Vulnerable UK women forced into ‘sex for rent’ by cost of living crisis
Women are increasingly being forced to engage in “survival sex” because of the cost of living crisis amid worsening conditions for Britain’s most vulnerable.
Charities warn that rising costs paired with years of underfunding mean women, including those with trauma and mental health issues, are having to turn to sex in exchange for housing or to meet other basic needs.
Sex for rent – when landlords demand sex in return for discounted or free accommodation – is a growing problem as economic conditions tighten, they said, with perpetrators using it as a tool to abuse and control.
It is particularly an issue among migrant women and asylum seekers, theObserver understands. The crisis is also making it harder for those trying to leave abusive relationships.
The Beyond the Streets charity said the cost of living crisis is driving those who are already vulnerable to turn to survival sex to meet the cost of bills and rent, leading to increased exploitation and abuse.
A support worker for the charity said she had spoken to women who are trapped in escorting or selling sex and several who are having to “top up” low-wage jobs with sex in order to make ends meet.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “The cost of living crisis is a driver [of survival sex], and for those already vulnerable, they face considerable exploitation. There is a lack of government funding to support the needs of women, and charities are struggling as their incomes reduce, expenses increase and they are faced with more demands on their services.”
Latin American Women’s Aid (LAWA) has seen multiple cases of “sex for rent” in recent months involving female asylum seekers. In one of the cases, a woman had been sofa-surfing for several months when she met a man who
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