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.
I’ve been a sex worker for more than five years, working in a flat with friends and for a few months on the street when I didn’t have money to set myself up in premises. I felt safest working with other women and where we had installed CCTV for safety. But although my job is […]
English collective says laws forcing women to work alone expose them to violence Sarah Marsh Prostitution should be decriminalised in the UK to make it safer for vulnerable women, a sex worker organisation has said. The English Collective of Prostitutes is calling for the removal of laws relating to consensual adult sexual behaviour, arguing […]
How do you have good sex and why do we have so much bad sex? Join Bibi Lynch and Miranda Kane, a Professional Prude and ex-Sex Worker, in conversation with sexperts, sex-haters and sexy muthers. Think good cop bad cop… But with more handcuff action. A podcast from Metro.co.uk. CLICK HERE and scroll down to […]
The English Collective of Prostitutes is an organisation that campaigns for sex workers’ safety and the decriminalisation of prostitution. It’s run by sex workers, for sex workers and is dedicated to supporting women who choose to earn a living in the sex industry, as well as those who want to get out of it.Legislation surrounding paid for […]
We Need Decriminalisation Now by Lydia Caradonna A few months ago, around 200 sex workers and allies gathered in Parliament Square with placards, banners, and a sound system. Inside, just metres away, a Westminster Hall debate was taking place on a UK equivalent to the US SESTA-FOSTA laws, legislation that would shut down online advertising platforms that […]
In 1975 sex workers in France and Switzerland surprised everyone by going on strike against repression — just like “real workers.”The strikes started with the occupation of a church in Lyon and a banner saying: “Our children don’t want their mothers in prison.”They complained bitterly about police arresting and fining them on the spot, and […]
For ECP briefing on the motion please see here.Motion reads:Conference notes that UNISON’s current policy on sex work, adopted in 2010 on the basis of a motion from women’s conference, is to support proposals which decriminalise the selling of sex acts while introducing a ‘sex buyers’ law’ criminalising those who purchase sex acts.Conference recognises that […]
At its 2018 Annual Conference, IWW Branch delegates from across Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England were asked to consider a motion presented by our members to publicly state its commitment to the full decriminalisation of sex work and a full pardon for any sex workers convicted under existing legislation. […]