Decriminalisation

Decriminalisation increases sex workers’ safety and well-being. New Zealand decriminalised sex work in 2003 with verifiable success. Over 90% of sex workers said they had additional employment, legal, health and safety rights. One important measure of this is that prior to decriminalisation 47% of brothel workers had refused to see a client in the previous 12 months, after decriminalisation 68% of brothel workers had done this. 70% said they were more likely to report incidents of violence to the police.

For more information see our briefing Why Decriminalisation? and report Decriminalisation of Prostitution: the Evidence.

1st July 2016

Decriminalise sex workers, says Home Affairs Committee

The Home Affairs Committee publishes an interim report on prostitution, saying that soliciting by sex workers, and sex workers sharing premises, should be decriminalised.Report: ProstitutionReport: Prostitution (PDF 1.10 MB)Inquiry: ProstitutionHome Affairs CommitteeHome Office should change legislationThe Committee says the Home Office should immediately change existing legislation so that soliciting is no longer an offence and brothel-keeping laws […]

1st July 2016

BBC News: Soliciting by sex workers should not be a crime, MPs say

Soliciting by sex workers should no longer be a crime, the Commons Home Affairs Select committee says.The cross-party group of MPs is urging the government to make radical changes to the laws on prostitution in England and Wales.Brothel-keeping rules should also be modified so that prostitutes can share premises rather than risk working alone, the […]

1st July 2016

Vice: At last! MPs are calling for sex workers to be decriminalised

By Frankie MullinAt midnight last night, sex workers waited, fingers crossed, breath held, as the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) report into prostitution went online. There was reason for apprehension: the inquiry’s initial terms of reference seemed geared towards recommending more criminalisation. During the inquiry itself, moral crusaders were given as much air time as […]

1st July 2016

The Guardian: Decriminalisation of sex workers in England and Wales backed by MPs

Nadia KhomamiHome affairs select committee wants law changed so sex workers are allowed to share premises while urging crackdown on those who exploit sex workersThe criminalisation of sex workers in England and Wales should come to an end, a cross-party committee of influential MPs has recommended.In an interim report published on Friday, the home affairs […]

1st July 2016

Press Release: Decriminalisation of sex workers recommended by Home Affairs Committee

1 July 2016 The English Collective of Prostitutes welcomes the report from the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) which recommends a change in the law “so that soliciting [a charge used against street-based sex workers] is no longer an offence and so that brothel-keeping provisions allow sex workers to share premises”. Crucially the Committee also […]

30th May 2016

The Guardian: Letter – supporting Amnesty International

LettersLast week Amnesty International launched its global policy on sex work alongside new research which documents the severe human rights abuses suffered by sex workers (Amnesty in global programme to decriminalise sex work, theguardian.com, 26 May). Amnesty’s call on states to repeal laws that criminalise “the consensual exchange of sexual services between adults for remuneration” […]

20th May 2016

Press Release: Amnesty International fighting for sex workers rights

The English Collective of Prostitutes welcomes Amnesty International’s new policy on sex work which calls on states to repeal laws that criminalise “the consensual exchange of sexual services between adults for remuneration” and provide resources so that those of us who want to leave prostitution can do so. Amnesty International’s press release is here. Spokeswoman, […]

28th April 2016

Action Alert: Police Commissioners & Councillors elections

Dear Friends, Another day, another election and another chance to make your views known and build support for the decriminalisation of sex work. On 5 May there are elections for: local councillors all over the UK; the Northern Ireland Assembly; the Welsh Assembly; the London Assembly; the Scottish Parliament; Police and Crime Commissioners and Mayors […]

11th March 2016

IB Times: There is more to the prostitution debate than privileged sex workers and silent, abused victims

According to some of the most prominent opponents of sex work decriminalisation, there are basically two types of women involved in selling sex: a small but vocal minority of self-described “sex workers” who entered the industry out of choice, and a much larger number of “prostituted women” who were coerced or forced by financial necessity.Anyone […]

11th March 2016

The Guardian: Letter – supporting Jeremy Corbyn on decriminalisation

Decriminalisation and sex workers Jeremy Corbyn’s stance on sex work (Report, 6 March) is in line with Amnesty International’s view that decriminalisation is “the best way to defend sex workers’ human rights and lessen the risk of abuse and violations they face”. We are currently fighting legal cases with women imprisoned for brothel-keeping for working […]