Prostitution and Olympics Summit
Toynbee Hall's Safe Exit project is concerned that prostitution in the host five boroughs would be affected by the construction and hosting of the Olympics in London. Not only is demand likely to increase but there is a real risk that police would resort to ASBOs to "clean up the streets" in the run-up to 2012, rather than considering the needs of a vulnerable group of women.
In response to these concerns, we funded a 'Prostitution and the Olympics Summit' at Toynbee Hall in September 2009. This 'Open Space' event, facilitated by Annette Zera, brought together key voluntary and statutory players across the 5 boroughs to make sure that prostitution is not forgotten in planning for the Games and to start to build consensus around some minimum commitments. Eaves was a partner in the event, which was also attended by Women and Girls Network. We are part-funding follow-up work at Toynbee Hall to build on the momentum generated through this event.
A report of the summit is available to download: Prostitution and the Olympics Summit report.pdf