Working girls fear benefit cuts

By ALAN PERROTT

Auckland beneficiaries who use sex work to supplement their incomes are worried that the industry's new legal status means they will have to be registered.

Experienced prostitutes have told the Herald that such a requirement would drive women further underground to protect their benefits, possibly putting them at greater risk.

"Most are that out of it, they don't care," said a woman who called herself Wanda. "But some girls are worried about what's going to happen, like will we have to register?

"That would be a bummer if we have to register like dogs, especially for people on benefits. Most of us are on something and we'd lose that money. We could end up worse off."

Some sex workers in the Hopetoun Bridge area on Thursday night resented the focus on their trade and felt the Government should mind its own business and leave them alone.

"Must of us see it as just another way for the Government to get more money. They are after some more tax; they couldn't care a hoot about us," said Wanda, who appeared to be in her 40s.

She said some sex workers feared that decriminalisation would bring more women onto the streets, provoking violence as established prostitutes hired muscle to protect their patch.

"Some young girls may think it's glamorous or easy," she said, "but I wish I had never started.

"It's not a good life. You get good money and that, but it's better that you don't do it.

"You work for long enough and then you don't want any kind of relationship with men. That's what spoils it for me."

Gillian has been working her patch for seven years and thinks the changed law will mean more money.

"Hopefully the guys won't be so scared to approach us now, so work might pick up.

"Most guys keep asking, 'Are you going to a safe place? Are we going to be caught?' Like [as though] I want to be arrested."

But she is worried introducing workplace standards for massage parlours will push their costs up. That would lead to higher prices and owners taking a bigger chunk of workers' earnings and could force more women onto the street in search of easier money.

"If that happens we'll have to get rid of them," said Gillian, who has a husband and children.

"Out here, there aren't many clean, straight, white women, so we're different and we're not in a parlour competing with a lot more slimmer women and everything.

"Right now we've got it OK. The police don't hassle us because we don't do drugs and we don't have to hop in with any Tom, Dick or Harry."

More competition could mean Gillian will have to spend more time on the street, something she dreads.

"Why work 40 hours when you only have to work four? I want a life.

"The kids are all in bed. This is a couple of hours twice a week, and that's it. I'm always home by 11.30 because I have to be up at 6.30 to get the kids ready for school.

"My husband doesn't mind what I do. He knows I'm a professional. I just see dollar signs in their eyes."