About Aspire

Aspire supports women, typically over the age of 25, who are subject to or at risk of sexual exploitation. This includes women involved in street-based prostitution and/or the wider sex industry, and also women who more generally face multiple disadvantage and have ‘complex’ unmet needs.

The women we support are often considered too ‘complex’ or ‘high risk’ to be supported by mainstream, single-issue focussed services. We are able to offer them our flexible, holistic approach which supports them emotionally and practically across a range of issues that may be impacting them simultaneously. We’re able to act as the lead professional, providing case coordination across a number of agencies, resulting in less overwhelm for the women.

From speaking with women involved in prostitution, we know that common routes in often involve:

• Experience of the care system
• Childhood abuse, including domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and childhood sexual exploitation (CSE)
• Trauma related mental health issues
• Having not ‘achieved’ at school and/or in employment (often interlinked with childhood trauma and/or learning disability)
• Criminalisation through the justice system
• Homelessness
• Substance use (often to cope with trauma)
• Repeated victimisation as adults- domestic abuse, coercive control, sexual violence, exploitation, trafficking
• Separation from family and missing out on positive support networks
• Poverty