ABSTRACT
Systematic statistics on the numbers of female prostitutes only exist for those charged with criminal offences related to prostitution. These figures fail to reflect the vast majority of women working as prostitutes. This chapter sets out how, where and when prostitutes and clients tend to meet and the initiatives involved. It discusses the proportionate numbers of women working as prostitutes in various settings, the ratio of clients to prostitutes and the social background of clients. The chapter describes the range of sexual and emotional interactions involved in prostitute/client encounters together with why the scale of prostitutes’ earnings is attractive. It then details four accounts to span the most characteristic circumstances in which encounters between prostitutes and clients occur. They are: Kathy, Moira, Sally, and Michelle. The numbers of prostitutes active on the streets in provincial red light areas at any particular hour are small.
