The Student Sex Work Project was set up in 2012 in the United Kingdom (UK) to locate students who are involved in the sex industry, to discover their motivations and needs, and in doing so provide an evidence base to consider the development of policy and practice within Higher Education. As part of this initiative, a large survey was undertaken comprising students from throughout the UK. Reporting on the findings from this survey, the article sheds some light on what occupations students take up in the sex industry, what motivates their participation and how they experience the work. The study also offers a much-needed empirical input to the ongoing academic debates on the nature of sex work. The results suggest that there can be little doubt of a student presence within the sex industry in the UK. The motivations and experiences of student sex workers cover elements of agency and choice as well as of force and exploitation and it is suggested that student sex work is best understood from a polymorphous framework which leaves room for a wide variety of experiences and challenges.

This paper discusses student sex workers in higher education in Wales from an institutional perspective. It investigates how student sex work is dealt with within higher education and in doing so highlights the lack of higher education policies/guidance/training to assist staff members who have experiences with students working in the sex industry. Drawing on data from The Student Sex Work Project, the research found that staff's knowledge on the legalities of sex work and on appropriate referral pathways is inadequate. While some institutions as well as staff deem that student sex work would bring the reputation of the university and/or the profession for which the student is training into disrepute (necessitating disciplinary action), other institutions and staff indicated that student sex work requires an individualised approach which can offer support in different areas. The paper argues that steps need to be undertaken to make the higher education environment inclusive for all students, including those who work in the sex industry.

No abstract

The 2006 Coordinated Prostitution Strategy recommended local 'needs'-based responses to target street sex work, and to this end consultation with members of the wider community-an approach that has also been more recently recommended by the current Coalition government in 2011. This article draws on empirical data collated over two years in the city of Cardiff, Wales. It focuses on Partnerships and Communities Together (PACT) meetings as a primary pathway for police/public consultation, and highlights how despite a lack of community representation at PACT, street sex work can become a community priority to be addressed with a punitive response. However, a public opinion survey carried out with 205 Cardiff residents suggests the wider community are more tolerant and very concerned about the safety of street workers. In conclusion we suggest that PACT priorities can misinterpret and misrepresent the views and opinions of the community.