Safety & Sex Work

Safety Information and Advice for in-person sex workers

Whether you sex work in-person on the street, indoor or online, one of our top concerns is your safety. We have put together some safety advice that you may wish to follow: 

  • Be clear about the services that you are willing to provide and the cost from the beginning by speaking to the client yourself. Always agree business and take money first.
  • Have a plan ready in case something goes wrong.
  • Be as familiar with the area as possible. Think about the shoes you are wearing and whether they will allow you to escape an attack quickly. If working indoors, know the escape routes to a safe place within the building.
  • Always carry a personal safety alarm (you can get for free from Basis).
  • If street sex working, work with a friend using a buddy system.
  • If indoor sex working, consider asking the establishment to fit an alarm in the room and never leave a key in the lock as you could be locked in.
  • If you can, let someone know where you are going and when you intend to be back.
  • Try to avoid using drugs or alcohol when working, if you do then try to use an amount that keeps you aware and stable.
  • Only accept unopened drinks if you are offered refreshments by a client.
  • Carry a fully charged phone with emergency numbers on speed dial.
  • Always trust your instincts and be willing to say no.
  • Always try to take in as much information about a client as possible.
  • Do not carry a weapon as this can be used against you.
  • Think about what you wear when working – make sure that you tie long hair up, wear clothing that is easy to remove and makes you clearly visible at night, wear shoes that you can take off or run in and avoid wearing sharp jewellery (could get trapped in condoms).

If you are attacked, there are a number of steps that you can take to help and protect yourself.

  • Use your mobile to call for help or use your safety alarm, use it as a distraction to give you time to escape
  • If someone attempts to attack you, make a lot of noise by screaming and shouting. If you have to fight back to escape, attack soft areas such as the throat, Adam’s apple, eyes and testicles. If they have their hands around your throat, smack both ears with the flat of both hands
  • If you need to shout for help, shout “fire” or “police”.
  • If you are in a car, hit the horn or flash the lights to attract attention.
  • Walk away from danger, defend yourself only if necessary.
  • If there are people around, address the person directly e.g. “you in the red coat”.

Safety Information and Advice for online sex workers

Regardless if online work is your primary form of work or not – having an online presence means there are some key things you can do to keep yourself safe at work.

  • Make a fake or working name for your online presence – regardless of online safety this is a good way to separate work from home life!
  • Create a separate work email and work number to make bookings, and use a pay-as-you-go SIM card registered to your work name and email.
  • Ensure your home location isn’t visible or recognisable in pictures/live streams and don’t disclose your address or local area.
  • If more comfortable/possible – crop or blur out your face in photos, and keep identifiable features such as tattoos out of shot.
  • Let a friend know you’re working and your whereabouts if you’re out meeting clients. Implementing safe words/a time to respond by is a good way to keep safe out and about.
  • Look up a client’s number/personal details on databases such as National Ugly Mugs, or sex worker forums, or download ‘client eye’ onto your work phone to check details to see if they’ve been flagged as dangerous or time-wasters.
  • Don’t use images from social media or other non-work-related locations, as someone could reverse search these images and discover your real name and personal details.
  • If possible, set up a business bank account to take payments if you can and register the bank account as a trading or your business name.
  • Also, you can accept anonymous payments through Amazon gift card, which can be linked to a work email.
  • Never log on to your personal Facebook/Instagram on your work device, as websites such as these often have tracking features that can suggest your work account to your friends or family members. You might have seen this when you’ve been recommended an account saying ‘you might know this person’ even if their name isn’t associated with the account!
  • Use incognito mode on a computer/laptop when using online services, and turn off location when posting, or download a VPN to cover your IP address (many good ones are free!) Use encrypted services such as WhatsApp when chatting to prevent tracking.
  • It is an offence within the UK for a person to disclose a private sexual photograph or film with the intention of causing distress – known as ‘revenge porn’. If someone is blackmailing/threatening you to leak images (or dox your identity) get in touch with Ugly Mugs, Basis, or Revenge Porn Helpline (who have a specialist sex work section).
  • Finally, know your rights. Online working (including camming, live chat, advertising online and websites such as OnlyFans) in the UK is completely legal. If there are ever any clients/situations that don’t feel right, the police, Ugly Mugs and the team here at Basis are here to help. If you’re in danger, call 999.

Student Sex Worker Safety

As well as the above safety information, you can also find a Safety Guidance for Student Sex work: prepared by a team of over 40 researchers, students, sex workers, and external partners and stakeholders concerned with the sex industry have come together to develop a toolkit that gives appropriate advice on how to support student sex workers and provide students who are involved in the sex industry with information regarding their work. The toolkits detail: the global and national legality of sex work and how these laws impact sex workers, advice and safety information, and relevant local and national support services for sex workers in the UK.  We are grateful to everyone who helped develop this toolkit. Further information can be found via NUM’s video prepared for and by sex workers.

Ugly Mugs Reporting

We can support you to reporting violence, attacks, and incidents through our local Ugly Mugs scheme, which is part of the national Ugly Mugs scheme. This scheme allows women to report anonymously if preferred. An ‘ugly mug’ is anyone whose behaviour you feel is unacceptable. It may be a client, a member of the public or another sex worker. You should report anything that causes you concern, for example violence, threatening behaviour, abuse, disclosure of other incidents or intentions.

You can sign up to Ugly Mugs online to receive alerts of incidents in your area. We also publish them monthly in our newsletter, which we can give to you during drop-in, outreach or at home visits.

ISVA and SWISVA Basis Support

If you have been raped, sexually assaulted or experienced any form of sexual violence, we can support you. We have an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) and a Sex Worker Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (SWISVA) who can offer specialist non-judgmental advice, talk to you through the criminal justice process and support you throughout, whether you’d like to report to the police or not.

We can advocate for you and will support you to access services you need related to any violence or abuse you have suffered. We recognise that the women who access our service are a diverse group with different experiences, and who will experience and deal with violence in different ways. We are committed to supporting people on the basis of their individual needs and wishes. This means support varies on an individual basis, but may include practical advice (i.e. on housing, benefits or sexual health), access to counselling, or support through the criminal justice process and ongoing safety issues.

We can also provide free safety alarms – you can pick these up from our office during drop-in hours (Mon-Wed, 1pm-3pm), or during outreach.

Reporting to the Police

If you are considering reporting an attack to the police, there are things you can do to help preserve the evidence. Try not to bathe, shower, brush your teeth or change your clothes. If you do want to change your clothes, do not wash the ones that you were wearing at the time of the attack. If the attack happened in your home, try not to move or change anything, as there might be vital evidence there. We can liaise with the police on your behalf if you wish us to help you with your report and we also provide lots of emotional support to help you through it.

We can support you through any crimes that are committed against you including support with reporting to the police or support through the court process. We can liaise with the police on your behalf if you wish us to help you report to the police and we also provide lots of emotional support to help you through it.

Basis work closely with the specialist police sex work liaison officer for Leeds. She is there purely for your welfare and so you can confidentially discuss any problems that you might have. She can deal with any reports of crime or harassment that you have experienced. Some issues you may want to discuss with her include stalking, harassment, unwanted communications, threats to out sex workers, domestic abuse, physical assaults, sexual offences, robbery, frauds and theft.