Barriers and Opportunities

Abstract

The obstacles or barriers to exiting faced by women involved in prostitution are widely recognised. These typically involve drug dependency, homelessness, lack of skills training or low educational levls, together with poor employment histories. Other barriers frequently cited include financial issues and problems associated with physical and mental health. It is also widely reported that many women face a number of these barriers simultaneously, and having begun on an exiting pathway they often face a combination of obstacles. This is part of the reason why the route out of prostitution is rarely linear, since even when women have overcome one barrier they may be set back by others.