Abuse

Something bad happened

An unpleasant event is not easy to forget. It is not always easy to ‘get over it’. Perhaps you have experienced something bad, in your private life or at home. It could have been a recent event or even some time ago. Has a client or employer crossed your boundaries forcefully? You may also have seen something bad happening to another sex worker. Perhaps there’s a situation at home, such as domestic violence. These situations can cause a huge amount of stress, fear and sometimes, even mental illness.

When something bad happens, everyone reacts differently. Some people become anxious, others very busy or very quiet. Concentration often deteriorates, you are more easily startled and do not feel like doing anything. You may also notice physical symptoms such as headaches, poor sleep, nightmares and having no motivation for anything.

You can learn to cope with this. If you cannot solve the problem yourself, you can talk about them with an ACS social worker. We can firstly, provide you with a listening ear. But if you need more help, for example contacting the police or a psychologist, we can help. Don’t get stuck with it.

I am not doing this on my own free will

Do you have to hand over the money you earn from sex work to someone else? Don’t know how to get out of that situation? Then it is important to talk to someone you can trust about your situation. What could be going on?

• Someone has lied to you or forced you into prostitution.
• Someone is withholding money when they bring clients to you, for example.
• Your partner or someone else pressures you to earn money for them.
• You or your family is threatened and so you are forced to use sex work to earn money for someone else.

Whatever your situation, no one should pressure you to work in prostitution. And no one should demand money from you that you have earned through sex work. Know that you can get out of this situation. ACS can help you do that.