To be upset a brothel has opened next door to my child's school

[OneJadeEagle]

Walking past school last week I noticed a shop next door that had been shut for ages has now turned into a 'massage' place. Curtains firmly shut, doorbell on, locked door, 'calling cards' left on the outside for people to pick up discreetly. Checked online and the gumtree ads and reviews from men leave no doubt the type of massages they are offering.

The school is a special needs school and some of the older children, whilst vulnerable with learning disabilities, do walk to school alone past the premises. The whole thing just really gives me the creeps, the idea of a bunch of creepy men being attracted to the road right by all these kids, possibly drugs etc.

Anyways I messaged the class WhatsApp to try and co-ordinate complaints to the council and the general vibe was I was overreacting. We are in a big city, there's always going to be something going on in the vicinity. Why put some ladies out of work when they're trying to earn an honest living and as long as they aren't parading into school what's the drama.

I don't know, AIBU?

I think OP is probably making it up, yes. Unless I see any evidence.

100% this. ^

Who in their right mind would think that this is Ok ?
Speak to the council and Headteacher. If all else fails take pictures of the clients and plaster all over Facebook! I’ve done something similar, with a group of other women, in the 1980s and it worked. Cost us a fortune in printing though.

Can you explain why the men are abusers? I know plenty of prostitutes (none forced to do it and most enjoy their job, the ones that don’t particularly just look at it as a job apart from one who does it to support a drug habit) and a few of them feel empowered but certainly none feel abused. In turn I know plenty of men that use prostitutes who are normal blokes who you wouldn’t glance at twice in the street, apart one one who makes my skin crawl and is creepy af, but he made me feel like that before I knew he was a customer of someone I know. Yes there will be some skanky men and women involved in the business but id be more worried about a drinkers pub next to a school than a brothel

Funny, I don't know any prostitutes - or men who admit to using them. We obviously move in very different circles!!

But of course you can't have a brothel next to a school. They are illegal for starters. And for good reasons.

I'd be livid and would report this like billyo. Plus yes put up photos of customer licence plates on FB.

If men who pay for prostitutes are really decent men they'd give the woman money and just leave her alone.

This new craze for normalising "sex work" is really unpleasant.

Morals aside, it will be a large increase in traffic and parking if men are coming and going every hour. It is not going to be attracting lovely decent law abiding men so could easily increase peripheral asb, eg shouting and anger if non payment issues occur, which you don't want children to be exposed to. Pimps invollved may carry weapons and large amounts of cash. Seriously none of this is conducive to a healthy happy neighbourhood in which vulnerable children will be coming and going from day in day out.

They buy women's bodies for sex. Of course they're disgusting and predatory.

My view is that these activities are far safer taking place in venues like this than dingy flats.

Irrespective of your view, the ‘customers’ and ‘staff’ will be pretty keen to operate discreetly I’d have thought, so I wouldn’t envisage any issues with the school.

N. Ireland and the ROI have the Nordic Model (NM), thanks to strong support from the churches there the NM bill sailed through parliament easily. In Britain sexwork is legal with restrictions.

It's worth nothing working in a brothel is still illegal under the NM. There may be other laws or restrictions re sexworkers too under the NM (which doesn't even pretend to be about harm reduction) such as preventing landlords from renting to sexworkers or sexworkers being investigated by Social Services (in Sweden selling sex is seen as a form of self harm). They may have to lower their prices and clients may become more controlling to avoid being caught such as wanting the meeting to take place in a more secluded location. Also very difficult to enforce as obtaining evidence is difficult and sexworkers are usually not willing to testify against their clients (not necessarily because they "like" their clients, they probably don't, it's simply because that's their business and source of income).

It's prostitution, Christina, not 'sex work.' Every time it occurs, it damages women and girls in the wider society as well as the prostituted woman.

I am concluding the OP has made this up too

I mean why would anybody open a brothel next to a school. I don’t think this happens IRL

I really think Mumsnet needs an option to vote “this post is BS” along with another that says “no I am not helping you write an article / TV script / do your sociology homework”

CerealKiller, you appear to be somewhat hard of thinking. I said very clearly that this isn't a matter of quantifiable 'proof' because it's a matter of definition. There is an agreed definition of 'consent' in the context of sexual matters. And I think most reasonable people would agree that part of that is that 'consent' cannot be purchased. If you HAVE to pay for sex, this is something that would not otherwise happen. Lots and lots of posters have spelled this out to you, so why do you appear to find it so hard to understand? I honestly do hope you're just a troll, and not someone who has anything to do with children in RL.

So no, it's not a matter of proof. You're using this same phrase again and again like you think you're some sort of Jeremy Paxman-like God of Debate. It makes you look extremely foolish - quite aside from the whole issue of how you seem bent on normalising men paying women for sex.

Oh you poor naïve person. You really think brothels are staffed by consenting adults?

I was happy to go along with it for the sake of discussion if such a scenario were real.

Since you mention it, it does seem like an odd choice for someone to decide next to a school would be a good choice for a brothel. Surely they must have known people would quickly find out what it was and the parents of the school students would lose their minds over it and make reports to the council and police?

They may not even realise it's a school.
Among the SEN schools we've looked at for DS, they have included purpose built 1970s/80s buildings, ex Victorian primary schools, former shops and former large residential buildings. Not all have signs. Current one is a massive old country house though so the pupils call it Hogwarts!

Whether or not the men visiting are statistically more likely to pose a threat to children, YANBU to not want a skeevy 'massage parlour' next to a school. It's not asking too much to not want that type of illegal activity to take place near your home or your child's school. Ideally, these businesses wouldn't exist anywhere, but we can only raise objections to the ones we're aware of.

Can I just say a big HMMMM to the 4 or 5 apologists on this thread who do seem to have a bit of a drum to beat. I see you.

No way do they have permission for this no way. It's illegal for starters. A swingers club is trying to get started in Stevenston in Ayrshire and it's on an industrial park away from everyone and still it's under attack.

That's not necessarily true.

Many people convicted of sexual offences are highly sexually occupied and so likely to watch porn / masturbate / visit sex workers than an average male.

Yes these males are low in number, but I don't discount OPs concerns about the type of men visiting a brothel and the location. I also agree with other concerns raised by PPs.

Also, it's a myth that men are sexually interested in children or adults. Most convicted sex offenders are also very interested in sexual relations with adults.

It’s been an instructive discussion though, good to note the rape apologists on this thread.

Sadly I know quite a few paedos through work etc and they all have had plenty of adult girlfriends/boyfriends too and not just for show. Very sexually active

The problem is the clientele. The type of men who pay for sex are also the type of men that would have no problem sexually harassing children.

Urgh, because the type of men who will pay to abuse and rape women are the same type of men who will harass and groom underage girls!