Ms Maeve Lewis:

One in Four does not work directly with people involved in prostitution. We work with people who have been sexually abused. They come to us and then the issues relating to prostitution emerge. It is clear to us – other agencies support this point – that people need this support to empower themselves to come to feel differently about themselves and change the way they view themselves - I described the issues of self-loathing, low self-esteem and so on - and realise that there are other options. That support could be provided through psychological services and then more practical services in terms of access to education, training and retraining. We believe strongly that while it is a hard road, it is not an impossible one. Every day in One in Four we see that over time people can, with a good deal of support and following a difficult journey, transform their lives and look back on that period as the nightmare it was. I am unsure if that helps.