Student Sex Workers

LSESU supports student sex workers

LSESU Student Sex Worker Policy in-progress! 

• At LSESU, we recognise the existence of student sex workers at LSE and beyond. 

• This academic year 24/15 the Union is working to establish specific support for student sex workers and is now actively supporting sex worker-led campaigns for the decriminalisation.  

• Research by the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), revealed that 1 in 5 students have considered doing sex work to cover the rising costs of living (English Collective of Prostitutes, 2024).  

• In addition, student sex workers have faced disciplinary action and discrimination by staff and management at UK universities as well as harassment and eviction by landlords (English Collective of Prostitutes, 2024). 

• It is legal to be a sex worker in the UK, but it is illegal to work together. The legal context means sex workers are forced to compromise their safety by working alone to comply with the law.  

• The Union is committed to challenging the stigma attached to sex work and will provide support to student sex workers who are facing discrimination or negative judgements from LSE staff and management. 

Why now?  

• In Spring Term of 2024, an LSE student submitted a student policy proposal calling for “LSESU [to] adopt an official policy in favour of the decriminalisation of sex work and lobby LSE to provide more support for student sex workers”. 

• In May 2024, a panel of students (randomly selected to reflect the student population of LSE) heard from student sex workers, LSE academic Dr Niina Vuolajärvi  and members of the English Collective of Prostitutes about why the LSESU should adopt the student policy. 

• The student panel, after hearing from a range of informed voices, voted by over 75 per cent to approve the policy. 

• When a proposal becomes student policy, the elected leadership of the SU-- the Sabbatical and Part-Time Officers--as well as staff, must work to ensure its implementation over the subsequent two years. 

Key things LSESU are working towards: 

• We are drafting the LSESU’s first Student Sex Worker Policy to institutionalise support and recognition for student sex workers at LSESU. 

• Ensuring the LSESU’s Hardship Funds is made available and accessible to sex workers and others engaged in informal sector work 

• Tailored support and resources for student sex workers. 

• We are also lobbying the School and LSE services recognise and develop explicit policies to prevent student sex workers from experiencing discrimination.

• The Union wants to ensure the end of the practice of involuntary disclosures of students’ sex working status by staff when they are approached for advice or support. 

• While we have found no explicit reference to these in LSE's policies, we want to ensure an end to “fit for practice” and “morality” policies and clauses in courses & accommodation, which may deem sex-working students as “unfit” for certain jobs or courses. 

Sex work and student sex workers 

‘Sex work’ is an umbrella term which includes anything that involves the exchange of sexual services for money or goods.  

Examples of sex work: internet and webcam services; acting in the porn industry; glamour modelling; dancing in strip clubs; escorting; selling sex and being a sugar baby. 

Research estimates that 1 in 20 university students are currently involved in some form of sex work in the UK (Sagar et al., 2015b: 7). These students come from a range of backgrounds and identify across the spectrum of gender and sexuality.

Why do students enter the sex industry and what are the challenges? 

• The Student Sex Work Survey found that 67% of respondents were motivated to work in the sex industry to pay for their living expenses, 53% to pay their rent and 35% to pay for their university fees.  

• The Student Sex Work Project was the first largescale mixed method research on the experience of students sex workers in the UK and revealed a number of important insights: 

• Student sex workers are often isolated due to the stigma attached to sex work and often keep their work a secret from their friends, family and their university. 

• Universities very rarely include student sex work in their policies. 

• Student sex workers do disclose their work to academic staff in HE institutions and some staff are worried about the ‘reputation of the university and professionalism’ (Sagar et al, 2015: 7). 

• Staff are generally uninformed about both the legal context and the support available to student sex workers and, critically, these ‘perceptions of illegality might impact on how they followed up a disclosure’ (Sagar et al, 2015: 7). 

• Finally, the research revealed that most staff do want training and explicit university policies to refer to (Sagar et al, 2015: 7) 

• Sagar et al argue that Universities need to develop an institution-wide and ‘non-judgmental’ approach to student sex workers and suggest that ‘student Unions should work with HE institutions to protect all students from stigmatisation and discrimination, including those who work in the sex industry’ (2015:8).  

What are the laws surrounding sex work? 

• The laws around sex work in the UK can be confusing, in part, because it is legal to be a sex worker, but many associated activities are criminalised.  

• Criminalised activities include sharing premises with another sex worker, managing a brothel and soliciting on the street. 

• Further details of the laws surrounding sex work in the booklet Sex Workers and the Law. 

• If you are involved in sex work, you can familiarise yourself with your rights in this document created by the English Collective of Prostitutes. 

What support does the LSESU Advice Service provide? 

As part of work on this policy, we are working with the LSESU Advice team to ensure they provide a non-judgmental, respectful and supportive to student sex workers who speak to us about their work. Including: 

• Provide support to student sex workers with any issues they are facing, including signposting where outside of our areas of expertise. 

• Always adhere to our confidentiality policy – this means that any information a student shares with us about their work will remain strictly confidential, unless in specific circumstances, as outlined in our Confidentiality Policy. 

• Not perpetuate misconceptions about sex work, and remain committed to challenging the stigma attached to sex work. 

• Accept that sex workers have agency and are the experts in their own lives. 

• Provide support to student sex workers who are facing discrimination or negative judgements from LSE staff members. 

What support services are available for sex workers? 

National Ugly Mugs (NUM) – A national safety and reporting organisation which provides greater access to justice and protection for sex workers. Sex workers can submit reports about dangerous clients which are sent to other sex workers and front-line support projects in the UK. 

SWARM – A sex worker led collective based in the UK which campaigns for the rights and safety of all sex workers. 

English Collective of Prostitutes – A network of sex workers working both on the streets and indoors campaigning for decriminalisation and safety. 

Support for Student Sex Workers – A community of former and current sex workers which offers support to individuals involved in all aspects of the sex industry. 

SAAFE (Support and Advice for Escorts) – A collective of independent escorts who offer a range of advice, guidance and support on all aspects of the paid sex industry. 

Pineapple Support Society – A free support and therapy service for people working in the online adult industry. 

Revenge Porn Helpline – A service supporting adults who are experiencing intimate image abuse, also known as revenge porn. 

Open Doors – A free and confidential advice service in East London for people working in the sex industry. 

Clinic S – A free and confidential service for women, men, trans and gender non-binary individuals, working in the sex or adult entertainment industry. 

United Voices of the World – A union which works with strippers and sex workers to lobby for better working conditions and worker status. 

Sex Work Research Hub Student Sex Work Toolkit  - A toolkit for students who are involved in the sex industry with information regarding their work and the availability of help and support if needed. 

 

Want to get involved in implementing this policy? Do you want to tell us about you or your friends experience of being a student sex worker at LSE? 

Email us at Su.representation@lse.ac.uk. and speak with a member of staff.

Want support from our Advice team on range of issues such as housing, financial hardship or academic work? 

The LSESU Advice Service offers both online and in-person appointments. 

If you need advice, please either:

• Email us at su.advice@lse.ac.uk . (Please provide detail about your issue in your email.)
• Try our new Virtual Adviser

Our service operates with a Client Charter and Service Standards Agreement available here.