Table of Contents
- Scene Description
- Rise in Sex Work
- Community Concerns
- Police and Charity Efforts
- Children Exploitation
- Survival Sex
- Prostitution Law
Wearing jeans, white sneakers, and a green coat, a young woman stands on the edge of a dim pavement smoking a cigarette, just a short distance from a primary school.
In the darkness, a hooded man approaches her, comes close, and speaks. She nods and hands him something before he quickly walks back down the street.
A woman was seen conversing with a hooded man on a street in Bristol, known for sex work.Credit: Sun Newspapers Ltd
Later, the woman entered a flashy Audi and was driven away.Credit: Sun Newspapers Ltd
A man was arrested by police after he was seen heading to the bushes with a sex worker.Credit: BBC
Shortly after, a van arrives. The woman talks to the driver through the window before stepping back into the shadows, occasionally walking a short distance before turning back to her original spot.
She reappears when a flashy Audi pulls up, and after a brief conversation through the passenger window, she gets in and is driven away.
This scene is being replicated across Bristol, where numerous sex workers roam the streets at night, many of whom are exploited and often coerced into dependency on drug dealers supplying heroin and crack cocaine, who frequently act as their handlers.
A charity that assists street sex workers in Bristol has reported nearly a 50 percent increase in women using its services since 2021.
From 2022 to 2023, 135 women were supported through the outreach program, compared to 94 in the previous year, marking a 44 percent increase, according to the charity One25.
Residents in the city, often voted the best place to live in the UK, have raised concerns about several sex work hotspots, including Fishponds, St Pauls, and Castle Park in the city center.
Student Connor Gayford, 22, stated: “I was shocked to see how much the number of women working on the streets has increased; it’s quite alarming. However, I’m not surprised it happens in Castle Park, as a lot of unusual activities occur here.
“This is an area I avoid at night due to frequent muggings and stabbings; it’s not safe after dark.”
In a unique initiative, some sex workers are assisting police in apprehending child predators by helping identify at-risk children and getting underage girls off the streets.
Night Light, a partnership between police and the Barnardo’s charity, was established after a network of abusers was found to be repeatedly trafficking and sexually exploiting a group of children in areas of Bristol affected by street sex work in 2020.
The rundown underpasses attract street workers.Credit: Adrian Sherratt
Charity One25 estimates there are 192 women working on the streets of Bristol.
During one recent shift, the Night Light team interacted with 17 women.
They provided information related to one murder and one suspicious death, sexual assaults on children, and possession of indecent images of children being assaulted.
The women also shared details about a registered sex offender wanted on suspicion of child rape, which led to his arrest and the discovery of cable ties and plastic sheeting.
These women, despite having faced rape, abuse, and exploitation themselves, still found the strength to provide police with information about dangerous individuals, leading to their convictions and safeguarding numerous children in Bristol.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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