MORE than 400 men were seen buying sex in Glasgow’s east end over recent months, according to a support service helping vulnerable women.
A total of 93 women involved in prostitution on the streets have been supported between April and December 2023.
A survey carried out previously found out social workers, church ministers, accountants and taxi drivers were among men charged with kerb crawling in the city between 2010 to 2015 with most of them being white and Scottish.
The information has been presented in a report on Glasgow City Council’s Routes Out and TARA Services, which provide specialist support to women exploited in the commercial sex trade. The report lays out how UK legislation is hindering the efforts of TARA to help vulnerable trafficked women in the sex trade.
A council report said between April and December last year Routes Out observed 414 sex buyers in the east end and four in the city centre.
A total of 93 women working as prostitutes on the street were supported alongside four selling sex in off-street venues while 59 were engaged in outreach. Women were aged between 24 and 59.
The council report said “the move to the east end for street-based prostitution evidences what happens without consistent implementation of the Prostitution Public Places Act (Scot) 2007 to act as a deterrent to sex buyers; a proliferation of men willing to exploit vulnerable women with little or no consequence.”
It said staff from Routes Out “observed that following a partnership approach and a short period of targeted policing focussed on those paying for sex, the numbers of sex buyers in the local area dramatically decreased which led to fewer women being present and increased engagement with the women selling sex and Routes Out.”
The Routes Out service operates a night time drop in facility for women involved in prostitution while outreach staff engage with them on the streets. Crisis and longer term support is also offered.
TARA specifically supports women trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation providing a 24/7 response and access to safe accommodation.
It helped support 74 women between April 2023 and January 2024. Forty of the women were from south east Asia, 15 from east Africa and seven from west Africa among other regions.
An update on TARA and Routes Out will be presented to councillors at the Environment and Liveable Neighbourhoods City Policy Committee next week.
Local politicians would also be told about problems arising from UK legislation.
The report said: “Since 2023 the service provided by TARA to vulnerable women trafficked to meet the demands of the domestic sex trade has been negatively impacted by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (NABA) and the Illegal Migration Act 2023 (IMA)”
The report said there can be delays in women accessing protection and support with NABA requiring more evidence that someone is a victim as opposed to may be being one for the National Referral Mechanism that identifies modern slavery victims.
Since 1999 Glasgow City Council’s “policy on commercial sexual exploitation has held that it is a form of male violence against women, is driven by male demand, is both a cause and consequence of women’s inequality and should be understood as survival behaviour reflecting the lack of meaningful choices and pathways out of poverty for women. “
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