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.
No bad women The case for the decriminalisation of sex work 3rd May 2021 There are no bad women, just bad laws. The English Collective of Prostitute’s Cari Mitchell argues for the decriminalisation of sex work, and explores the powerful role that outdated laws play in fostering a culture of violence against sex workers. The Speaker Cari […]
By Lauren Crosby Medlicott, Freelance writerWhen Nadia arrived in the UK three days after she’d left her home in Eastern Europe, she thought she was coming to work as a nanny.It was a big move for the 18-year-old, who had made the traumatic decision to leave her baby behind. But for Nadia it was the only […]
By Rachel Trafford, Immigration Advice Service content writer Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Credit: SWARM Paying for sex could become a criminal offence in England and Wales if Parliament approves a new Bill which claims to protect women from sexual exploitation. But criminalisation will only further harm people who are already marginalised, argues Rachel […]
Sex work is legal in the UK. But whilst the exchange of money between two adults for consensual sex is allowed, lots of activities surrounding sex work remain illegal. Laws on ‘brothel-keeping’ and ‘loitering and soliciting’ in particular have made sex workers’ lives significantly more difficult. This legislation prevents sex workers from working together from premises, and […]
Nicki and Leo speak to Nikki and Charlotte, campaigners from the English Collective of Prostitutes, a grassroots network of sex workers and supporters campaigning for decriminalisation and safety.
Seattle City Council votes to repeal drug and prostitution loitering laws which have a “deep and harmful racist history” and are shown to have “a disproportionate impact on women of color, both cis- and transgender”.Today Seattle City Council repealed drug and prostitution loitering laws that endangered SW safety, unjustly targeted non-violent peoples, and disproportionately impacted […]
COVID-19 threatens both the lives and livelihoods of sex workers yet governments look the other way. A new publication seeks to help sex workers get their attention. Decriminalisation debates remain central to discussions about how to best address human trafficking. At the heart of these considerations are questions around whether trafficking can best be […]
The posters appeared on London’s underground over the weekend, which saw a sex workers strike on International Women’s Day. (Twitter/pastachips)An adhacking campaign advocating sex work decriminalisation has appeared on the London Undergound – to viral results.The new posters, which appeared during the London-wide sex worker’s strike on International Women’s Day, call for sex work to be […]
The adhacking campaign precedes a protest to call for the normalisation of sex work and point out the dangers of criminalising it New posters on the London Underground are calling for the decriminalisation of sex work, as part of an adhacking campaign that comes simultaneous with a sex worker strike for International Women’s Day. “Why is using […]
Feminist arguments against sex work are as influential as they are dangerous.Frankie Miren Laura Watson EXPERT DISCUSSIONWe asked sex worker rights groups and allies around the world to discuss what works and doesn’t work when arguing for the decriminalisation of sex work. This series reports what they said.Sex workers fight daily battles to defend our rights. […]