Hundreds of women are asking for “cover-up” tattoos after being sexually abused in studios

October 11, 2024, 10:18

A tattoo artist told LBC she was “overwhelmed” by requests from women to have their tattoos covered after they faced sexual abuse in the process.

In an industry that is growing by 10 per cent every year, there remain concerns about the lack of regulation for tattoo artists in the UK after “higher rates” of sexual abuse in tattoo studios.

In 2020, Dolly opened a tattoo studio in central Brighton – the ‘tattoo capital’ of the UK – home to the most tattoo studios per capita.

But her studio is exclusively for women and the queer community – a “safe space” after she was sexually assaulted while tattooing and then heard similar accounts from hundreds of women.

“I’ve heard all sorts of stories of varying magnitudes, some of them really dark things that people should be in prison for.

“I was always aware of it, but it got to the point where I wouldn’t have a conversation about tattooing even though someone hadn’t had an experience that made them feel unsafe. The frequency is simply alarming.

“Every time I looked at my phone, I read someone’s traumatic story about what happened to them.

“When I asked on my social media in July if anyone would talk to a journalist about their experience, I had about 45 messages in maybe 20 minutes – even now it’s still shocking to me.”

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LBC spoke to a woman, Francesca, who was attacked while getting a walk-in tattoo while on holiday in Hunstanton. The artist persuaded her to get the tattoo on her thigh instead of her calf.

“He gets a tissue, doesn’t ask me for permission to touch myself or anything, puts it in my underpants and runs his hand all the way down so his hand touches that [tattoo] bed I’m laying in so his hands went into my underwear and I froze.

“While he’s tattooing me, he goes really deep and it almost gives him a little bit of satisfaction when I squirm. He doesn’t ask me if it hurts, he just seems to do everything he can to make sure it hurts.

“I want it gone, gone, gone, I can’t look at it, I hate it.”

Lorna told us she had a similar experience after visiting a tattoo studio in Birmingham.

“He only worked on the top of my arm, but he decided that where my hand was dangling, he needed to touch his crotch.

“Then he decided to lean on my chest to work the top of my arm and it got to the point where he was really pushing against my chest, to the point where it actually hurt a little bit.

“I just felt so uncomfortable that I think I just shut down.”

Since 2020, Dolly has been helping women who were abused in tattoo studios to “cover” their tattoos with new designs as part of the #TattooMeToo movement.

She says nothing has changed in the regulation of tattoo artists in four years.

“There is no criminal test when it comes to becoming a tattoo artist and there should be certain things that should be flagged before one is allowed to obtain a license. So whether it’s GBH, ABH or sexual assault, I think that should be flagged.

“The idea is that there is some sort of system where if you put yourself in a position where you feel unsafe or hear something while getting a tattoo, you can report it to the council, just like you can report someone who doesn’t dispose of their waste properly.

“If a particular artist or studio is then reported multiple times, they will investigate and during that time your license will be revoked until the investigation is initiated. It would be great if they could reconcile this with a police operation.”

Councilor Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “As a council we are committed to tackling violence against women and girls and we are keen to hear about people’s experiences in some tattoo parlors .

“We have not received any direct concerns of this nature from local tattoo artists, registered practitioners, members of the public or police. Our advice to anyone who has experienced sexual assault would always be to contact Sussex Police.”

“There is currently no legislation that allows us to require tattoo artists to do a DBS check; The only controls that municipalities can enforce relate to cleanliness and infection control.

“We would like to speak with your caller and discuss their ideas and could also look into a council-run Trusted Artists program where people could voluntarily provide additional certification.”