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.
Dear Friends, The English Collective of Prostitutes is holding an evidence gathering symposium on decriminalisation of sex work in the House of Commons on November 3rd. We have found that the most effective way of informing MPs about events and encouraging them to come is for their constituents to invite them. Can you please invite […]
“Unless we are aware of what we have in common as women and as workers, we tend to be complicit in the myth that social status equals human value. Our prejudices can reinforce the hierarchy of whose struggle is valid and central and whose is unworthy and marginal: who are “real” women and “real” workers […]
The English Collective of Prostitutes and the US PROStitutes Collective welcome Amnesty International’s vote to approve their draft policy calling for decriminalisation of sex work. The decriminalisation policy is rooted in “respecting, protecting and fulfilling the human rights of sex workers” and “preventing and redressing human rights violations”. It is comprehensive, carefully considered and based on concrete […]
The University of Sussex’s Centre for Gender Studies has formed an alliance with an association of sex workers and signed a pledge supporting the decriminalisation of the sex industry. This move comes amid debates about Amnesty International’s draft policy document supporting sex industry decriminalisation, which has set the organisation at loggerheads with a number of […]
An open letter in support of Amnesty International’s recent proposals to decriminalise sex work. Global Network of Sex Work Projects This open statement of support has been reprinted with permission from nswp.org. To support this initiative, sign NSWP’s petition at change.org.The Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) would like to take this opportunity to […]
Sex worker rights campaigners are hoping that the strategy that is working in the highest echelons of power will also work as well in the housing association meeting hall, or in the shouting grounds of Twitter. BY MARGARET CORVID Last week, the Safety First Coalition, a project that brings together sex worker rights campaigners, anti-rape groups, and health […]
What: Sex workers launch pledge to decriminalise sex work for safety’s sake.When: Thursday 23 July 12-2pm and 5-6pm.Where: Twitter #pledgedecrim Follow @ProstitutesColl Sign here. Issued by the Safety First Coalition, co-ordinated by the English Collective of Prostitutes. Sex workers and supporters are launching a campaign to get people to pledge their support for the decriminalisation of prostitution. Laura Watson […]
ACTION ALERT Join our Twitter storm Thursday 23 July 12-2pmand 5-6pm to launch our pledge to “Decriminalise Sex Work for Safety’s Sake”. On 23 July 2015 If you have 1 minute: Re-tweet us via @ProstitutesColl #pledgedecrim. Tweet us your reason for signing the Pledge. Tweet us a picture of you signing the Pledge. Re-tweet these: I […]
Sex work: The feminist criticism of the industry has sparked an aggressive debateBy Pandora Blake and Niki AdamsLast week the New Statesman organised a debate on “buying and selling sex” at Conway Hall, in collaboration with London Thinks. Here, Niki Adams of the English Collective of Prostitutes and Pandora Blake of the Sex Worker’s Open […]
Laws protecting prostitutes came into force in 2003KASHMIRA GANDER New Zealand is the best place in the world to be a prostitute thanks to its robust laws, according an organisation which represents the nation’s sex workers.For almost a decade and a half, sex workers in New Zealand have been protected by the Prostitution Reform Act 2003, […]