IN AN era where the lie that “sex work is work” prevails in every corner of society, Nordic Model Now! challenged this concept at a TUC fringe meeting.

Each speaker painted a vivid picture of the harm inherent in accepting the normalisation of prostitution as “work.” In this meeting no lazy conclusions were drawn. No easy answers were provided to solve the structural oppression of women and girls that underpins routes into pornography and prostitution.

A presentation of research and survivor testimony underpinned the meeting titled “Prostitution and the Trade Union Movement.”

In opening remarks the chair highlighted that trade unions have fought for social justice and a range of workers’ rights, from sick pay through to better health and safety, raising a question as to whether prostitution can be reconciled as work. Reviewing prostitution via the lens of employment law and health and safety legislation only serves to reveal how dangerous it is in comparison to any job.

Service workers are not expected to ingest bodily fluids, expose themselves to sexually transmitted diseases or risk vaginal or anal tears and prolapsed internal organs. If care workers come into contact with body fluids they wear personal protective clothing which is impossible in prostitution. Violence would never be tolerated as “fun activity” in any work setting.

The first speaker Heli St Luce explained that she was someone who had grown up in the shadow of sexual exploitation.

“I was indoctrinated into thinking that the sexual objectification, humiliation and pressure of women is normal,” she said.

“That the female function is to be of service, use and, wherever possible, a pleasure to and for men.

“It took me decades to realise that my beliefs were the core of my, our, female oppression.”

St Luce lives in the Netherlands where prostitution is legalised — she blasted the notion that prostitution is about two equals negotiating consensual sex. The voices of survivors were central to her analysis as she explained that women struggling to survive fall for the notion that “sex work is work” but these women are treated like objects to be consumed. The male buyers’ cash gives them an unfettered sense of entitlement to do what they like to these women — “the punter is king.”

Living within the conditions of a private space in a competitive market, reprisals from the brothel owners or pimps and bad reviews from punters mean that the activity of prostitution is nothing like consensual sex, that every boundary has to be thrown off in order to remain “competitive” in the sex industry.

Esther, a survivor of the sex industry, presented extensive detail on what might constitute a job specification in prostitution exposing the ridiculous nature of the idea that sex work is work. She outlined how human rights and equality laws are rendered irrelevant by prostitution activity.

Esther said there was a demand to do “whatever the sex buyer wants even if it hurts or disgusts you.”

The racial discrimination that trade unions challenge every day in workplaces is integral to prostitution as punters pay more or less for sex based on ethnicity. Equally, taking on sexual harassment is impossible as comments on clothing, sex life and sexual remarks are all part and parcel of prostitution.

Activities normalised in porn and played out in prostitution are recognised as torture in some countries. Women in prostitution are 10 times more likely to be killed than soldiers in active combat.

The harmful impact of prostitution on society and on men was also outlined. Men who buy sex feel a reduced sense of empathy and a greater sense of control and entitlement over women, undermining equality.

Where prostitution proliferates, violence also rises and men who buy sex are more likely to rape and engage in other forms of violence against women.

The Nordic model was not put forward as a magical solution to the sex industry. The aims of the model are to reduce the size of the industry by reducing demand. The model also advocates for exit routes out of the sex industry. Speakers emphasised that it is impossible to make prostitution safe as it is inherently violent.

The panel showed that the decriminalisation of prostitution is not progressive. Decriminalisation increases prostitution, increases human trafficking, increases violence and repositions pimps and traffickers as “respectable businessmen.” In Germany, a country where mega-brothels have been enabled to exist, one million men a day pay for sex.

Jenna’s softly spoken but powerful personal testimony backed up the evidence.

“It’s really easy to buy sex, it’s as easy as ordering a takeaway and sometimes for not much more money.”

“When I said stop, you are hurting me — repeatedly — I was just a sex worker being difficult,” she said, adding: “The problem with a society that turns a blind eye to the oppression of women and says that sex work is work is that we have no idea who we can trust.”

Jenna spoke of men using women “in the most extreme ways imaginable” and explained how the nature of the sex industry can barely be recognised as sex any more.

She ended by appealing for everyone to advocate for young people.

Sarah Green, CEO of Women at the Well, outlined some of the vital outreach work undertaken to support women in prostitution, from providing showers and facilities to housing support.

She explained that there is no statutory provision or state funding to support women in prostitution due to the growth of the idea that prostitution is just a job.

She explained how the use of “sex worker” and  acceptance of prostitution as “work” shuts down potential for women in the sex industry to even have a conversation or access the support they may need from statutory service providers.

Towards the end of the session there was an open question-and-answer session with many expressing appreciation for the presentation. As one audience member noted, those who need to hear the presentation were not there and needed to be there. And this was my prevailing feeling too.  

So many people accept that prostitution is “work” because they have been bombarded with misinformation by the pimp lobby but the Nordic Model Now! survivors are challenging us to consider both sides of the debate on prostitution and not just the views of the profiteers.  

The sort of society we want to have, true equality between the sexes, and work that doesn’t cause extreme harm, hangs in the balance.

Helen O’Connor is writing in a personal capacity.