that's what they choose," he said. […]

  • […] all crimes against sex workers should be treated as hate crimes. He speaks briefly here: https://glaconservatives.co.uk/campaigns/silence-on-violence and his  full report can be read […]

  • […] Sex workers are 12 times more likely to be murdered than any other women in the UK. Yet my report, Silence on Violence, found evidence that sex workers in London are increasingly less willing to report crimes against […]

  • […] Sex workers are 12 times more likely to be murdered than any other women in the UK. Yet my report, Silence on Violence, found evidence that sex workers in London are increasingly less willing to report crimes against […]

  • […] Sex workers are 12 times more likely to be murdered than any other women in the UK. Yet my report, Silence on Violence, found evidence that sex workers in London are increasingly less willing to report crimes against […]

  • […] Sex workers are 12 times more likely to be murdered than any other women in the UK. Yet my report, Silence on Violence, found evidence that sex workers in London are increasingly less willing to report crimes against […]

  • […] Sex workers are 12 times more likely to be murdered than any other women in the UK. Yet my report, Silence on Violence, found evidence that sex workers in London are increasingly less willing to report crimes against […]

  • […] Boff speaks briefly here: https://glaconservatives.co.uk/campaigns/silence-on-violence and his  full report can be read […]

  • […] all crimes against sex workers should be treated as hate crimes. Andrew Boff speaks briefly here and his  full report can be read […]

  • […] Andrew Boff speaks briefly here: SEE HERE […]

  • […] on Violence' a 2012 report by London Assembly member Andrew Boff revealed that sex workers also fear being criminalised […]

  • […] The full report can be downloaded here. […]

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