The impact of the different responses of residents may have upon sex workers in the UK - Essay Example

The studies each involved areas that had “street-based sex work”.4 The relevant areas were identified as Westside, Eastside, Riverside, Southside and Central. The research involved random interviews with a variety of residents and the results were mixed. Some residents expressed what was categorized as “extreme/proactive intolerance”.5 This typology was objected to sex workers on the basis of moral beliefs and often acted out in the form of “street patrols” and “vigilantism”.6 Another typology discerned by Pitcher et al was characterised by “modest intolerance”.

7 These residents did not agree with sex work and generally wanted sex workers out of their communities and neighbourhoods. However, they were prepared to accept prevention policies.8 Some residents were ambivalent in that they were sympathetic toward sex workers and at the same time concerned. . ir parents in the morning are exposed to girls in the street.10 Some residents were characterized by Pitcher et al as “proactive /support” minded.11 These residents were amenable to coexistence and would participate in programmes designed to respond to the issues.

The idea was to find a solution that would accommodate sex workers and to set parameters that would be tolerated by all.12 A similar study was conducted by Williams in two big cities in England. This survey concluded that the responses of residents to sex workers were also diverse. Some residents were entirely “oblivious” or “passive” toward sex workers and their conduct. On the other hand, some residents were “violent and/or otherwise harmful to the women involved.”13 Some residents felt justified in their negative responses to sex workers on the grounds that sex workers were harming the environment, for instance, they irresponsibly littered the place with used condoms, syringed, used underwear and used sanitary provisions.

Other residents were particularly intolerant to the perceived association with illicit drugs and other crimes and generally felt that sex workers were responsible for “the decline in the quality of neighbourhood life” and the decline in “the value of residents’ property”.14 In the Police Research Group Crime Prevention Unit Series Paper, Matthews reports that during the 1980s the increase in street prostitution and its associated kerb-crawling became particularly disturbing for women who were frequently “harassed”.

One such resident expressed a desire to move away from the area but was unable to do so because her parents were unable to sell their home. The resident reported that a number of her female friends and associated shared her feelings of being