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.
International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers event WHEN: Monday, 17 December 2012, 7pm WHERE: Venue: Crossroads Women’s Centre, 25 Wolsey Mews, Kentish Town, London, NW5 2DX FILM: Decriminalisation of Sex Work in New Zealand New Zealand decriminalised prostitution in 2003. This 30 minute film documents how the law was won and its impact as told by […]
Serkan OzturkA convention held in Sydney earlier this month looking at the gains made in NSW since decriminalisation of sex work was introduced in 1995 saw unanimous agreement by delegates present that the NSW Government is wrong to consider re-introducing a stringent licensing system with strict penalties to govern the sex work industry.Hosted by the […]
By SHANE CROUCHERIf politicians and the public can put aside long-held prejudices, then they may be able to solve some of the tough economic questions Britain has to answer by unleashing the financial power of two untapped markets: drugs and prostitution.These multi-billion pound industries lurk in the shadows of Britain, operating at every moment of […]
NSW sex work laws an example to the worldSEX workers from around the world have called on the NSW government to persevere with the state’s pioneering decriminalisation of sex work.Experts from 11 countries have converged on Sydney this week to examine how the sex profession has benefited since it was decriminalised in NSW in 1995.However, […]
SEX workers from around the world have called on the NSW government to persevere with the state’s pioneering decriminalisation of sex work. Experts from 11 countries have converged on Sydney this week to examine how the sex profession has benefited since it was decriminalised in NSW in 1995. However, more than 50 delegates from Africa, […]
The New Zealand Prostitutes Collective (NZPC) turns 25 this year.NZPC is holding an event to launch this at their National Office based in Wellington on Tuesday 6 November.Speakers include Niki Adams from the English Collective of Prostitutes, and Rachel Wotton from Touching Base in New South Wales.As part of the event, the film ‘Scarlet Road’ […]
by Ruth Messinger, American Jewish World Service A few years ago, I traveled to Thailand where I met a sex worker for the very first time. A 37-year-old mother of three, she very succinctly told me about her life: “These were my options: I could be apart from my children for 10 hours each day while […]
by Carolina TalaveraHaving read the article “Legal or not, prostitution remains a harmful institution” by Melissa Farley in DREGS magazine, I write to comment and correct. In her piece, Farley makes a number of claims such as that prostitution is uniquely dangerous and damaging, and supports these claims with statistics and other evidence. On closer scrutiny […]
Denis Hof, Nevada Bunny Ranch owner, proposes a temporary licence to run a brothel during the Olympics.Niki Adams, English Collective of Prostitutes, comments:“Sex workers don’t need or want licensed or legalised brothels so that bosses have more opportunities to exploit us. We want decriminalisation, like in New Zealand, so we can work together collectively and […]