Charity CEO Distances Herself from Past Book Comments on Sex Workers

The head of a Luton-based charity, which provides assistance to individuals affected by sex trafficking, has stated that she “completely disassociates herself” from remarks concerning sex workers found in a book she co-authored in 2002. An advocacy organization called for Azalea, the charity, to be refused all funding from the municipal council for initiatives aimed at combating sexual exploitation. However, Azalea contended that the national body National Ugly Mugs (NUM) was “seeking to discredit its work” by citing passages from a publication released half a dozen years prior to the charity’s establishment. Within the book Working the Streets, Azalea’s Chief Executive Officer Ruth Robb and Marion Carson asserted that the majority of sex workers “have had some exposure to the occult” and the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. Furthermore, they penned that there “may be a high degree of lesbian promiscuity” among individuals engaged in sex work. NUM, an organization offering victim assistance to sex workers, released findings that underscored what it alleged were “extremist religious views” expressed by Ms Robb in the aforementioned publications. Nevertheless, Azalea informed the BBC that “its work is not influenced in any way by the 2002 book”. A representative for the organization further stated that Working the Streets ought to be considered outdated by Ms Robb’s newer publication, Walk Into Freedom, which came out in 2021. This later book, also co-authored with Ms Carson and characterized as a “Christian outreach to people involved in commercial sexual exploitation”, contained instructions for performing exorcisms of “demonic possession”. Illustrations of what this entailed encompassed “flailing limbs”, “destructive violent behaviour”, and a “sudden change of voice or facial expression”. NUM asserted that remarks made by Ms Robb had caused the Scottish government to discontinue intentions of incorporating Azalea into its planned regional center for sexual exploitation. Azalea verified that its personnel convened with the Scottish government earlier in the current year to “explain our approach to working with men seeking to reduce their purchase of sex” but noted that “there was no further engagement and we were entirely comfortable about that”. The Azalea representative further stated: “We have instructed solicitors in connection with NUM’s actions and have confirmed to NUM that Azalea will not tolerate any further instances of misleading and defamatory publications.” In its correspondence to the Luton council, NUM requested the body to “urgently confirm it will not dispense public funds to Azalea”, implying that the charitable organization “may be in line to receive upwards of £200,000 of public funding to deliver services”. It additionally stated: “We also have significant concerns about the involvement of Azalea in Luton Council’s proposed sexual exploitation strategy.” The council informed the BBC that Azalea participated as a partner in its collaborative efforts to address on-street sex exploitation, yet it was not presently supplying any direct financial support to the charity. For updates on news from Beds, Herts, and Bucks, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.