Sex workers' hands tied under virus lockdownsMadame Caramel's Hoxton Dungeon Suite near London's trendy Shoreditch neighbourhood has stood silent for weeks. - 'Urgent need' -Britain counted about 72,000 sex workers -- 32,000 of them in London -- in 2016, according to a government report. Meanwhile in Europe's capital Brussels, sex workers are relying on donated parcels of essentials to survive. It is distributed by a sex workers' collective, the Union of Sex Workers Organised For Independence (UTSOPI), whose volunteers make drop-offs every Wednesday. - 'Fear of contact' -Back in Britain, sex workers registered as self-employed are eligible for government hardship grants.

Source: Bangkok Post May 28, 2020 02:37 UTC