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Being Outside: CONSTRUCTING A RESPONSE TO STREET PROSTITUTION
Chapter Seven: PREVENTING INVOLVEMENT IN PROSTITUTION
7.1 It is self evident that, if an effective, lasting impact is to be made on reducing the numbers of women involved in street prostitution in Scotland, not only must those currently involved be successfully helped to move away from prostitution - and stay away - but ways must also be found to stop progress of that nature being undermined by more women becoming involved. The preventive activity necessary to disrupt recruitment into street prostitution should be informed by what is known about the factors which influence the likelihood of a woman turning to prostitution. Overwhelmingly, this is dominated by drug misuse, but a combination of that and some or all of the following frequently influence women's entry into street prostitution: untreated mental illness, family breakdown and experience of being looked after outwith the family; experience of sexual and physical abuse; under-achievement at school and lack of employment skills; exposure to unemployment; criminality as a cultural norm, insecure housing and low income. The characteristics which define the concepts of 'social exclusion' are very evident as associated with why women take this step. Preventive work needs to operate both at a general level and a specific individual level if these routes into prostitution are to be disrupted. The local plan ( see 6.5 above) should therefore indicate the strategies in place to tackle aspects of social exclusion within the community generally (which will benefit those within this group who may be susceptible to turn to street prostitution) and the services which will target children and young women made vulnerable by risk factors such as those listed above. It is essential that preventive work relating to the risk of involvement in prostitution fits firmly within the context of existing national and local social inclusion strategies.
7.2 Generic Community Interventions
Continuing attention to strategies in the following areas - informed by evidence of 'what works' in terms of effective outcomes - will contribute to a comprehensive strategy of reducing risk of involvement in prostitution:
- support for vulnerable families to prevent breakdown, safeguard against intra-familial and external abuse and ensure a supportive developmental framework for children growing up. Key services include - pre-school care, home support for families in difficulty, parenting skills enhancement, robust protection against abuse, income maximisation (for families and young adults) and secure housing.
- positive experience of substitute care in the event of family breakdown, which, whether on the basis of possible family rehabilitation or more permanent substitute care is decisive, well planned and consistently reliable in its execution, and which continues into early adulthood, to ensure that developmental progression is sustained and well supported.
- education which is retentive and persistent in overcoming school resistance and school difficulties, which may be connected with the young person's social or home circumstances.
- 'education' in a broad sense which offers social learning to young people in ways which enhance healthy development, addressing themes such as - sexual behaviour and sexual health, self confidence and self esteem, personal relationships, respect for others, gender equality, drug and alcohol misuse.
- increased access to further education, training and employment - including focused assistance for those most difficult to employ.
- inclusive and imaginative responses to young people who are 'challenging' - whether in the context of school, home, local community or the justice system.
7.3 Targeted Preventive Interventions
It should be noted that an emphasis in service design on being accessible and appropriate to the needs of young women (in the context of counteracting involvement in street prostitution) and which is retentive and persistent in the face of resistant or challenging behaviour will increase their effectiveness. Specific services which will contribute preventively include the following:
- drug and alcohol services able to work educationally to prevent misuse; or with experimental users; or with young people who use dependently;
- specific supportive services for children of drug and alcohol misusing parents (in a context of service provision also for the parent whose parenting abilities are compromised);
- confidential counselling and support services for young victims of abuse;
- child and adolescent mental health screening and response services;
- effective future needs assessment for young women with learning disabilities, connecting to services of additional support as required;
- continuing full-time education provision for children excluded from school or failing to progress in education;
- robust support for young people leaving care and other young people estranged from their family, including safe housing, training and employment support, personal support and mentoring and preparation for independent living;
- housing with support for young people living independently.
The capacity of services to deal promptly and constructively with crises (including out of normal working hours), to access short-term respite arrangements and to flexibly vary the degree of service engagement according to the needs of circumstances, will be integral to their effectiveness.
Many of these are, to greater or lesser degrees, likely to be priorities under existing children's services strategies. Their specific capability to contribute to the objectives of preventing involvement in prostitution is therefore only one component in the case for effective services of this nature. However, a comprehensive provision of effective services with these objectives, which connect together and are properly case managed, would contribute fundamentally to the objectives of preventing gravitation towards involvement in prostitution.
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