Lucy saw no other possibility. She had lost her temporary job at a bar due to a pandemic and could not find another one. And because the money for tuition and the cost of living was not enough, she turned to prostitution, she reveals on the university portal The Tab: “I always liked sex and it was the only way to combine work and study.” Lucy started by posting photos on the erotic website OnlyFans and a little later she started meeting “clients”.
Studying in Britain is an expensive affair. Citizens of the United Kingdom pay tuition fees of up to 11,000 euros a year, while for foreigners the tuition fees are more than double. To these are added the often high cost of living. Over 65% of students work in parallel with their studies, and because the public student loan is on average 3 223 lower than the cost of living.
A survey of the financial website “Save the Student” shows that 3% of students fund their studies working in the erotic industry and that an additional 9% of respondents are considering doing so. Student representatives at Kingston University estimate that around 70,000 students in the United Kingdom, most of them women, make money from the love trade.
Many HEIs consciously ignore the sensitive issue
And yet: in the public sphere the issue of students being prostituted or earning a living working for erotic websites plays almost no role in the UK. That fact must be taken into account when the conservative government of Boris Johnson called the initiative of student representatives at Durham University to help, support and inform market sex students a scandal. The University of Leicester had previously assured its students that it was legal for them to undress in front of cameras or to be maintained by rich men, called Sugar Daddies.
Conservative politician Michel Donlan, who is in charge of university affairs, appeared shocked by the official announcements of the Universities, talking about “legitimizing a dangerous economic sector”. Durham University’s response was clear: “We do not apologize for trying to make life safer on campus, both for students and staff.”
Student representatives also respond that a constructive approach to the issue is needed, as it is a “reality of modern life”. Ignoring this reality is a tragic mistake and has an impact on students’ daily lives, says Jonah Graham of the Durham University student body. There is often talk of students who, even after graduation, fail to escape the erotic industry or others with post-traumatic stress disorder. Many HEIs, however, are consciously unaware of the sensitive issue.
Tens of thousands of students live in Germany from market sex
In Germany, however, prostitution is a choice for many students to cover their expenses. The public realized this at the latest with Sonia Rossi’s book “Fucking Berlin” (2008). Polls in Germany also show that tens of thousands of students fund their studies with nude photos, videos, the sale of used underwear, telephone sex or prostitution.
“It’s important to have the right information:” It’s important for all universities to set a specific set of rules for those students who work one way or another in the sex industry, so as to avoid discrimination or prejudice, “says Jessica Haier Griffin. founder of an organization to support graduate students. He believes that universities should have specialized staff to be able to help those in need: “Students’ work in the erotic industry will continue and universities should be properly prepared to protect in the best possible way their students “.
Benedict von Imhoff, dpa
Edited by: Stefanos Georgakopoulos
DW
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