Why is Durham offering training for student sex workers?

As a first year university student from a disadvantaged background, I know all too well the constant struggle students can face to make ends meet. Before starting my studies at Durham, I worked three jobs to keep food in my mouth and clothes on my back while in full-time education. Living in group homes and emergency accommodation, I saw those around me searching desperately for any way to earn a living, even if it meant endangering their health and their lives.

So it was both surprising and disturbing to find when I arrived at Durham that the university’s student union was encouraging young people down an incredibly dangerous path by offering training for students doing sex work. Earlier this month, I was invited by the union to join a ‘Training Opportunity’ for ‘Students involved in the Adult Sex Industry’. The event description argued that ‘Student sex workers should not face any barriers to accessing support which is well informed and free from prejudice’ and offered both ‘level 1’ and ‘level 2’ training.