We were very grateful for the opportunity to interview writer and prostitution survivor Rose Hunter, whose memoir Body Shell Girl was released in 2022. Campaigns Manager Caitlin Roper sat down with Rose for a discussion on myths and misconceptions about the sex trade, the problems with 'sex work' terminology, Lily Phillips, women’s ‘choices’ and supposed empowerment, as well as why we support the Nordic or abolitionist approach to prostitution legislation rather than full decriminalisation (which decriminalises pimping, brothel keeping and sex buying).

We include some highlights from Rose below.

“The common thread is a culture that normalises the objectification of women while shielding the men who exploit it”

A YouTube documentary released last week records the experience of English OnlyFans model Lily Phillips in her quest to have sex with 100 men in a single day.

The documentary, produced by YouTuber Josh Pieters, follows Lily prior to the day as well as in the immediate aftermath of the sexual feat. Smiling weakly and blinking back tears, her eyes red and stinging from so many men ejaculating in them, the frail 23-year-old describes the ordeal as “intense” and leaves the room in tears.

In response to the viral clip extracted from the doco, many viewers dismissed the obvious damage to Lily on the basis that she chose to participate. She chose to be used by these men, they argue, so the harm done to her doesn’t count. The men who took turns using her body in rapid succession get a free pass. We do not believe it is that simple.

"Men can dress up as the men who beat, rape, abuse and murder vulnerable women and girls in the sex trade as though it is just a bit of fun or a laugh – enabled by you."

Back in July, we exposed craft and fabrics store Spotlight selling pimp costumes that trivialise male violence against women and girls in the sex trade.

The retailer has failed to respond – even after we contacted Head Office by phone and email multiple times, and even after we published the account of a sex trafficking survivor who outlined how these products normalise the sexual exploitation of women.

It appears Spotlight has made a conscious decision to continue to sell misogynistic pimp costumes in their stores.

We’ve called on our thousands of supporters around the country to boycott Spotlight until they stop selling these products.

We exposed crafts and fabrics store Spotlight selling pimp costumes back in July. The retailer has failed to respond – even after we contacted Head Office by phone and email – and continues to sell these misogynistic products.

We wonder if Spotlight considered how women and girls who are survivors of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation might feel about their decision to knowingly profit from a product that trivialises their abuse?

Caroline Pugh-Robert, a sex trafficking survivor and award-winning expert and speaker, weighs in below.

Spotlight fails to pull pimp costumes from stores - it's time to #BoycottSpotlight

More than a month ago, we called out crafts and fabric store Spotlight for selling pimp costumes.

Pimps control women and girls in commercial sexual exploitation, often through physical violence and abuse. They sell vulnerable women and girls to other men for paid sexual abuse and take a cut (or all) of their earnings.

While the company quietly removed the costumes from its online store, they continue sell them in stores - even during their Book Week promotion, alongside Harry Potter, Disney and Spiderman costumes. 

Collective Shout supporter Alice alerted us to crafts and fabric store Spotlight selling Pimp costumes.

Pimps control women and girls in commercial sexual exploitation, often through physical violence and abuse. They sell vulnerable women and girls to other men for paid sexual abuse and take a cut (or all) of their earnings.

Reem Alsalem, United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences has delivered her report on prostitution, examining violence against women and girls “as a form, cause and consequence of prostitution”. We welcome her findings, which condemn prostitution as a form of male violence against women and her call for a human rights abolitionist approach to the sex trade. 

Ms Alsalem reviewed 300 submissions (including ours) from around 60 countries, including submissions and consultations from sex trade survivors before publishing her report. We were pleased to be cited in her final report.

In her concluding statements, she said:

I have complied with the obligations to consult widely and to listen. However, this Council has not asked me to listen only, and not listen to those that speak loudest but also to bring in my independent and impartial analysis from a human rights perspective.