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.
Support Motion 127 – “Decriminalisation for safety”, brought by Lambeth to Unison Delegate Conference 2018
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 […]
Sex Work is Work: IWW supports full decriminalisation!
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. […]
Has the rate of sexual assault really increased in New Zealand since 2003?
By Joel Hellewell This post is a response to the “meme” created by Nordic Model Now, claiming that the rate of sexual assault in New Zealand has increased since 2003, primarily because of the decriminalisation of prostitution in the Prostitution Reform Act 2003. Link to the meme: https://nordicmodelnow.org/2016/08/11/meme-about-new-zealand-since-the-full-decriminalisation-of-the-sex-trade/ The first thing to do to the […]
I News: As sex workers, we deserve the same working rights as everyone else
By The English Collective of ProstitutesA motion will be put to the vote at the TUC Congress today, proposed by ASLEF the train drivers’ union and supported by the GMB, calling for “decriminalisation of sex work” and demanding the same rights for sex workers as other workers.The motion recognises sex workers as workers who should […]
Independent: Trade union leaders to vote on decriminalising prostitution at TUC conference
Calls made for a ‘New Zealand-style’ approach which offers sex workers legal protection but concerns remain over ‘exploitation’Lizzy Buchan and Harriet Agerholm Political CorrespondentUnion leaders will vote on whether to back efforts to decriminalise prostitution to offer greater protection to sex workers.Calls have been made for a ‘New Zealand-style’ approach where sex workers are offered full legal protection amid […]
TUC Congress 2017: SUPPORT Motion 39 Decriminalisation of sex work
SUPPORT Motion 39 Decriminalisation of sex workReceived from ASLEF supported by GMBCongress notes that austerity measures since 2010 have led to an increase in the number of people working in the sex industry and is concerned by examples such as Doncaster, where on-street prostitution has risen by 60 per cent, an increase primarily attributed to the […]
Screenshot Magazine: How unions could protect our sex workers
Megan WallaceSurely, we should be entering an age where sex has been demystified and ideas about its supposed sanctity safely abandoned. However, when we consider the social perception of sex workers, it is clear that this is not yet the case.Across the globe, assumptions that sex work is immoral are still rife, with sex workers […]
Podcast: Very Loose Women – sex workers’ rights and safety
Emma Grinfeld and Leonore Schick discuss young women’s issues. This week VLW are joined by members of the English Collective of Prostitutes who campaign for the decriminalisation of prostitution as well as for sex workers’ rights and safety. We’ll be talking about the real effects that the current laws in the UK have on sex […]