Prostitution Conference - Dr. Derek Freedman's presentation.

[Half Man and Half Dildo]

I read this earlier this evening and honestly folks my jaw almost hit the floor - at long last so many truths about Ireland's sex industry spoken by someone in authority.

Dr. Derek Freedman's presentation (http://sexwork.ie/2012/10/22/dr-derek-freedman/)

[LaBelleThatcher]

...but it is not *JUST* the truths, it is the way he tells 'em.

:)

A lovely, wise, sane man....

[Banjaxed]

Dr Freedman is an absolute gent, full of warmth, and a breath of fresh air. His views were balanced and fair, and it is absolutely great that men like him are in our health service for those in need.

[pez]

Thanks to the poster. A very interesting article indeed.

[Lia1]

Well done from Dr.Freedman!
As you said ''Banjaxed'',it is absolutelly fair and realistic.I wish that politicians and Ruamma would understand they can't stop prostitution and they sould help to keep that ''world'' privat and safe.

If I wolud be law-maker I'd legalize and obligate us to pay tax,in that way escorts would feel safer and the coutry would have much more income.

[Banjaxed]

Well done from Dr.Freedman!
As you said ''Banjaxed'',it is absolutelly fair and realistic.I wish that politicians and Ruamma would understand they can't stop prostitution and they sould help to keep that ''world'' privat and safe.

If I wolud be law-maker I'd legalize and obligate us to pay tax,in that way escorts would feel safer and the coutry would have much more income.
What I took from the conference, and what I resolutely believe is that you Ladies deserve absolutely nothing less.

[Morpheus]

Thanks HMHD. It's great to see Sexwork.ie putting up transcripts of what was said at the conference. I am hoping they will put up what was said by Pye Jacobson.

They have already put up the transcripts of the talk by Linda Latham, of the Women's health project http://sexwork.ie/2012/10/22/linda-latham/. Amber already alluded to how dissapointing she was (in another thread).

Here's an excerpt of what she said:

Victims of trafficking, women in prostitution are the same women. Men buy sex off both of those women. The roots for women into the sex industry are wholly different and I’ve got total appreciation of that, but they are the same women who have the same issues.

Apparently someone in the audience replied loudly, "Absolutely not!!" (Well done! Whoever you are :notworthy:)

Her work seems to have been focussed on street sex workers and also victims of trafficking. So unfortunately, she is coming from a biased perspective already. She is very pro Sweden (not just the Swedish model) and thinks that the country is so very enlightened!!!

But here seems to be the crunch of the matter:

Ensure specialist services continue under umbrella organisations. Our service is at critical risk actually, of closing at the moment, because we haven’t got the staff or the funding to continue, although we are a statutory service.

At the end of the day, any group that depends on government funding will continue to perpetuate and exagerate a problem because that is how they get funding.

And herein lies the problem. We are never going to be getting a balanced rational opinion from any of these NGO's, as a result.

[Banjaxed]

Apparently someone in the audience replied loudly, "Absolutely not!!" (Well done! Whoever you are :notworthy: )

I hope she won't (or get Lucy to) beat me to a pulp for saying it, but I believe that was Amber as part of a chorus. :)

[LaBelleThatcher]

At the end of the day, any group that depends on government funding will continue to perpetuate and exagerate a problem because that is how they get funding.


...and that fact is at the root of about 50% of the problems in the world...

Incidentally, she may be familiar with street workers but she doesn't seem to pay their reality much heed, as little or none of the things she said applied to them either.

[UKHeather]

Any organisation purporting to act in the best interests of any particular group should be unbiased and non judgemental.

I have a friend who worked for the Genesis project in Leeds, a church funded group. She did tell me that the group of workers that they were coming into contact with least were independent indoor workers and so they made it their business to contact every single one advertised in the area and make it known that they were available. They would do condom deliveries, arrange sexual health checks under anonymous names, and make workers aware of bad clients in the area. Infact, if anyone needed anything at all in the way of support, they would do their damndest to help.

[the traveller]

Thanks "the Half Man" for posting the above, I always forget to look at Sexwork.ie.

One thing I found very interesting, apart from the gentlemen's wise words, was

" Girls and men who are working, look after their business, they ensure that their clients will not get infected. Much better with a professional than if… (Inaudible due to objections from audience) ",

something all here well know. But the audience, which I presume was made up mostly of TORL and ICI supporters, objected to those words. Showing that even when a esteemed professional disagrees with their preconceived ideas, they will not admit they are wrong but will try to drown out the opposition to those ideas by shouting loudly. But there again, that seems to me to be the central plank to Ruhama's campaign. Shout a distortion of the truth loud enough and for long enough and people with the power to change government policy will believe you.

[LaBelleThatcher]

Any organisation purporting to act in the best interests of any particular group should be unbiased and non judgemental.

I have a friend who worked for the Genesis project in Leeds, a church funded group. She did tell me that the group of workers that they were coming into contact with least were independent indoor workers and so they made it their business to contact every single one advertised in the area and make it known that they were available. They would do condom deliveries, arrange sexual health checks under anonymous names, and make workers aware of bad clients in the area. Infact, if anyone needed anything at all in the way of support, they would do their damndest to help.

Let's put a face on these guys at Genesis Heather, so that our esteemed audience from Ruhama know what the difference looks like:
http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1120350&SubsidiaryNumber=0 (seems to cost about half as much annually as Ruhama - hmmm...keeping costs down is vital these days)

http://www.genesisleeds.org.uk/

First thing I notice is that the site seems to be talking *to* sex workers, as well as the general population rather than talking *about* sex workers *to* the general population. There has never been an incarnation of the Ruhama site that managed to do that.

What does that tell you about a person in a normal, social situation, if all they ever do is talk about you to other people and only talk to you at all to patronise you? Look at the difference here:

http://www.genesisleeds.org.uk/how-we-can-help-you/moving-on-support-and-options-service

I cannot find an equivalent Ruhama page...they literally do not have a page telling sex workers what they have to offer them (I actually assumed they would somewhere)...just endless pages telling people who sex workers are, what they need, and why they should donate money to them. It's not just that they do not want to listen to us, they do not see the need to talk to us either, just to control us.

Also notice Genesis talk about "moving on" and "getting out" not "exiting" (also a common euphemism for euthanasia that I cannot imagine why nobody sees as creepy).

Also here is a little money saving hint for the government, because not only does Genesis cost half as much as Ruhama to run, it also provides the same services as the HSE Women's Health Project AS WELL at no additional cost.

http://www.genesisleeds.org.uk/how-we-can-help-you/dropin-and-outreach

Maybe this page is a little part of the difference:
http://www.genesisleeds.org.uk/about-us/complaints-and-feedback-procedure

They actually have enough respect for sex workers to have a complaints process to monitor and record any time they are getting it badly wrong (a very far cry from Ruhama's "You will have what we decide you need, on the terms we decide you need it, and be grateful" approach).

When you do the comparision the existance (and cost to the state) of Ruhama and it's HSE sister ship the WHP begins to look impossible to justify. An organisation like Genesis would cost maybe a quarter as much to run (leaving ALL THAT LOVELY surplus money free for sick and disabled children :D) and serve the same purpose...with the added advantage that sex workers would actually get some use out of the services.