- Sex work can be nice, but not all the time.
- The work is sometimes stressful because of things that happen to you
- People are sometimes unkind to you because there are prejudiced about the work you do
- Some sex workers face violence
Stress
Are you suffering from stress at work? You don’t feel like going to work, for example. Or are you often angry or sad? This might help:
- Talk about it to someone you trust. This could be a friend or a care provider
- Think about things you can change about your work to make it nicer or easier. You could choose different working hours, for example. Or offer different services
- You can sometimes prevent stress by taking good care of yourself. Eating and sleeping well reduces stress
Stigma
Are people critical when you tell them you are a sex worker? This might help:
- Talk about it to other sex workers where you work for example. Or at locations where there are a lot of sex workers
- Talk about it to someone you trust. This could be a friend or a care provider
- Think before you tell someone you are a sex worker. A lot of people are prejudiced about sex work
- Try to ignore other people’s prejudices. You know what is best for you
Are you being prejudiced by an institution? A municipality or bank, for example? Are you not getting the help you need? The Sex Work Reporting and Advice Point might be able to help you.
Violence
Sex workers sometimes face violence at work. Do you? You can:
- Get yourself to a safe place and ask for help. Are you in a room with an aggressive client? Then go to a place where there are other people.
- Talk about it with someone you trust
- Take a self-defense course, for example at the Amsterdam Center for Sex Workers (Resilience and
Self-defence course). - Do not work with clients who give you a bad feeling beforehand. You always have the right to refuse clients
- Report violence to the police or to Ugly Mugs. You can report aggressive clients there and check in advance whether a client is in the system. If they are, it is better not to meet them
Do you need advice or support? Get help
Do you have a problem or question about your work? Or do you need advice or care? You can get help.
