Terrence Higgins Trust

Charity Awards

'Sexual health services, and more'

The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) recognised that the Hillfields area of Coventry had a well-established sex work scene but there were no sexual health services available to the women working on the street, in saunas or elsewhere. In response, THT developed a confidential outreach service, Sex Workers into Sexual Health (SWISH).

Now, if a sex worker is arrested she is offered a needs assessment by a SWISH representative which aims to help her break the cycle of repeat offending. She will be offered a variety of services, such as sexual health information and drug treatment. A woman who has engaged with SWISH is not fined so she doesn’t need to go back to work to pay her debt. SWISH representatives also make contact with sex workers by regularly visiting massage parlours and women on the street.

Mark Graver, public relations manager, says: ‘We work with a very unpopular, misunderstood group of people. They find it hard to use mainstream and voluntary services that could benefit them and in time benefit the community, but we are reaching them.’

Nick Partridge
Chief Executive
111 Lancaster Road
London
W11 1QT
020 7816 8620
Reg no. 288527
www.tht.org.uk

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