Page 234 - Cultural Theory

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••• Feminist Knowledge and Socio-cultural Research •••

The pimps were described as a hidden mafia. The young people at the workshops
showed a great deal of understanding about the complexity of the issues. On the sub-
ject of pimps, they said: ‘the pimps are disrespectful … they disrespect women and
take their money’; ‘they protect them … they watch out for them … for the pimps
it’s an easy way to get money’ (O’Neill et al., 2002: 152).
They also expressed awareness and understanding of the situation for women
working on street.
They should be safe … there should be support and somewhere to go. … They
watch you, the dirty perverts. I’ve lived here eight months now and I am used
to it … it doesn’t bother me … but prostitutes have to work somewhere … they
are always going to be there.
It isn’t their fault and it’s up to them what they do, but it isn’t very nice when
we get seen as a prostitute.

(O’Neill et al., 2002: 152)

Sex workers

The key issue that emerged with the work with women working on and off street
focused upon safety, and the endemic levels of violence against them.

One bloke tried to ammonia me … he was telling me I was going to give him
a blow job for a fiver … he drove past and squirted ammonia at me … it went
in my hair and down my coat luckily.
(ibid.: 152)

For many women, protection of their families was key. They did not want their chil-
dren to know what they do and so lead double lives. This is experienced as very stress-
ful. For other women, attempts to do something else were frustrated by people’s
attitudes towards them, and the fact that as a ‘common prostitute’ you have a criminal
record. Attempts at change for some women were also frustrated by lack of self-esteem,
economic necessity, drug use, and homelessness caused by fleeing violence at home.
The main themes emerged as a wish to be seen as ordinary and avoid derogatory
stereotypes; fear of violence; dangers of street work; health issues; problematic pun-
ters; attempts to escape; and the effect of fines. A local woman was very anxious not
to be identified because of her desire to protect her children from the knowledge of
what she does.

I’m just an ordinary mum now when I go to the school, but what would they
think if they knew? … I’m a mum; I’m just like everybody else … I’m really para-
noid about the kids; I worry about them all the time.
(ibid.: 153)

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