BBC Radio Ulster documentary on sex trafficking

[Davidontour]

Today at 12.30pm BBC Radio Ulster are running a programme on sex work in Northern Ireland.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b052mlxq

I'm mentioning this because a couple of months ago, Andy Pag from the BBC posted here, asking for escorts and clients to talk to him for a documentary.

What he didn't mention was exactly what the documentary would be about. It turns out it's called ''Vice Girl or Victim?'' and the tagline on the BBC site is:

''Lynne sells sex in Belfast to pay off debts to those who got her into the country. Will new legislation help the girls recruited into this industry? Andy Pag reports.''

On Andy's twitter, the preview was:

''Human trafficking, snakeheads and the women forced into the sex trade .. @andybutshorter previews his docu on @BBCgmu & @BBCRadioFoyle tomo.''

A four minute trailer aired yesterday. It included an interview with a Chinese woman who had been forcibly trafficked, a second who may have been and an entirely misleading statistic on sex trafficking in the North.

What could have been an honest examination of sex work from the viewpoint of escorts and clients, is instead looking like it's going to focus on trafficking. Just for the record, there wasn't a single case of sex trafficking for prostitution in the North last year. I kind of doubt that will be mentioned.

Personally I'll reserve judgement until I've heard the programme, but there does seem to be a real reluctance to show the everyday side of sex work for the vast majority here.

The programme is at 12.30pm and will run for 30 minutes.

[Davidontour]

Having heard the programme, it was, as suspected, entirely about Chinese women and trafficking, the main case dating back to 2009. Sex workers who have freely chosen to do so (the majority) were not represented at all, although I know of at least one who gave him a long interview.

They nevertheless found time for the Swedish police to promote their highly flawed model. Womens Aid are being invited to comment, while no current sex workers are being included. Overall a very one-sided programme.

BBC Andy does of course have the right to make whatever programme he chooses, however unrepresentative. What he does not have is the right to pretend that he's going to put forward the views of escorts and clients, while very deliberately not informing them what his programme is about.

There is most certainly a programme to be made about the vast majority of sex workers who freely choose the work. Unfortunately Andy Pag and the BBC do not appear brave enough to do so.

[Mr Cuddles]

The BBC used to have a reputation for telling the truth,

Now, you don't get to work there unless you are "politically sound" ie. a leftie

[samlad]

No need to get personal, please. I have deleted the insults towards Andy.

For the record, Andy did PM me from his BBCAndy message boards account to ask me if I knew of any activity of Chinese agencies last week, and of course, I wasn't aware. I also told him that should he have any information regarding agencies in Northern Ireland, he should do the right thing and report this to the police. Obviously he preferred to do a radio story about this rather than reporting this to the authorities, which in my eyes is worse, as a) he has withheld this information from the police and b) if these people were victims, reporting this could have helped them over a week ago.

Way to go, Andy, but that's journalism for you.

[Davidontour]

I just want to clarify that the deleted insults towards Andy were made by another poster, not me.

The documentary will apparently be discussed on Nolan tonight on BBC Radio 5 Live at 10pm.

[warmcome]

Andy from the BBC posted here a few months back, saying he wanted all sides
in this situation. I'm disappointed in him, he's just like other journos.

[Sensual Lauren]

most people just can't believe that a woman would freely get into this profession. narrow minded and of course like most statistics, one can make any point they want by manipulating the numbers and truth. L

[Peugeot404]

It's all not too good for the Business?

[KevinACE]

Having heard the programme, it was, as suspected, entirely about Chinese women and trafficking, the main case dating back to 2009. Sex workers who have freely chosen to do so (the majority) were not represented at all, although I know of at least one who gave him a long interview.

They nevertheless found time for the Swedish police to promote their highly flawed model. Womens Aid are being invited to comment, while no current sex workers are being included. Overall a very one-sided programme.

BBC Andy does of course have the right to make whatever programme he chooses, however unrepresentative. What he does not have is the right to pretend that he's going to put forward the views of escorts and clients, while very deliberately not informing them what his programme is about.

There is most certainly a programme to be made about the vast majority of sex workers who freely choose the work. Unfortunately Andy Pag and the BBC do not appear brave enough to do so.

Listened to the documentary. It went undercover, and exposed how one boss was recruiting sex workers, who chose to willingly. Unfortunately, there was nobody representing the sex workers who are independent and working like we all do, to survive...Whether you getting paid by the BBC or McDonalds, or HSBC, it your own choice. And whether you choose to book an escort, feck off the government sticking their self serving noses in the private life of the Irish.

[Mr Cuddles]

It seems to me that he failed to find anyone trafficked.
Best he could do was find an illegal immigrant who owed money to the people who smuggled her into England, and chose to pay it off by working for an escort agency in Belfast.

His search for something sinister on E.I. was a complete failure