Sex Work Becomes Lifeline For Many Women As UK Inflation Hits 10%

YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) – According to the latest consumer price index (CPI) data from Office for National Statistics, UK inflation hit double in September. As a result, many Brits cannot pay skyrocketing energy bills and offer their families necessities.

Sex work gains followers as earnings shrink

Charities and sex workers’ collectives across Britain report that many women turn to sex work to pay the overwhelming bills.

The UK has several organizations that protect the rights of sex workers and several communities that report troubling statistics. For example, in July, the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), which campaigns for decriminalizing sex work, recorded a 30% increase in “beginner” callers seeking support.

Additionally, the charity Beyond the Streets got similar results. The organization reported an increasing number of not only “beginners” but also women returning to sex work or doing more of it.

The turbulent economic situation pushed many sex workers to seek help.

Charity Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH) recorded more than 100 new service users between December 2021 and April 2022. Notably, that’s the highest number of new clients the charity has seen in three months in four years.

Moreover, while the sheer number of sex workers is alarming, the nature of the work changed as well.

Clients are reluctant to pay the same price for the same services. Thus, women in the trade diversify the offers, often beyond their will, which exposes them to higher risks. ECP spokesperson Laura Watson spoke out on the issue

The more desperate you are for money, the more ready you are to provide services that you wouldn’t normally want to.

said the representative.

Also read: Rising energy costs put Bitcoin miners at risk of Nasdaq delisting.

Notably, prostitution is legal in the UK. However, there are limitations in place. Support groups risk violating laws against inciting or facilitating prostitution. While the risk exposure grows among sex workers, the UK inflation rate will not likely budge soon.

UK inflation at 10.1%

The cost-of-living crisis in Britain pummeled the poor, living on the fringes after the UK CPI hit over 10% in September, a 40-year high.

Increasing energy, food, and transport prices led the pack. According to the ONS, food was up 14.6% year-over-year, transport prices were up 10.9% compared to last year, and the price of household goods rose 10.8%.

When it comes to energy bills, the UK proposed Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) put in place.

The Energy Price Guarantee will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that a typical household in Great Britain pays, on average, around £2,500 a year on their energy bill, for the next 2 years, from 1 October 2022.

detailed hte announcement.

The announcement added that consumer savings would be based on usage. However, according to current prices, experts predict an average saving of £1,000 a year. Moreover, the government will reimburse the energy suppliers for household savings.