“Harmless fun – no-one gets hurt.”

“It’s guaranteed, and cheaper than a date.”

Paying for sex is increasingly socially acceptable. It’s often the case that big nights out end up at a lap-dancing club, ‘massage parlour’ or brothel.

But the myths and clichés that surround the sex industry mask the realities for many working within it. Many people think the women get well paid for a pretty simple job, and that they ‘wouldn’t do it if they didn’t want to’, that it’s their choice.

For many women, nothing could be further from the truth.

Every year, thousands of women are brought into the UK to make money for sex traffickers. These women want to escape poverty, and build better lives. They may have answered a misleading job advert, or been promised work abroad by a friend or acquaintance. Some are actually sold by their desperate families; others are abducted by strangers.

Some of these women are aware that they’re joining the sex industry. But they’ve usually been sold a ‘Pretty Woman’ tale: a glamorous opportunity that will enable them to make enough money to help their families.

Whether lured, kidnapped or paid for, these women end up in the hands of the traffickers. Some are kept in brothels, in known ‘red-light’ areas. But many are locked up in ordinary flats and houses, often in the suburbs or in ‘respectable’ small towns. We – the neighbours – rarely have any idea of what’s going on.

And what’s going on is brutal.

Stripped of their passports and money, and often without a word of English, they are at the mercy of the traffickers.

They are beaten, raped and threatened into submission. They’re told that if they step out of line, their children and families back home will suffer, or even be killed. Very quickly, they’re so terrified that, even if they are allowed out on their own, they won’t risk the consequences of trying to escape.

From the start, the women are told they must pay back the (hugely inflated) cost of their travel to the UK. They even have to reimburse the amount the trafficker paid for them in the first place. And there are always new ‘fines’ and charges for food and board.

To all intents and purposes, these women are slaves. Their dreams of a better life have become a constant nightmare of violence, rape and terror.

This is the truth everyone needs to know. Especially anyone choosing to visit a prostitute. If you do, it’s important to understand what that choice means. Because the woman you visit may well have no choice at all.

For more information about The Truth Isn’t Sexy please contact Aimie Littler the director or Shannon Hopkins the strategy and marketing director at info@thetruthisntsexy.com .