Today charges were withdrawn against two women (named here as Ms O and Ms R) who were facing conviction for “a tenant permitting premises to be used as a brothel” (S35 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956).Laura Watson, English Collective of Prostitutes, which has supported the women throughout and who attended court today commented:“These charges […]
Government research proves sex workers feel unsafe under the current law; they want decriminalisation and so does the public.Government research published today provides evidence that the current prostitution laws increase the chance of harm and undermine sex workers’ safety.Laura Watson from the English Collective of Prostitutes which submitted evidence from its national network of sex workers working […]
Response to the Report from the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee Inquiry into Universal Credit and “survival sex”Laura Watson from the English Collective of Prostitutes, which gave evidence to the Committee says:“The fury against Universal Credit is growing. Women and children are its first targets and single mothers have been hit particularly hard losing on average […]
Crossroads Women’s Centre, 25 Wolsey Mews, Kentish Town, London NW5 2DXTel: 020 7482 2496 Email: ecp@prostitutescollective.net English Collective of Prostitutes to give evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee Inquiry on Survival Sex, 22 May 2019 The ECP is a self-help organisation of sex workers, working both on the street and in premises, with a […]
The Royal College of Nursing today voted in favour of the motion: “that this meeting of Congress calls upon the RCN Council to lobby governments across the UK to decriminalise prostitution.”The motion was proposed by the RCN Greater Bristol Branch. Nurse Lou Cahill, who spoke to the motion commented:“I am proud that nurses today voted […]
A sex worker collective has compiled a dossier of cases that it has fought over the last few years showing how Brexit is affecting migrant sex workers from the EU. The English Collective of Prostitutes’ dossier, Sex workers are getting screwed by Brexit, includes examples of women being targeted by police for arrest and deportation despite […]
Sex workers today join with other feminists and human rights activists to voice their opposition to a Trump-inspired ‘anti-trafficking’ law – the US version is known as SESTA/FOSTA (1) – ahead of a debate on mirroring them in the UK, which will be held in the House of Commons on Wednesday (2). The proposed legislation […]
Breaking news: a self-appointed group of MPs, that got together for the sole purpose of lobbying for the criminalisation of sex workers’ clients, conduct Inquiry and recommend the criminalisation of clients! No surprise there then.Cari Mitchell, spokeswoman for the English Collective of Prostitutes, commented:“Criminalisation, whether of sex workers or clients, drives prostitution further underground, increasing […]
The woman interviewed recently on BBC Victoria Derbyshire show spoke forcefully about her experience and how she was working for “financial security and independence”.On the same programme a brothel owner (and former police officer) claimed that “the police are turning a blind eye if women are working together for safety”. This is completely untrue.Laura Watson, […]
On 17th December, International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers (#IDEVASW), thousands of sex workers and sex worker-led organisations around the world will gather to commemorate the sex workers who have lost their lives in the last year. Last year, the list included more than 150 sex workers murdered between 1st January and 1st […]
