Working safe
Health
You provide sexual services with your body. Take good care of it. If you have sex with a client, do it safe and always use a condom. If you switch between regular penetration, blow-job or anal penetration, always use a new condom. During cunnilingus, use a dental dam or cut open a condom to make such a dam. It is possible that you have an STD in your throat with which you can infect yourself vaginally.
STD’s
STD’s are Sexually Transmitted Diseases. You can get an STD by having unsafe sex or if the condom breaks or glides off. Viral STD’s, such as herpes, HIV, hepatitis B and warts usually stay in your body. That means that the symptoms can come back. Bacterial STD’s, like chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis are usually treatable. However, it is very important to get yourself tested and not carry an STD around. You could infect others and/or even become barren.
Is health during work important to you?
- Get a preventive STD test regularly. Getting tested is confidential and free at Spot46.
- Always get tested after having unsafe sex or after a broken condom.
- Get a hepatitis B vaccine. You can get it for free at Spot46.
- If you have symptoms, get yourself tested. You can do this five days a week at the Centre for Sexual Health.
- Always use a condom.
- Beside the condom also use another form of anticonception.
If you have more questions on this topic, you can turn to the Centre for Sexual Health during their consultation hour at Spot46.
Safety
Clients can be demanding or aggressive or be under de influence of drugs or alcohol. Decide in advance if you let a client in or not, and also what will you do if you need help. Do you work behind a window, a club, a private house or an escort agency? Ask the owner or the host(ess) which security measures are in place to ensure your safety. They are legally obliged to do this. Will the driver wait for your outside after he takes you to a client? Does the room behind the window have an emergency button? Do you let somebody know where and how long you are working? Do you have a self-defence spray in your pocket? These are all things to think about before you start working.
Privacy
Sexwork is a legal profession. Yet it is still a taboo. That is why sexworkers want to protect their privacy as much as possible. Here are a number of ways to do that.
Tips to work safely:
- Make yourself unrecognizable with a wig, a mask or make-up.
- If you advertise online, do not place a photo of your face, only your body. Make sure you are not recognizable.
- Use a workname instead of your real name. In this way clients will not be able to find you online.
- On different online forums clients share the experiences they had with sexworkers. These forums are public. If you use a workname, you will stay anonymous.
- Get a mobile phone just for work. Keep work and private life separate.
- Use an email account with your workname when e-mailing with clients.