ABSTRACT
With no established call girl network and few, if any, brothels or massage parlours in the city, the women who chose to work as prostitutes had to initiate their contacts and negotiate their business on the streets. The Lane was the toughest patch, competitive, intimidating and frequently the scene of hostile exchanges, both verbal and physical, between the women. Many women had been around on the streets for years, they knew the rules of the game and would tend to look out for each other. There were codes of conduct concerning both individual behaviour and professional standards that everyone was expected to abide by; standards which, if breached, would simply not be tolerated by the other women. The majority of the women worked alone, and stood alone on the patch. The patch was a competitive arena. The majority of women worked only at night, alone and on the street.
