Despite much of last year being spent under lockdown with strict guidelines in place to limit the spread of Covid, Hampshire Police still recorded five offences related to prostitution - only three fewer than in That includes three offences of soliciting for the purposes of prostitution, and two of exploitation of prostitution. The soliciting offences could be sex workers loitering on street corners, or people trying to pick up a prostitute, for example by "kerb crawling".
Exploitation could include using force, threats, deception or other forms of coercion to force someone into having sex. But according to the English Collective of Prostitutes it could also mean the offence of "keeping a brothel", which it says could include two women working together for safety. One of the offences - of soliciting - took place during the first lockdown, when all shops, hotels, bars and restaurants were ordered to shut.
In Hampshire, two of the offences of soliciting for the purpose of prostitution took place in Southampton and one in Portsmouth.
Police did not record where the two exploitation offences took place. In , there were four offences recorded in Southampton, two in Portsmouth and one each in Havant and Fareham. Exploitation of prostitution can result in a prison sentence of up to seven years, depending on the severity.
Like many more conventional industries, coronavirus has plunged the sex trade - the "oldest profession" - into crisis. But while most industries have been able to access emergency Government funds to pay employees, sex workers are denied status as "workers" - which means they don't have the same rights and entitlements. If you want to stay in the know with all the latest news, reviews and features from HampshireLive then you can sign up to our daily newsletter email.
