Sex workers sought by University of Nottingham to develop safety tool
- Published
It is hoped the tool will improve the safety of sex workers
Sex workers are being invited to join a research committee to advise experts who are developing a tool aimed at improving their safety.
The University of Nottingham is helping to develop a reporting tool for sex workers to report when they have experienced sexual or violent crime.
It is working alongside the Nottingham charity POW, which supports sex workers.
The university said: "The voices and views of sex workers are key."
It added that the committee would include a wide range of people who have an interest in supporting sex worker safety and access to justice.
The group would meet three times over the year in Nottingham, with representatives being paid for their time.
It is hoped the reporting tool will improve sex workers' access to justice and it will anonymously feed into key agencies to keep sex workers safe.
The university said the tool could also assist in a police investigation, should the sex worker wish to report any crime to the police.
Dr Sandy says she wants the tool to be fit for use, so the voices of sex workers were key
Dr Larissa Sandy, an assistant professor in criminology at the university, said: "We want to make sure the tool we are developing will be fit for use, so the voices and views of sex workers are key to this.
"We are also working with professionals and the police to ensure the tool can be used in investigations, should someone want to report their experience to the police."
Sam Richardson-Martin, specialist women's navigator at POW Nottingham, said: "Sex worker representatives on the committee will need to be comfortable with sharing their lived experience with a wide range of people.
"We will however ensure this is a safe space to do so, and confidentiality is upheld with nothing being shared outside of the committee."
The project is being funded by the British Academy's Innovation Fellowship and further information is available on POW's website.
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