Friend ‘escorting’ for money

[blinkuncertain]

She’s a single parent and does this at nights. It’s a terrible idea and I’m so against it but she keeps saying it’s the only way. What can I do?

[willynillypie]

wtf is sock puppeting!?

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Bloody hell. I'm not saying that's what the OP has done here! I was answering @willynillypie's question about what makes MNHQ ban posters. But whatever.

[AssassinatedBeauty]

@willynillypie "sock puppeting" is where a poster makes multiple accounts and then either posts supporting their original post, or sometimes posting to argue with themselves to create a reaction.

For the benefit of @Wisdens, i am not saying that's what the OP here has done.

[SmileEachDay]

sigh

Can we have a credible source for the 30% please?

[willynillypie]

AssassinatedBeauty

LOL! Can't believe people would do that. Anyway thank you for answering/sorry for digressing

[HelenaDove]

www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk/news/16179974.Foodbank_usage_up_25_per_cent_last_year/

[HelenaDove]

The district's foodbank distributed 25 per cent more emergency food parcels last year than in the previous 12 months, new figures have revealed.

Trussell Trust’s Braintree Area Foodbank gave out 1,466 parcels between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, compared with 1,150 the previous year.

Out of this number, 1,283 - or more than 87 per cent - were distributed to families with children.

Foodbank bosses believe this increase is down to issues with the switch to the Government’s Universal Credit benefits system, which was rolled out in October.

[SmileEachDay]

Another report from a London Borough: check out the drug abuse, victim of violence, historical abuse, care leavers, education stats.

[anothernewoneforthis]

@theclitterati re The lefties who declare "sex work is work" don't push for any of these worker protections they expect other workers to have. Why is that? I watched a documentary years ago about legalising prostitution in Oz and it was for exactly this purpose, the detail I am not sure about but it was to help with protection, health, safety. I think lefties generally would support protections (I would). I would also be pushing for more to be done about trafficking and pimping. It is very visible. Where I used to live the drug abusing prosititues and the pimps were on the same road every day. There is no excuse.

Prostitution isn't something I would do but aside from the abusive side of it, the women being abused or being coerced or feeling they have no option, there are also women who want to do it. They have posted on here. They have been interviewed for articles which I have read. It isn't all about abuse according to them.

However, there should be changes to what is allowed in terms of portraying women (and people generally) as sex objects, by media, pop videos, endless examples.

[anothernewoneforthis]

When I referred to the drug abusing prostitutes, I meant it the prostitutes who were on drugs who were being completely controlled by the pimps.

[JustGettingStarted]

I don't believe that 30% of punters are women. Nothing like.

I've met men who claim to have been escorts having sex only with women. I assume they're all just fantasists.

[Alpineflowers]

Heyduggeesflipflop- It is the oldest profession you know.

So what?
You could say the same thing about slavery. It doesn't make it alright

[anothernewoneforthis]

@smileeachday that is grim reading.

[SmileEachDay]

It is rather, isn’t it? As is the other thing I posted up thread.

It’s so important that opinions about sex work are based on a wide view of the situation, rather than taking an individual “positive” case and running with that as typical.

[anothernewoneforthis]

I think there is more than one issue. The issue of all these women being coerced/forced which is a huge wider issue to do with failings in society, and the other issue is that if prostitution is going to go on (and I think it always will) is it safer and better to legalise and regulate it?

But yes, it is grim. A lot of people being failed.

[ReanimatedSGB]

I think posters get banned for starting threads (like this one) which are not just on contentious subjects, but which are basically not true - there seem to be a few individuals who reappear now and again on MN with a thread about something which is allegedly happening to them or someone they know and the whole thing is bullshit - eg the poster had a previous (untrue) thread about how their mother stole their husband, got banned, came back with a new thread about being the mother of 86 kids and not wanting to work, got banned, then another time it would be a thread about vaccinations or something... The aim is to cause a big fight.

[SmileEachDay]

another i after, it’s complex. I think it is completely possible to be:

a) ideologically opposed to the idea of sex work in terms of the commodification of (largely) women and the issues of paid for “consent”
b) Conpletely aware and against the huge abuse and exploitation of(largely) women within the sex industry, and to work against that.
c) absolutely want to make the lives of (largely) women who are sex workers better and safer.
d) utterly condemn the (largely) men who use sex workers.

I don’t think those stances are mutually exclusive- what I have an issue with is the “it’s just a job”, “don’t disempower women by saying it’s anything other than a job” because frankly, that’s bollocks.

[SmileEachDay]

I agree, not I after 🙄

[DannyLaRuesBestFrock]

Can your mate actually get another job though? It's so competitive these days

My brother has just got a job at a supermarket. We live in a shithole of a town. They had 500 applicants for the job. Whittled down to 30, with 3 stages of interviews, one of which included being at the the shop at 6am.

He has no kids fortunately, so was able to jump through the hoops they put out.

So no, it's not easy to get a job.

But I do not agree that prostitution is an okay 'job' as some posters are making out. And TabbyMack post especially stood out for me. It made me feel fucking sick tbh.

I do not believe that women can be prostitutes and come out unscathed. I can see what pushes them to it, but I don't believe they see it as a 'transaction' then just go about their daily lives, forming healthy, normal relationships.

There is too much evidence to suggest otherwise.

[JustGettingStarted]

I don't know if I'm "unscathed" but I feel like I function pretty well. I have good relationships with my friends and family. I sleep well at night and enjoy good physical and mental health. When other people talk about their experiences and feelings, they pretty much seem to mirror my own.

I see the sorts of things posted on the relationships board: I have it better than a lot of "normal" people, really.

[ReanimatedSGB]

I know quite a few sex workers - and many of them are pushing for protection, health and safety etc, as are their friends. They are also all aware that some sex workers are victims of coercion, and want to help those people leave the industry. But there are plenty of individuals who find that sex work suits them, or their current circumstances, and doesn't traumatize them. They resent attempts to take away their livelihood, particularly when those attempts come loaded with judgement, wilful ignorance and moralizing. Too many of the crusades to End Sex Work achieve nothing but to endanger sex workers.

[user1490465531]

I'm surprised there is such a demand for escorts when men can pretty much get fee hook ups on OLD.

[Rachie1973]

TheClitterati
You can see directly how punters feel about prostitutes - they review them on punter.net.

I had amazing reviews on there lol

[flubdub]

Just keep out of it - in the nicest possible way
You won't stop her if you tell her how you feel. Just make it known to her that you are there if she needs you.

[Kpo58]

I don't have an issue with the idea of sex work. Some men do just want normal sex and a cuddle.

I do have issues around how media show it. Normalising trafficing, brutal and damaging sex, rape and murder towards these workers is wrong on all levels. These are things no-one should be finding acceptable and we should be working to eradicate.