Healthy Relationships and Sex Work

Domestic abuse can involve any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse. It can apply to anyone:

  • Aged 16 or over
  • Who are or have been intimate partners or family members
  • Any gender or sexuality

Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to the following types of abuse:

  • Psychological: Jealousy, humiliation, degradation, put downs, isolation from family and friends, threats of suicide, using the children to inform or report on you.
  • Physical: Beating, kicking, slapping, punching, burning, strangulation, stabbing or denying sleep.
  • Sexual: Rape, enforced sex or prostitution, pornography, or any sexual behaviour or activity which you find unacceptable.
  • Financial: Withholding money, monitoring your spending, preventing you from working
  • Emotional: Name calling, making light of the abuse or denying the abuse, threats to harm you or your children.
  • Coercive control: A pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence

Domestic abuse can also include Harassment, stalking and online/digital abuse.

The stats

  • 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience abuse at some point in their lifetime
  • Domestic abuse-related crime is approximately 8% of total crime.
  • On average the police receive an emergency call relating to domestic abuse every 30 seconds.
  • Women’s offending is more likely than men's to be linked to their relationships
  • Of young women offenders in custody, 40% have suffered violence at home and 30% have experienced sexual abuse at home

Accessing support

If you are experiencing physical, sexual, psychological, emotional or financial abuse or are being threatened or intimidated by a current or previous partner or adult family member you are a victim of domestic abuse.

You may be feeling frightened, isolated, ashamed and confused. Remember you are not to blame for what is happening. You are not alone and above all you do not have to suffer in silence - help is available.

If you would like to find out where and how to access support, please use the search functions or urgent help button.

Sex Work

Many women find themselves trapped in the life of sex work, which can often be a result of homelessness, drug/alcohol abuse, financial difficulty or sometimes abusive relationships. 

If you are seeking support around getting out of sex work here is some information that might help:

Beyond the Streets Call back Line:

0800 1337870

This is a free phone number but there may be a small charge if calling from a mobile. Please do leave a quick message with a name and a mobile number and we will call you back. (We only reply to calls from mobile phones, to protect your confidentiality).

Or you can email: support@beyondthestreets.org.uk

If you send us a message with a name and a mobile number we can call you at a good time.

http://beyondthestreets.org.uk/i-need-support/

One 25:

Reach out to women working on the streets of Bristol, specialising in enabling women to break free from street sex-work, addiction and other life-controlling issues and build new, independent lives. We provide night outreach (5 sessions weekly), drop-in centre and casework, giving person-centered support and advocacy to around 240 women each year.

Our service users are women over 18 years old who are trapped in, vulnerable to, or building new lives away from street sex-work. We meet their complex, intertwined needs including: addiction, homelessness, life skills and employment, poverty, violence, ill-health, offending and bad or broken relationships.

Van outreach operates 5 nights a week (9-12 Mondays-Thursdays; and on Fridays from 9-1:30am).

Drop-in is open Monday to Wednesday and Friday: 12:30-3:30pm.

Our Freephone number is 08006 125125

Address: The Grosvenor Centre,
138a Grosvenor Road,
St. Pauls, Bristol, BS2 8YA