Charlotte Rose is a sex worker. She normally works alone in London, but when she travels across the country β as she often does to get new work and expand her client base - she prefers to join up with other sex workers. By that she means anything from robbery to sexual assault or, in the worst case scenario, attempted murder. An Airbnb landlord recently told the BBC that his home had been used as a pop-up brothel. Airbnb commented at the time: "We have zero tolerance for this type of behaviour.
According to a two-year study published this week, Beyond the Gaze , which heard from more than sex workers and 1, clients, pop-up brothels are on the rise. What are the advantages? When someone agrees to come with her, the pair then hire an apartment together for a long weekend. Their criteria include security gates, a video intercom, and locked premises.
Ideally, there will be a private Facebook group run by local sex workers that they can join, where colleagues warn one another of dangerous clients and locations to avoid β or places they recommend. Accommodation, travel, and living costs will be deducted from that. Nonetheless, Charlotte is adamant that she will not work alone. Laura Watson, spokeswoman for the English Collective of Prostitutes, has seen an increase in informal pop-up brothels β 'short term lets' β along with an increase in prostitution.
Charlotte is a mother of two and has been working in the sex industry for 20 years. Katie, 31, is a sex worker based in the south. She is now in the process of finding a permanent property with just one friend, but she worries about being arrested if their situation is discovered. It would reduce the danger element. There are many dangers facing sex workers. Many do not report their crimes. Dan Vajzovic, the national police lead on prostitution, urges sex workers to come forward to report crimes.
He explains that although arrests are made for brothel-keeping, the police focus is increasingly on large-scale organised crime and pimping. Nonetheless, activist and campaigner, Laura Lee, wishes the law would change to allow sex workers like herself to work together.
