Statement: Victory! Woman in ECP network wins against brothel-keeping charges
A woman in the ECP network just won against charges of brothel-keeping.
Ms J is a mother and sex worker in Scotland. She worked hard to establish a discreet dungeon space which acted as a safe and secure working environment for sex workers.
Her property was aggressively raided by twenty police officers with a battering ram.
She describes what happened next:
“I was arrested, held in a cell for six hours, and spoken to with contempt. When I sobbed and asked, ‘What am I going to do about paying my bills?’ a police officer sneered and said: ‘I guess your pockets won’t be so flush.’
And it didn’t stop there. Without telling me, the police contacted social services. That knock at the door, the one every mother fears, became a real threat. I was terrified that my child might be taken away simply because of what I do to survive. I live with that fear every day.”
Under the current prostitution laws, it is illegal for sex workers to help others in this way. Women are forced to work alone and have to choose between possible arrest and keeping ourselves safe, or avoiding a criminal record and putting ourselves in danger.
ECP found her a good lawyer and supported her over a couple of years while she was waiting for the case to come to court.
We are delighted that charges have been dropped but they should never have been brought in the first place.
Some women politicians including Labour ministers are pressing to increase the criminalisation of sex work. If they get their way more women will be facing criminal charges.
The last word goes to Ms J who asks.
“Are the police truly here to protect us from exploitation? Or are they here to punish us for surviving outside of their control? I am not a criminal. I am not a victim.
I am a mother. I am a worker. I am someone who chose autonomy and safety and was punished for it.”
We thank Ms J for her bravery in standing firm and refusing to plead guilty even after one lawyer proposed that. And she comments:
“Thank you so much to the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) for helping me through my case not just emotionally, but with legal knowledge, compassion, and unwavering political advocacy. Your support reminded me that I am not alone, and that the fight for decriminalisation is about survival, dignity, and justice for all of us.”
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Ms J’s full statement
I am here today to speak not just about sex work, but about what has happened to me, and to others like me workers who are simply trying to survive in a society that claims to value fairness, while criminalising our survival.
Sex work is not just my job it is a vital source of income that helps me support myself and my child. It allows me to pay my rent, buy food, and stay afloat in a collapsing economy where even two full-time jobs don’t guarantee stability. Like so many others, I’ve turned to sex work not out of desperation or coercion but because it offers autonomy and flexibility. But does the government truly care about sex workers like me?
If the answer is yes, then why are our bank accounts being closed with no warning?
Why are we taxed like legitimate workers but denied protections and respect?
Why are we criminalised for working together to stay safe?
Sex work is not the problem. The problem is a system that punishes the marginalised and calls it morality.
Earlier this year, I operated a small, quiet, independent premises a space where I could work with some sense of safety and autonomy. Like many others in my position, I did what I could to navigate the risks of my job while maintaining boundaries and discretion.
That space was treated like a crime scene. Over twenty police officers raided it with a battering ram a militarised response to a peaceful, private setting. No questions asked. No compassion offered. I was arrested, held in a cell for six hours, and spoken to with contempt. When I sobbed and asked, “What am I going to do about paying my bills?” a police officer sneered and said:
“I guess your pockets won’t be so flush.”
I was told upfront that I was being charged with brothel-keeping they read me my rights at the beginning. But what followed was far from transparent. During the interview, they continued to ask leading questions about the services I allegedly provided, despite it being a “no comment” interview. It was clear they were trying to manipulate me into talking fishing for details to strengthen their case, not because they were seeking truth or justice. This wasn’t about protection. It was about power.
And it didn’t stop there.
Without telling me, the police contacted social services. That knock at the door the one every mother fears became a real threat. I was terrified that my child might be taken away simply because of what I do to survive. I live with that fear every day. I now suffer from PTSD. My fingerprints and information are permanently logged in police systems. My name is stained. My safety is gone.
And here’s the tragic part under Scottish law, this was entirely legal.
Even sharing a premises with another worker regardless of whether you’re working at the same time is enough to be charged with brothel-keeping.
Under Section 11(5)(b) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995:
“Any person … being the tenant, lessee, occupier or person in charge of any premises, knowingly permits such premises … to be used as a brothel or for the purposes of habitual prostitution … shall be guilty of an offence.”
This law punishes not danger, not harm, but cooperation and safety. It criminalises sex workers for not working alone. That’s what happened to me.
And let me be clear this isn’t just about people like me who work indoors.
Street-based sex workers face daily harassment, violence, and police crackdowns under laws that criminalise loitering and soliciting. These laws don’t keep anyone safe they push some of the most marginalised workers into even more dangerous conditions.
We must not be divided by where or how we work. Whether we work online, in flats, in massage parlours, or on the street we are all sex workers. We all deserve rights. We all deserve safety.
This isn’t just my story it’s systemic.
The English Collective of Prostitutes reports that over two-thirds of sex workers in the UK have experienced violence, including rape.
They also report that fewer than 6% of sex workers are trafficked proving what we already know: most of us are working consensually, and criminalisation makes us less safe, not more.
ECP has consistently warned that brothel-keeping laws push us underground and make us afraid to report violence, exploitation, or abuse. And they’re right. If I were attacked tomorrow, I’m not sure I could trust the police to help me not after what they did.
Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, strip clubs face closure. Nationally, the government entertained plans for “sexual exploitation hubs” tied to a religious charity whose founder believes sex work is linked to demonic possession. This is the mindset shaping policy. This is what we’re up against.
So I ask you:
Are the police truly here to protect us from exploitation?
Or are they here to punish us for surviving outside of their control?
I am not a criminal. I am not a victim.
I am a mother. I am a worker. I am someone who chose autonomy and safety and was punished for it.
CALL TO ACTION
We demand the repeal of Section 11 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, and all laws that criminalise sex work including those targeting street-based workers under loitering and soliciting charges.
We demand the right to work together safely.
We demand the right to work anywhere safely.
We demand an end to state violence, to stigma, to criminalisation.
We demand decriminalisation, dignity, and real protection for all sex workers.
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I want to thank the English Collective of Prostitutes for standing beside me through this case not just emotionally, but with practical support, legal wisdom, and fierce advocacy. Your solidarity has been a lifeline.
Thank you to SWARM, Umbrella Lane, Scotland for Decriminalisation, and National Ugly Mugs for holding space, building power, and fighting for sex workers’ rights across every context and platform.
Your work is not just important it is revolutionary.
UK-Based Sex Worker Support Organisations
English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) Campaigning for decriminalisation and supporting sex workers’ rights since 1975. https://prostitutescollective.net
SWARM (Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement) Peer-led advocacy, education, and mutual aid. https://www.swarmcollective.org
Scotland for Decriminalisation Campaigning for the full decriminalisation of sex work in Scotland. https://scotlandfordecrim.org
National Ugly Mugs (NUM) Safety alerts, caseworker support, and reporting systems for sex workers across the UK. https://www.uglymugs.org
- Decrim Now
Campaigning for national decriminalisation and sex worker rights.