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They live their lives out of sight, selling themselves in Leicester's backstreets where they face the constant threat of extreme violence.

These women can tell stories of being raped, robbed, beaten and kidnapped by their punters or their pimp boyfriends.

You can also throw in the random element of casual violence - there have been reports in the past of young men in cars shooting the women with paintball guns and catapults.

Egg-throwing is a new one from this crowd, according to Della Cavner, director of women's welfare group New Futures.

There is also talk - and has been for years - of men issuing chilling 'get off our streets' threats in the name of keeping neighbourhoods respectable.

The registered charity, which has been supporting the women and helping them find a way out of prostitution since 1995, is currently aware of up to 200 women who appear to dip in and out of the business.

Some have been around for a number of years, new faces are appearing - some from out of town others from overseas. The average age would seem to early to mid-20s, the groups believes.

The scale of the suffering in some cases can be unbearable, says Della.

And the common theme? Men who believe they can do what they like to these women simply because of the work they do, she says.

"A lot of the worst cases of violence don't get reported to the police," she says.



"There are some extremely violent and dangerous men who seem to be able to get away with it.



"They're untouchable. Nothing sticks to them.

"They will kidnap women at knifepoint, beat them up and rape them and nothing ever seems to happen to them.



"We've even heard recently of people driving around in cars with children inside and they throw eggs at the women, basically people teaching their children how to hate.

Prostitution in Leicester: The statistics New Futures carried out a survey of some of the women who were working in the city a few years ago. Here are some of the findings: The average age the women started working on the street was 14

66 per cent self-harm

93 per cent grew up in the care system

96 per cent were sexually abused as children

98 per cent have lost custody of their children 89 per cent are homeless

73 per cent have been to prison

92 per cent have pimps

100 per cent have experienced domestic violence

100 per cent have been beaten up, sexually assaulted or robbed by a punter

"We've had reports of men threatening to pour petrol on women and telling them 'if we see you in this street again you will burn'.

"We see the aftermath of all of this violence.

"It's not just frustrating, it's extremely upsetting when we see women in pieces, petrified and shaking with fear.

"Most have backgrounds in the care system and histories of bad parenting and neglect. There are so many sad stories."



Many are addicted to drugs, are homeless and suffer from poor mental health, she adds.

In addition to the women who work outdoors, there is an unknown number of women who work in their homes, in massage parlours or in the so-called 'pop-up brothels' which are an increasingly common feature of the city's prostitution scene.

(Image: MIN Ed Maynard)

Earlier this year, Leicestershire Police issued an assessment of the scale and nature of 'modern day slavery' in the city and county, revealing that people were being forced to work in nail bars, car washes and prostitution.

The force says it is determined to uncover and deal with the suffering that goes along with these various forms of exploitation.

Officers in the city centre have a long record of working with New Futures and a number of offenders who have targeted the women have been taken through the courts.

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However, officers know some of the women remain reluctant to talk to them.

Inspector Manjit Atwal, commander of city centre police, held her latest meeting with the group earlier this month.

She said she is hoping to provide personal safety alarms for the women and, potentially, funding for extra outreach sessions by New Futures staff and volunteers.

The outreach work enables the group to identify new faces and ensure they know there is support available to them in areas such as housing, drug treatment, benefits and mental and sexual health.

Insp Atwal said: "We are trying to get a more cohesive working relationship with New Futures.

"They are doing extremely important work with some of the most vulnerable women in the city and we will do what we can to help them."

A woman told LeicestershireLive last month she had spent 10 years working in street prostitution to support her addiction to heroin and crack but was now free from both and is now rebuilding her life.

She said: "I was beaten up and robbed a few times and, last August, a client raped me and stabbed me.

"I wasn't unique. Other women went through the things I did.

"Violence just comes with the job. It's a fact of life and I'm glad I'm out of it."