How to respond sensitively to women who are leaving the 'sex industry':

• Create opportunities for women to disclose their involvement in selling or exchanging sex and to explore alternatives.
• Recognise that a lot of women may not bring up the subject of exiting themselves. Ask women whether they would like to consider alternatives to selling sex and to receive support in that process.
• Exiting should always be an option and never a condition for support. Let women know that exiting is their choice and that you can discuss exiting and support them with this if they want.
• Women’s circumstances can change. Even if a woman doesn’t want to explore alternatives now, make sure to re-visit the question throughout their support journey with your service.
• Consider that exiting is a process and women might not always have full control of when and how to leave the ‘sex industry’. Make sure to explore their needs and create a support plan.

• Understand that barriers such as having a criminal record, past trauma, continued coercion, poverty and other vulnerabilities can make it harder for a woman to leave the ‘sex industry’. Work in partnership with other services to reduce these risk factors so women can focus on what they want to do next.
• Abusive partners, pimps, controllers and other individuals can impact women’s ability to leave the ‘sex industry’ when they want to. Make sure to highlight and address the coercion women may be experiencing.
• Women might start and stop selling or exchanging sex at different points. The support you provide should never be dependent on an expectation that women will fully stop their involvement at a given time. Instead allow for set-backs and reversals.
• Make sure women have a stable place to live with practical needs covered (food, childcare, access to substance use medication, safety). Having these needs met can give women the space to consider what they want to do next.
• Women's need for support often doesn’t end once they exit. They may require professional and peer support that could help them to establish an alternative routine, a social network and to process practical and emotional challenges.
• Identify if there is a specialist service in your area that can support women with exiting.
• However, recognise that holistic services of this type are limited in Scotland and that your service should play a role in supporting women’s exiting journey. Work closely with other agencies to respond together to the range of needs women have as they stop selling or exchanging sex.
• Women’s development is vital in their exiting journeys – some women will want to consider employment or opening a business, others may not be able to move into a job due to different circumstances. Identify and recognise women’s aspirations, skills and help them to explore suitable options.