Jonah Graham: coverage of student sex worker training "wildly untrue"
Friday 12-11-2021 - 15:23
Jonah Graham, Welfare and LIberation Officer, comments on recent media coverage of Durham University's Students Involved in the Adult Sex Industry training session
Much of the media response to the University’s training has been misrepresentative of reality. The Minister of State for HE and FE's comments show that she fundamentally misunderstands the training. It is an attempt to support students in a difficulty arising from the reality of their lives outside of their studies. Ultimately, any suggestion that this training aims to facilitate sex work is ludicrous. As I have attended both levels of this training, which is more than any of those writing for the national press, I know these criticisms are made in bad faith and are wildly untrue.
We agree that “it is right that vital support to women is offered”, which is why the training was created. The training’s target audience is those who support students, so they understand the legal, safety, and wellbeing concerns of students and how to respond to disclosures sensitively. I am glad the minister agrees that we need to be “raising awareness", and that is what this training achieves. Anyone who cares about the safety of students should support this training, and educate themselves about its actual content before making poorly judged comments.
The Student Sex Work Project shows that there is a lack of policy and understanding in terms of supporting student sex workers. The vast majority of universities don’t have formal processes in place that staff can follow when they encounter a disclosure – a fact that could be harmful for students. Student sex workers are a fact of modern life, to deny them support in higher education is a grave mistake with real world implications for the students I represent. I am proud of my students' union for pushing for support, and proud of my university for offering this training.
