Supporting Student Sex Workers
In December 2015, the University of Plymouth Student Union’s Executive Committee voted in favour of the decriminalization of prostitution and in favour of supporting student sex workers. As part of that policy, this document has been put together by sex workers attending Plymouth University, as well as our Advice team.
Screening & Safety
https://uknswp.org/um/ - If you work in person and advertise online, you can sign up to join the Ugly Mugs scheme. This will enable you to receive warnings about dangerous individuals, and lets you check numbers against a database of reported dangerous individuals. Ugly Mugs can also help you file a complaint and report incidents to the police anonymously.
https://saafe.info/main/index.php - The SAAFE forum also allows you to search for reported numbers. Input the number into the search box with an asterisk replacing the last two digits, e.g. 012345678**. As well as this, the forum is a place where you can seek support and advice related mainly to indoors escorting. There is also a section for webcam workers.
https://saafe.info/ - The SAAFE main page has a wealth of basic information for indoors workers on screening and general business.
https://www.truecaller.com/ - This app/website allows you to check phone numbers.
Sex Worker Organisations - Know Your Rights
http://prostitutescollective.net/know-your-rights/ - This link includes a download which was written by sex workers and legal professionals to explain the prostitution laws in accessible terms. It aims to help you know the law, how to protect yourself from arrest, how to defend yourself if charged, and where to get help. It is available in English, Bulgarian, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Thai.
http://prostitutescollective.net/ - The English Collective of Prostitutes are a current sex worker-led organisation based in London. They support and campaign for the decriminalization of prostitution.
https://www.swarmcollective.org/ - Sex Workers Advocacy and Resistance Movement are a current sex worker-led organisation based in London, with another branch in Glasgow, and links with sex workers around the country - including Plymouth. They campaign for decriminalization and are focussed on public education.
http://www.nswp.org/ - The Global Network of Sex Work Projects is a membership organisation comprising sex-worker led organisations around the world.
Online Sex Work
During Covid, more people took to online sex work through a variety of organisations. If you are taking part in online sex work in any form, please have a look at the points below on how to keep yourself and your identity safe.
- Make sure your online presence is seperate to your true identity - this includes usernames, the email address you sign up with, recovery phone numbers, etc.
- Run a VPN and, if possible, geoblock your location.
- Strip location metadata from photos - when you upload or share a photo, it often automatically shares the GPS co-ordinates of that photo. You can turn this off in your settings or use an external data remover.
- Make sure nothing in your surroundings gives away who you are or your location. Cover any post, certificates, uniform, etc and check reflections of mirrors and windows for anything you may have missed.
- Never give out your address - use a mail forwarding service if needed and make sure your payment methods dont reveal your identity and/or location.
- Watermark clips with your username so reposts and leaks can be easily spotted and taken down.
If you are ever in a situation where you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, the most important thing is to keep yourself safe. Always call 999 if you are in immediate danger.
Last updated: September 2026