West End Extra: Soho sex workers protest over reporting guide for journalists,

SOHO sex workers angrily protested against a “biased and inaccurate” guide to reporting for journalists on Wednesday.

The new guide for journalists on prostitution and trafficking, written by controversial journalist and campaigner Julie Bindel, was branded as “misleading” and full of “lies” by the English Collective of Prostitutes. The aim of the Smith Square protest was to “dispel the myths” surrounding prostitution. They said Eaves and the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations, who organised the event, were campaigning for the increased criminalisation of prostitution. They are calling for a system based on the Swedish model where selling sex is legal but paying for it isn’t.

The ECP said: “There is no evidence that trafficking, rape and other violence has decreased in Sweden. However, recent research shows that sex workers face increased stigma and are more vulnerable to violence.”