Beloved

Beloved was founded 10 years ago following the recognition of an unmet need in the City of Bristol. Whilst there was considerable support for women who were engaged in street sex work, the women working in the indoor sex industry, namely in massage parlours, had no access to any support. Starting with a small group of volunteers, Beloved grew into a registered charity in 2016 and is currently supporting women in multiple massage parlours across Bristol.

The women we meet have multiple and complex needs and we therefore offer the women one to one support outside of the massage parlour context.  During the one-to-one sessions we offer support around accessing benefits, housing and sexual health services as well as making immigration applications. We also assist the women to complete training and job applications, seeking to ensure that they have viable long-term options available, should they wish to exit the sex industry. These sessions are facilitated by experienced caseworkers.

Beloved offers the women a holistic service that addresses both their practical and emotional needs as well as meeting their spiritual needs. Many of the women we support experience social isolation due to the work they do. They are unable to tell their families and may be far away from their support networks. We are often the only people that they are able to talk to about what is happening for them and we consider that an immense privilege. As an organisation we are able to offer women as much time and personalised support as is needed, before they move on.

In addition to the outreach visits and one to one work, Beloved provides regular outings, trips and workshops for the women, giving them a chance to decompress, form friendships, learn new skills, and do something enjoyable.

The below quotes are from women Beloved has supported (used with permission) 

"Beloved has supported me so much its made me not give up. The support has changed my view on life, its giving me love and hope, thank u Beloved x" 

"Without Beloved I would still be in the parlour as I wouldn’t have had the courage or self belief to get out."

In the coming year Beloved would love to be able to provide women who are trying to exit the work with some trauma informed counselling sessions, enabling them to process deep rooted issues and hurts that can trap them in the work through low self-worth and lack of confidence. We are also seeking to develop our outreach to support women working in more hidden (and often less safe environments) such as their own homes, or pop-up brothels.