The launch of BtG and NUM ‘Practice Guidance for Working With Online Sex Workers’ and BtG ‘Safety and Privacy Info for Online Sex Workers’ were launched at #BtGPracSafe on 12th September 2018 at the University of Leicester.
Over 50 delegates came together to mark the end of Beyond the Gaze 3 year action research project and to discuss the resources.
Teela Sanders opened the event reflecting on the achievements of BtG. She showcased the final resources being launched. Key achievements have included;
- Largest data sets in the world on online sex work; sex workers survey (n=641), customers (n=1,345).
- Significant academic outputs including book and open access journal articles.
- Responding to media requests and driven evidence based media pieces.
- Active website and twitter which will carry on for foreseeable future.
- Practice guidance and safety resources.
- Sitting on NPCC police working group.
- Sharing findings and learning with Home office and National Crime Agency.
- Made links and developments with key adult platform websites
- Over 20 training events in 2018 with police forces with NUM.
- Practitioners forum gained momentum over 8 events
- Continued participatory action research model.
Luca Stephenson from International Committee for the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe, gave a powerful presentation on developments around sex work policy in Europe. This included the harmful impacts of the criminalisation of purchasing sexual services in France, evidenced by a recent report by Medcins du Monde. He discussed the importance of menaingful sex worker inclusion in the design and delivery of services for sex workers in all sectors and flagged the newly launched campaign ‘Decrim Now’.
The BtG provided an overview of the safety/privacy info and practice guidance. Raven Bowen new CEO of National Ugly Mugs with Del Campbell, provided an update on NUM and their work with BtG.
Lively discussion groups took place around themes and issues with the resources.
BtG took the opportunity to thank sex workers, projects, practitioners, police and other stakeholders who contributed to the research throughout the three years. We could not have done it without you.