Understanding Sex Work in Brighton East

Brighton East, encompassing areas like Kemptown historically associated with the city’s nightlife and diverse communities, has a visible sex work presence, primarily street-based. This complex reality involves legal frameworks, significant safety concerns, dedicated support services, and ongoing community dialogue. This guide aims to provide factual information about the nature of sex work in this area, the legal landscape, available support, and the perspectives of those involved and affected.

Is Sex Work Legal in Brighton East?

Sex work itself (the exchange of sexual services for money between consenting adults) is not illegal in the UK, including Brighton East. However, nearly all surrounding activities are criminalised. Soliciting (offering services in a public place), kerb-crawling (seeking services from a vehicle), operating a brothel (where more than one person works), pimping, and controlling prostitution for gain are all offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and other legislation. Brighton & Hove has adopted specific approaches, notably the Managed Approach in certain central areas (though not specifically ‘East’), aiming to improve safety through tolerance zones with enhanced support, but this remains politically debated and legally complex.

What’s the difference between legal and decriminalised?

The current UK model is one of criminalisation of activities around sex work, not direct criminalisation of selling sex itself. Decriminalisation (like in New Zealand) involves removing criminal laws for both selling and buying sex between consenting adults, focusing instead on regulation for safety and combating exploitation. Legalisation often implies a state-regulated system (like licensed brothels). The UK system is neither; it’s a framework of criminalisation targeting behaviours associated with sex work, creating significant risks for workers.

What Areas in Brighton East are Known for Street Sex Work?

Historically, certain streets in the Kemptown area of Brighton East, particularly around the St James’s Street and Marine Parade vicinities, have been associated with street-based sex work. The exact locations and visibility can fluctuate due to policing priorities, displacement efforts, and the Managed Approach’s influence elsewhere in the city. Workers often operate in less visible or well-lit side streets and industrial areas late at night, seeking some privacy but increasing vulnerability.

Why do sex workers operate in specific areas like Kemptown?

Several factors contribute: historical precedent and established client knowledge, proximity to client routes (like main roads), relative seclusion compared to busier central areas, and sometimes displacement from other parts of the city due to enforcement actions. Lack of safe indoor spaces also pushes workers towards street-based work in these locations.

What are the Biggest Safety Risks for Sex Workers in Brighton East?

Street-based sex workers in Brighton East face severe and multiple safety risks. These include high risks of physical and sexual violence from clients, robbery, hate crimes, and exploitation by third parties. Working outdoors, often in isolated or poorly lit areas late at night, significantly increases vulnerability. Stigma prevents many from reporting crimes to police. Lack of access to safe indoor spaces is a fundamental safety issue. Substance use issues, often a coping mechanism for trauma or a driver for entering sex work, further compound health and safety risks.

How can sex workers stay safer?

While no method eliminates risk, strategies include: working with a buddy if possible, screening clients carefully (though difficult on street), informing someone of location/client details, carrying a personal alarm or phone, using condoms consistently, accessing support services like Safety Net for safety planning and panic alarms, and utilising healthcare services like the Claude Nicol Centre. The fundamental need, however, is for safer working environments and decriminalisation to reduce stigma and enable reporting.

Where Can Sex Workers in Brighton East Get Support?

Several key organisations provide vital support:

• Safety Net: A Brighton-based project offering outreach, advocacy, support groups, safety planning, access to healthcare, and help exiting. They are a primary point of contact.
• Claude Nicol Centre (CNC): Specialist sexual health service offering confidential STI testing, treatment, contraception, PEP/PrEP, and support for sex workers.
• Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner’s Victim Support: Can offer support to sex workers who are victims of crime, though reporting barriers remain high.
• Brighton Women’s Centre / RISE: Offer broader support for women, including counselling and advice, which may be relevant for some sex workers.
• Switchboard: Provides support for the LGBTQ+ community, including some sex workers.

What does Safety Net actually offer?

Safety Net provides outreach workers who engage with street and off-street sex workers across Brighton & Hove, including Brighton East. They offer practical support (condoms, lube, safety alarms, hot drinks), emotional support, advocacy (e.g., with housing, benefits, police), access to health services, safety planning advice, support groups, and assistance for those wishing to exit sex work. They operate on principles of harm reduction and non-judgment.

What Health Services are Available for Sex Workers in Brighton East?

The Claude Nicol Centre (CNC) is the main specialist sexual health service. They provide:

• Confidential and non-judgmental STI testing and treatment.
• HIV testing, PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).
• Contraception advice and provision.
• Cervical screening.
• Vaccinations (e.g., Hepatitis A & B).
• Support and advice on sexual health and wellbeing.
• Links to other services like drug and alcohol support or mental health services.

Safety Net also facilitates access to healthcare and provides basic health information and supplies during outreach.

Is healthcare confidential for sex workers?

Yes. Services like the Claude Nicol Centre and GP practices are bound by strict patient confidentiality rules. They will not disclose information about a patient being a sex worker or details of their consultations without explicit consent, except in extremely rare circumstances involving immediate serious risk of harm (e.g., child protection). Fear of breached confidentiality is a major barrier, but legally, services are required to protect patient privacy.

How Does the Community in Brighton East View Sex Work?

Views are highly polarised within the Brighton East community. Some residents and businesses in areas like Kemptown express significant concerns about visible street sex work, citing issues like public drug use, discarded condoms and needles, noise late at night, kerb-crawling causing traffic disruption, and general perceptions of anti-social behaviour impacting property values and community safety. Others adopt a more tolerant or supportive stance, recognising sex workers as vulnerable members of the community needing support rather than punishment, and advocating for harm reduction and decriminalisation approaches to improve safety for everyone. The debate often centres on the visibility and perceived nuisance of street sex work versus the safety and rights of the workers.

What impact does street sex work have on local residents?

Residents in affected areas report various impacts: witnessing sex work or related activities (drug use, arguments) from their homes, finding discarded condoms, needles, or other paraphernalia near their properties, experiencing kerb-crawlers driving slowly or propositioning residents mistakenly, concerns about general safety and the area’s reputation, and frustration with perceived inaction or ineffective solutions from authorities. These concerns fuel calls for increased policing or displacement, though these actions often simply move the problem and increase risks for workers.

What’s the Difference Between Street Work and Off-Street Work in Brighton East?

The primary difference is location and associated risk profile:

• Street-Based Work: Soliciting and meeting clients in public spaces (streets, parks). Highly visible, carries the highest risks of violence, exploitation, arrest for soliciting, and exposure to the elements. Predominant in areas like Kemptown. Workers have minimal control over environment or client screening.
• Off-Street Work: Includes working from private residences (own home or rented flat – though operating with others risks brothel-keeping charges), hotels (risky due to eviction), or via escorting (meeting clients at their location or hotels booked by the client/client). Generally safer than street work, allowing better client screening and control over the environment. Less visible to the public, but workers still face risks of violence, robbery, arrest (e.g., for brothel-keeping), and stigma. Much of this work is arranged online.

Why is off-street work generally safer?

Off-street work offers greater environmental control. Workers can screen clients more effectively beforehand (often online or by phone), choose the meeting location (familiar territory), have more time to assess the client upon arrival, control access to the space, and have easier access to a phone or alarm. It avoids the dangers of isolated outdoor locations late at night. However, risks of violence or robbery by clients still exist, and working alone means no immediate help is available.

What are the Police Doing About Sex Work in Brighton East?

Sussex Police operate under national legislation (Sexual Offences Act 2003) and local priorities. Their approach in Brighton East involves a complex balance:

• Enforcement: Targeting offences like kerb-crawling, controlling prostitution for gain, pimping, and exploitation (modern slavery). They may also conduct operations targeting soliciting, though the frequency and approach can vary. Disruption of street sex work through patrols and dispersal orders sometimes occurs.
• Safeguarding: Recognising sex workers as potential victims of crime (violence, exploitation). Officers receive training on vulnerability and modern slavery. They work (sometimes collaboratively, sometimes contentiously) with support services like Safety Net.
• Community Concerns: Responding to complaints from residents and businesses about anti-social behaviour, nuisance, and perceived safety issues linked to visible street sex work and kerb-crawling.

The Managed Approach in central Brighton represents a different model (prioritising safety and support over enforcement in a defined zone), but this does not formally extend to Brighton East. Policing here is more likely to involve traditional enforcement tactics, which sex workers and support services often argue displaces problems and increases danger.

Can sex workers report crimes to the police without fear?

In theory, yes, and Sussex Police encourage reporting. In practice, profound barriers exist. Many sex workers fear arrest for soliciting or other offences (like possession of drugs, which is common as a coping mechanism), distrust the police due to past negative experiences or institutional stigma, fear not being believed, worry about confidentiality breaches impacting their life (e.g., child custody), or simply see reporting as futile. Support services like Safety Net are crucial intermediaries in facilitating safer reporting pathways and advocacy.

Are There Efforts to Help Sex Workers Exit in Brighton East?

Yes, but resources are often limited and exiting is complex. Key elements involve:

• Support Services (Safety Net): Provide crucial support for those wanting to leave sex work. This includes practical help with housing, benefits, debt advice, accessing drug/alcohol treatment, mental health support referrals, training, and employment support. Building trust is essential.
• Barriers to Exiting: These are immense and include: severe financial insecurity/debt, lack of affordable housing, lack of viable employment opportunities (especially without recent work history or due to stigma), criminal records related to sex work, substance dependency, mental health issues (often trauma-related), lack of social support, and fear of violence from former controllers/clients.
• Holistic Approach Needed: Successful exiting requires addressing multiple, intertwined issues simultaneously – housing stability, income, healthcare (physical and mental), addiction support, legal advice, and social reintegration. This demands significant, sustained funding and coordinated services.

Why is exiting sex work so difficult?

Exiting sex work is rarely a simple choice. Individuals are often trapped by a combination of structural factors: poverty, lack of affordable housing, limited education/employment opportunities, past trauma, substance dependency, coercive relationships, debt, and the stigma that makes accessing mainstream support or employment incredibly challenging. Sex work, despite its dangers, may be the only perceived means of survival or supporting dependents. Overcoming this requires comprehensive, long-term support addressing all these underlying issues.

How Has Sex Work in Brighton East Changed Over Time?

The landscape has evolved significantly:

• Historical Context: Brighton, including the East, has long had a visible sex industry, linked to its history as a seaside resort and entertainment hub. Kemptown’s reputation for tolerance and nightlife contributed.
• The Internet: The biggest shift has been the move of much sex work (especially escorting) online (platforms like AdultWork). This reduced street visibility but created new risks (online exploitation, scams, difficulty verifying clients).
• Managed Approach Debate: The implementation (and political challenges) of the Managed Approach in central Brighton influenced policing and support dynamics across the city, sometimes displacing street work to other areas like the East.
• Economic Pressures: Austerity, rising living costs, and changes to the benefit system have pushed more people, including those with fewer survival options, into sex work, potentially increasing street-based activity and vulnerability.
• Increased Focus on Exploitation: Greater awareness and policing focus on modern slavery and trafficking have impacted how all sex work is viewed and policed, sometimes conflating consensual adult work with exploitation.

What role does the internet play now?

The internet is now the primary marketplace for off-street sex work (escorting, working from private incalls). Workers advertise on dedicated platforms and directories. This offers advantages: wider client reach, ability to screen clients remotely, set terms, and work more discreetly. However, it brings new dangers: online harassment, blackmail (“doxing”), scams (clients not paying), difficulty verifying client identities, platform deactivation without recourse, and the risk of images/videos being shared non-consensually. It also makes it harder for support services to reach online-only workers.