Ruby* cannot remember what it was like to live a normal life. Her daily routine begins a little later than that of others. Unlike many professionals, she doesn’t have to get up early in the morning and head to the office in rush hour, nor does she receive a pay-cheque or take the weekends off. But Ruby* does have to report to a boss, provide services for clients and works within one of the fastest growing professions in the UK.
10:30pm
Ruby* has been standing on a street corner by a large park in South London for an hour. She is nineteen years old but her heavy make-up and tired, worn face make her look much older. Exhausted but resilient, she stands freezing in the icy November temperatures, her skeletal frame shaking underneath a camisole and leather hot pants. She feels sick at the thought of what she will have to do tonight.
10:40pm
Rubbing her numb hands together she remembers how it was the first time. She cried all the way through, but her boyfriend had told her he wanted her to sleep with other men, that it made him happy. He had offered her drugs for the first time that night. She was fifteen.
11:00pm
Ruby* thinks about the job. Once she’s picked up she can focus on making the money she needs to by her fix and maybe find somewhere to rest for a few hours, plus the car is usually warm. There are the parlours or escort services, where she could use a room and have the punters come to her, but business isn’t as frequent. Clients don’t like that the girls are more expensive and the pimps take a larger cut of the earnings. But still, there might be more protection and security.
11:15pm
A black car pulls up to the side of the road directly in front of Ruby*. She walks up to the window and looks in. As she speaks she sizes up the guy in the car. She is terrified and nervous. He doesn’t look crazy, she thinks. But how do you tell? She’s heard that girls sometimes get murdered doing this.
11:20pm
Ruby is glad that her family don’t have to witness what happens next. Even though she tries not to focus on her parents, she still feels disgusted and ashamed. They haven’t spoken since she ran away from home. She closes her eyes and worries that she will never remember what it is like to be happy. Feeling trapped and repulsed she prays that this one will not try to bargain too much, will pay properly and remain gentle.
4:00am
Ruby sits on the edge of the curb. She is relieved the night is over and that she can see daylight again. She feels lucky tonight because there wasn’t any pain. She thinks back to being brutally beaten by a curb-crawler a few months ago. A passer-by had taken her to hospital but she hadn’t dared to report it to the police.
4:30am
It’s been too long since she has slept or eaten and she feels dirty and used. Thinking of the money in the pocket of her shorts, she focuses on the only thing keeping her alive. Business was slow tonight but it’s enough for a hit and maybe some food.
4:45am
Ruby* meets with her pimp. She hopes he might offer her somewhere to sleep after he has taken his cut of the money. Wondering what it would be like to be in control of her own life, she hands over the cash and leaves to find her dealer.
6:00am
Ruby* is unconscious on the floor of an illegal squat. Her body is wasted from malnutrition and drug abuse. She is at risk of numerous sexually transmitted infections, as well as illnesses associated with cocaine and heroin use. Totally isolated and hopeless, she is vulnerable to abuse from those around her that feed her habit to control her actions and exploit her for money. If she wakes, she will be forced to traipse back out onto the streets and her nightmare will begin all over again for another day…
Ruby’s 24 hours is an example of the hellish experience thousands of women in the UK go through each night.
The A21 Campaign, The Magdalene Group, Poppy Project and National Christian Alliance on Prostitution all aim to offer a way out of the street life for women and girls with stories like this. Providing help with housing, health, employment and relationships, they attempt to harnesses the ambition of the incredible women that come to them for support.
*The story is a combination of real events and fiction-based upon a real life story*
Written by Laura Shaw