Hi everyone, I am involved in the Nordic Model Now! campaign group and I want to tell you about our ‘Students for sale’ conference on Saturday 15 October in central London.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/students-for-sale-tools-for-resistance-tickets-321173457457
I know many of you have expressed concern about the “sex work is real work” ideology that dominates in UK universities and how schoolchildren are being taught that prostitution can be “rewarding” in sex education classes. These ideas are also dominant in many political parties and trade unions.
Many young women tell us that they found out the hard way that the reality doesn’t match this rhetoric. For example, Emily, one of our members, who turned to “sex work” when she was in dire financial straits at university a few years ago, says:
“I was sold a complete lie. It’s not easy money. To the buyer, you are nothing more than an object for their consumption, not an actual human being with emotions. You are expected to just put up with whatever they want to do and say to you.
“The exchange of money makes them feel entitled to treat you however they like, with no regard for your feelings or consent. Not only that, but the buyers know very well how to push the price down as low as possible – they know that you’re vulnerable and that you need the cash and they have no problem using that to their advantage.”
She now believes that young people should be given better information and warned about the dangers. That’s why we are doing all we can to bring about change.
The conference will hear from women who have lived experience of the sex trade – about its reality once all the euphemisms and propaganda have been stripped away – and from women and men from a variety of fields who are working to bring about change.
We are thrilled that Chelsea Geddes is coming all the way from New Zealand to tell us about her experience of prostitution under New Zealand’s fully decriminalised system and Cajsa is coming from Sweden to tell us about her experience of prostitution under Sweden’s Nordic Model system.
It really is shaping up to be an unmissable event. We’re hoping it will stimulate a national conversation about the reality and harms of the sex trade. Do please come along - and consider bringing your older teenagers and young adults.
Tickets are only £5 (concessions £3).
You can find out more and get tickets on Eventbrite:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/students-for-sale-tools-for-resistance-tickets-321173457457
For our popular Handbook for Universities, see nordicmodelnow.org/the-nordic-model-now-handbook-for-universities/