But it's not going away is it? It's the oldest profession in the world. The strategy is based on responses to a public consultation paper and its focus is on disrupting prostitution and preventing individuals, especially children and young people, from being drawn in.
And how we are going to do that? There are five areas: preventing entry to the profession; deterring punters; helping those involved to get out; using the law against those who are violent and tackling trafficking and commercial exploitation. Crime and disorder partnerships and the broader local strategic partnerships may well take a lead, but this will vary according to local conditions. Either way schools, youth services, health services, social services, housing and others will have a part to play.
So how is the strategy going to prevent young people entering prostitution?
At one level it is about education - challenging attitudes by helping young people understand about safe and equal relationships. Youth Matters is invoked for its assertion that young people should receive some support throughout their teenage years to negotiate issues around sex and relationships as well as drug and alcohol use, which can be both a cause and effect of sexual exploitation. This would involve updated resources on how to run suitable programmes and children's trusts are urged to ensure programmes are delivered to those missing education, not just in schools.
Surely there's a need to target the most vulnerable? Of course, and the strategy refers to training on risk factors and routes into abuse and exploitation for all relevant professionals. It also stresses that the Common Assessment Framework should be used to pick up warnings and trigger early interventions from drugs teams, youth offending teams and Connexions. Those most at risk include those not in school, runaways, those in or leaving care, those with parents involved in prostitution, those living near red-light areas and children arriving unaccompanied into the UK. Among the responses planned are community-based refuges to be provided by children's trusts wherever required, a new "protection centre" to focus work related to online grooming of children and action on the Social Exclusion Unit's recommendations to improve transitions from youth and adolescent to adult services.
What are the key ways of getting out?
The strategy highlights a range of support projects and stresses outreach is vital, as obviously many who work as prostitutes are not going to be accessing mainstream services. Support services will need to focus on improving access and a range of housing options is needed to help women at the stages of crisis intervention and stabilisation. Sexual health, mental health and education and employment support will also be necessary, delivered in a way that allows for the fact that users may be struggling to cope with chaotic lives.
FACT BOX
- 80,000 women in Britain work as prostitutes, half of whom are aged under 25
- The number of men who say they have used prostitutes has doubled over the past decade to one in 10, according to the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections
- According to The Children's Society, more than half the adults involved in prostitution first became involved while teenagers, and 70 per cent of prostitutes say they left home before the age of 16
- A Coordinated Prostitution Strategy can be found on the site
www.homeoffice.gov.uk.
