Because of the pandemic, Lucy, a British student, lost her part-time job as a bartender and she was unable to find another job. Without a part-time job, Lucy, was unable to have enough money to keep studying and this is when she chose to start working as a sex worker.
She told the university portal The Tab: ‘’I have always enjoyed sex, and there was simply no other option that could be adapted to my university schedule.’’
At first Lucy started offering pictures via the adult platform OnlyFans, but when that wasn’t enough, she chose to start working as a prostitute. Most of her clients were coming straight from the OnlyFans platform.
Studying in the United Kingdom is expensive, locals pay up to 9,250 pounds in tuition every year, and a foreigner that studies in the UK pays twice as much per year. In addition, the costs of living are also high. About two thirds of the British students have a part-time job, one of the reasons being the fact that the government maintenance loan is on average 223 pounds less than the cost of life.
The results of a survey created by the financial portal Save the Student shows that about 3% of the British students finance their studies through sex work and another of 9% are considering the option. The Kingston University Student Council estimates the number of student sex workers in the country at up to 70,000.
Student work was hardly a public issue
Student work was hardly a public issue, but that is changing now that the conservative government senses a scandal. The occasion is an online training that the student council at Durham University had offered.
The aim of the online training was to offer help, support and tips to the students who chose to make money from sex work and to the students that are considering the idea. The University of Leicester had previously made a strange move and assured the students that undressing in front of a camera was totally legal, as well as being endured by ‘’sugar daddies’’.
Michelle Donelan, the University State Secretary, was outraged. The universities would legitimise a ‘’dangerous industry’’. She also added that ‘’this course aims to normalize the sale of sex that has no place in our universities.’’
Durham University reacted to the University State Secretary’s declaration. The said: ’’We do not apologise for the work we are doing to ensure that Durham provides a safe environment for all students and staff’’. There are many courses available to provide support on mental health, drug or alcohol issues.
PTSD after graduation
Above all, student representatives point out that a constructive approach is necessary. ‘’Student sex workers are a fact of modern life,’’ said Jonah Graham of the Durham Students Union. Pretending that this isn’t the reality would mean making a serious mistake that would affect students.
Very often you can hear about students who did not managed to quit sex work after graduation or who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite this, many universities ignored the topic.
According to different statistics, the number of students that started working as sex workers has increased significantly during the pandemic, also as a result of the social media. Elizabeth Buckner and Aaron Brown of the University of Toronto, Canada, declared: ‘’With the rise of platforms like OnlyFans and JustForFans, anyone can do sex work from their home or dorm.’’ OnlyFans number of users has multiplied since the beginning of the pandemic.
Uk is not the only country where students choose sex work as a part-time job in order to pay for their studies. In Germany, too, sex serves as a part-time job, as it was made clear by Sonia Rossi’s autobiographical novel ‘’Fucking Berlin’’ (2008). Based on surveys, tens of thousands of students in Germany will finance their studies by selling nude photos, erotic videos, used underware, escort services, phone sex or prostitution.
Founder of the Support for Student Sex Workers charity, Jessica Hyer Griffin, said that ‘’it is important that all universities have a sex work policy to prevent students from experiencing discrimination or prejudice.’’ She also believes that universities should train more employees. She added: ‘’Sex work will not go away for students, universities must take this into account and protect students.’’
Previously we wrote
The corona virus pandemic affected a lof of people’s life around the World, we also covered other countries in our sex worker news-reports.
Spain is among the top countries wirth the most sex workers working, but the current prime minister said he wishes to ban prostitution in the country. Read more here: Current situation of the prostitution scene in Spain
Prostitution in Germany became almost impossible because all brothels has been closed since the start of corona virus pandemic. A lot of sex workers have been left without work, or worse, homeless. Read our article here: Prostitution news in the aftermath of COVID-19 in Germany
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