Breaking down the barriers A study of how women exit prostitution

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A three-year joint study between Eaves and London South Bank University.

Key findings:
1.The vast majority of women in the sample who wanted to exit were able to leave
prostitution relatively quickly when they received appropriate support.
2. Having a criminal conviction was identified as a major barrier to exiting. 49% of the women
had criminal convictions for prostitution related offences.
3. Women involved in indoor prostitution faced a range of barriers to exiting including,
problematic alcohol and drug use , housing , childhood violence .
4. Violence from buyers was frequently reported as a motivating factor for women to exit
from prostitution. 61% of women in the sample reported experiences of violence from buyers
of sexual services.
5. Providing dedicated support to help women who want to exit was found to be an extremely
cost-effective way of preventing further physical or emotional harm associated with their
continued involvement in prostitution.
6. Services that provide support to women in prostitution should ensure that the support they
offer doesn’t just help to maintain women in prostitution but proactively seeks to assist them
to exit and rebuild their lives.