Beverly Carter was being sexually abused by immediate members of her family, who then used her to provide paid-for sex to outsiders

Beverly Carter was being sexually abused by immediate members of her family, who then used her to provide paid-for sex to outsiders – leading to a 30-year stretch of prostitution. Despite eventually reporting the abuse to doctors, she says she wasn't helped and began to use alcohol and drugs – including slimming pills, cannabis and crack cocaine – to fill the painful void.Today, aged 47, Carter is free from alcohol and drugs and prostitution, citing a 12-step drugs programme and a conversion to Christianity as her turning points. "For me, a holistic approach to rehabilitation is what helped," she explains. "Prostituted women need to deal with all areas of their lives in order to get free – mind, body, soul, spirit and, most importantly, the deeper levels of emotions."Ten years ago, Carter founded the charity Bridging the Gap (BTG), part of the New Community network, which offers just such all-round support. Women affected by prostitution are supported in a holistic format through one-to-one mentoring, weekly group therapy sessions, and practical and financial assistance. BTG has helped around 100 women in the Southampton area to leave prostitution, make progress towards leaving or avoid being groomed for prostitution. Last year Carter was invited to advise MPs on how to tackle prostitution.
The policing and crime bill, which is being debated in the House of Lords, aims to create a new offence of paying for sex with a prostitute who is subject to force. "Force" would include threats, psychological manipulation, coercion, deception or trafficking.But Carter challenges the notion that any prostitute works without in some way having been forced into it. As a result, she believes that the acceptance of any paid-for sex should be illegal. "Through childhood sexual abuse, many prostituted women have become conditioned into thinking that this is their choice," she says. "That's what happened to me and to many others. It normalises this kind of behaviour and causes many to enter into the trade, which is why I think it should all be illegal. There should also be more investigation into child abuse, which would act as a preventive measure for those vulnerable to the sex industry."
To back her case, Carter points to the 2004 Home Office report Paying the Price, which highlighted some disturbing facts. In a representative sample of the women interviewed, 85% reported that they had suffered physical abuse within the family, and 45% said that they had suffered sexual abuse. Up to 70% had spent time in care, and as many as 95% of those involved in street prostitution are believed to be users of heroin and crack cocaine."Counselling, career mentoring, rehousing, drug rehabilitation and childcare assistance on a wider scale would help," she argues. "This costs a lot, but if the government is serious about creating change, then finance needs to be redirected from short-term funding for temporary fixes to a more long-term approach."In the meantime, Carter has started a new BTG group in Bournemouth: "Creating exit routes, enabling affected people to leave prostitution, is the priority. We're dealing with damaged individuals who are often children, emotionally, in adults' bodies."

Female police officers are to pose as prostitutes in South Africa

Female police officers are to pose as prostitutes in South Africa in a bid to snare kerb crawlers ahead of next year’s World Cup, security chiefs said.A squad of undercover cops will dress provocatively and walk the streets during a crackdown designed to catch sex workers’ clients in the act.
The planned stings are part of an operation to seize control of the HIV-ridden industry before around 450,000 foreign fans descend on the Fifa host nation next summer.Rudolf Wiltshire, a Cape Town city official who has fined 112 prostitutes for soliciting during the past last month, said 10 officers handpicked for the task would begin their new job next week.
He said: “These women were specifically selected for this function. They have all the attributes that are conducive to this kind of job.
“It requires high ethical norms and values, and a good understanding of the social issues of sex workers.
“Our team are receiving dedicated training aimed at enhancing sensitivity in the environments of health and substance abuse.
“They will also be equipped with information about safe housing, remedial intervention and how to connect sex workers with the organisations that drive social intervention”.
The move has angered campaign group the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat).
Sweat spokeswoman Vivienne Lalu said the industry would be driven further underground and deprive women of their human rights.
But as South Africa prepares for an influx of tourists – with around 25,000 expected from Britain – MPs and charities have repeatedly called for the country’s thousands of prostitutes to be brought under control. (Daily Telegraph)

Robbed after performing a sexual act

Arthur Elliott, of Baier Avenue in the Somerset section, was indicted Wednesday by a Somerset County grand jury on charges of first-degree armed robbery, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purposes and fourth-degree possession of a defaced firearm.

Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest has said the alleged victim, a New Brunswick woman, called township police at approximately 6 a.m. Oct. 4 and said she had been robbed at gunpoint in a parking lot off Hawthorne Drive near Byron Place.
The woman said she was robbed after performing a sexual act, according to Forrest.
Elliott picked up the woman in New Brunswick, and the two then traveled in his vehicle, a red Toyota Camry, to his residence to retrieve a condom prior to driving to Hawthorne Drive, police said.Elliott paid money to the woman for the sexual act, according to court papers.Once the sexual act was completed, Elliott got a firearm from the car's glove compartment, placed the firearm to the woman's head and robbed her of an undisclosed amount of money, according to court papers. The woman gave Elliott the money and was able to escape from the parked vehicle unharmed, court papers state.The woman then led detectives to Elliott's residence, court papers state.

Patronizing a prostitute reportedly is a misdemeanor offense, but the harassment conviction is a felony, according to the News-Tribune.

Convicted yesterday in a prostitution and harrassment case, a Washington state judge apparently will continue to collect his $148,000-a-year salary for the foreseeable future.Although the state attorney general's office contends that Washington law provides for Pierce County Superior Court Judge Michael Hecht automatically to vacate his elected office upon conviction, the county's presiding judge argues otherwise, reports the News Tribune.The state constitution, which presumably must trump conflicting state law, provides that judges can be forced from office only if impeached by the state legislature or removed by the state supreme court, after an investigation by the according to Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff.
“It is my understanding of the law that the entry of a conviction does not, of itself, remove a superior court judge from office,” he tells the newspaper.
An investigation of Hecht's conduct is already under way by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, which could potentially lead to his removal, and a fact-finding hearing is scheduled Feb. 22 at the King County courthouse in Seattle. Unless and until the supreme court or legislature acts, however, Hecht, who has been on paid leave since March from his judicial job, will continue to receive his $148,000-a-year pay.
Patronizing a prostitute reportedly is a misdemeanor offense, but the harassment conviction is a felony, according to the News-Tribune.

WHAS11 News has been investigating a local male modeling agency for six months.

Some of the models say the agency isn't delivering on its promise to try to find the models work and they say the work that is being offered isn't to model.
It's an investigation six months in the making, with a criminal file that dates back to 1992 when Russell Claxon spent time in jail for promoting male prostitution.
Now a model in his agency claims he's at it again.
Michael Casolari is model number 88 at Models Today L.L.C.
He’s 5'11, 173 pounds and trying to get out of modeling.
According to Casolari, he hasn’t made a dollar modeling for Russell Claxon.
Tim Amyx is model number 59 on the site. He is 6'1, 173 pounds and looking for a break."Brand new to the area, just moved here, didn't have a job, didn't even have a place to live yet and the money he promised was sounded pretty good," says Amyx.
Also there's Kyle Dever, model number 148. He has taken Russell Claxon to court.
Claxon was in small claims court to defend himself after Dever sued him for the money paid to join the agency."I paid $225, which is half of one of my unemployment checks. Then two weeks later, when I got my next check, I gave him the rest of it. Its $450 total," says Dever.Claxon testified in court that he currently represents 349 models. WHAS11 News doesn’t know how much money he makes, but if all those models paid the $450 to sign up, that would add up to over $157,000.
Claxon has offered no evidence that he's placed any of those models in a modeling job.Judge Jacquelyn Eckert ordered Claxon to give Dever his money back.
"You've shown me nothing to indicate that you're running a legitimate business. I think you're running a scam," said Judge Eckert.
The court awarded Kyle Dever his $450 minus court costs. Russell claxon appealed the decision and lost.

Dutch girl ´Meinke´ (25) used to be a prostitute.

Dutch girl ´Meinke´ (25) used to be a prostitute.
´Make a lot of money and do as little for it as possible. Of course most people would like that. But most of them are not prepared to do for that what I did: become a prostitute.

When I was eightteen I moved from the small town where I was born to Amsterdam. The capital had always drawn me. As a little kid I used to go there with my parents. During those visits I always enjoyed the special atmosphere and the people. It was very different from the place I grew up in. I just had to live there.

I was there for a couple of months and had a great time. I found a job at a departmentstore and there I met Lonneke. She became my best friend. Together we wandered whole days all over town. Except for work we had not much else to do. We started to live for party-ing. If we were at home, we just waited for it to get dark. Every sunday it was on: we went to this legendary club in the city. One sundaynight we wanted to go, but we didn´t have any money. We took to the streets and started to ask people for dough. A very desperate act, but it did work. I asked one guy for 1 euro. He gave me 15! Enough for an entrance-ticket. Then and there emerged the idea of becoming a hooker. I didn´t tell Lonneke a thing. Or any of my other friends for that matter. I viewed my looks very business-like. If men liked me that much, well, then they had to pay for me.´

Inquest into the death of a Sydney teenage prostitute has been adjourned to pass on new evidence to the homicide squad.

Inquest into the death of a Sydney teenage prostitute has been adjourned to pass on new evidence to the homicide squad.NSW Deputy State Coroner Jacqueline Milledge on Friday adjourned the inquest into the death of 17-year-old Arron Light, whose remains were found in a shallow grave on the banks of a canal in Sydney's inner west in March 2002.Counsel assisting the inquest, Ron Hoenig, told Glebe Coroner's Court a person gave new information to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on Thursday.Mr Hoenig said the material was "significant" and was corroborated by evidence at the inquest."It's my submission that that material needs to be forthwith forwarded to the homicide squad," Mr Hoenig said."It's my submission that that material is of such significance that your honour adjourn this inquest."The inquest was adjourned for two years in 2007 and resumed in October this year.Ms Milledge noted the delays, but said the new information needed to be investigated.
"At this stage of course it's a significant development that requires a careful scrutiny of the material that has been offered to the coroner and I do think the only group that could do that ... is the homicide squad," she said.
Mr Hoenig discussed the adjournment with Arron's parents, who were present in court.
"As Mrs Light said to me, 'We only get one shot at this'," Mr Hoenig said.
Ms Milledge said the decision to delay the inquest was the right one.
"I gave a commitment ... that what could be done would be done and we would do our best and this is part of it."
Frederick Rix, 81, a "person of interest" at the inquest, queried Ms Milledge on the nature of the new evidence.Arron had been due to give evidence against Mr Rix in a sex abuse trial listed for March 1998, but after he went missing in December 1997 the prosecution offered no evidence at the trial and Mr Rix was acquitted.
"This inquest is definitely a war of attrition," Mr Rix said.
"This is more or less another ploy to delay the inquest."
Mr Hoenig said the delay was in fairness to Mr Rix to ensure whoever was engaged in the "heinous murder" of Arron was brought to justice.
The adjournment also allows Ms Milledge to extend the warrant for Elliott Little, a friend of Arron's who sometimes uses the alias "Elliott Young", who it is hoped will give evidence at the inquest.The 34-year-old was last known to be residing in Cairns.
The matter will be mentioned in the same court on February 12 to check on the progress of the investigation.