Effects of the cuts - NUS: Students turning to prostitution to fund studies

[breadandbutterfly]

Horrifying - and totally predictable.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16157522

"that doesn't mean it doesn't happen though"

No-one's saying it doesn't happen. I'm sure there are also students who are dealing a few drugs or doing a bit of shoplifting and will also say 'I had no choice'. It's just an excuse.

Not quite sure how you expect to get quantitative data on this - I doubt figures on numbers of students in sex trade have ever definititively been collected, as understably this is a dark secret to most of those students who do do this and not something they are going to shout about. That still doesn't mean it doesn't happen or that numbers are not going to rise at a time of rising fees for students combined with cutting of grants such as EMA and record youth unemployment.

Clearly you're not bothered at the thought of young women getting lured into the sex trade. I am. Glad you sleep easy every night convinced that all the shit that happens is the victim's own fault and that therefore everything is just fine and dandy. Sadly, this stuff bothers me. If you just don't care, why bother posting at all?

Sure, the woman they've used as an example is poor but I knew young women who sold blowjobs for a fiver when I was at Uni in 1989 - I worked in the student union and there were quite a few who came in to the sexual health clinic and I know at least one who properly prostituted herself for money to fund her living.

That's more than than 20 years ago, I am not in any way surprised it's still happening.

"Clearly you're not bothered at the thought of young women getting lured into the sex trade"

Of course I'm bothered. Just happen to think blaming 'the cuts' is a bit lazy.

Cogito, that was aimed at me, because I questioned the numbers and the 'anecdotal' evidence. As Laurie and others have said, it has always gone on, but I think blaming it on the 'cuts' is political and I don't believe that the cuts are luring young women into the sex trade, as breadandbutterfly believes.

The cuts increase poverty, poverty increases the number of people who are willing to consider things they wouldn't ordinarily want.
That's not news, or in any way controversial.

So why is it being reported? Taking the point about political points being made, but for the individuals involved it's unlikely to be about political point scoring.

Agree SinicalSanta, for the individuals involved it has nothing to do with politics.

'So why is it being reported?'
That is the key question. What do they want done about it? What are they going to do about it? What are they doing to prevent it happening?
Have they quantified and identified who this is hapopening to and are they helping them or is it left as anecdotal evidence? What measures are being taken to prevent it?

Or is it about trying to reverse cuts and fee increases? Is it political?

"Have they quantified and identified it" - no; or at least not according to the NUS as quoted above.

There is no evidence for an increase in prostitution amongst students. Indeed there may also be an absence of baseline data, so it would also be impossible to demonstrate an increase, especially as reporting from earlier years and other countries shows this is not a phenomenon linked to the timings of the change of administration or the roll put of any particular policy.

And I'd like to ask again, how do male students (equally impoverished) cope? Unless the NUS is equally concerned about a rise in dubious employment amongst men, then it does seem that alternatives exist.