Durham University defends its support of student sex workers
Durham university has recently made headlines after it offered training sessions to support students involved in sex work.
The training sessions are intended to help students in sex work by ensuring they can access advice and support when needed. According to the Independent, the training sessions “comprise two levels and offer an understanding of the challenges and obstacles that student sex workers might struggle to overcome when wishing to seek support.”
The training “is an attempt to support students in a difficulty arising from the reality of their lives outside of their studies”.
The training sessions were criticised by some people and came under fire by Michelle Donelan, the Further Education Minister, who said that the training was “‘legitimising a dangerous industry which thrives on the exploitation of women’” and that “‘this course seeks to normalise selling sex’”, according to the BBC.
In response to the concerns raised, Durham Univeristy has defended its support of student sex workers.
In addition to the statement released by Durham Students’ Union defending the sessions, Jonah Graham, a Welfare and Liberation Officer, writes in a blog post for Durham Students’ Union that “much of the media response to the University’s training has been misrepresentative of reality”.
He adds that the training “is an attempt to support students in a difficulty arising from the reality of their lives outside of their studies”.
Editor: Orla Mackinnon