Thousands of women in the UK have received a ‘prostitute’s caution’ – a specific type of caution reserved for the punishment of sex workers. “Prostitute’s cautions” block us from leaving sex work, undermine safety and push us further into poverty. There is no right of appeal and the caution remains on someone’s record until they are 100 years old! See our campaign ‘Proceed Without Caution’.
SIGN ONLINE HERE Or email ecp@prostitutescollective.net to be added. Dear Home Secretary, We are writing to ask that you take action to abolish ‘prostitute’s cautions’ which trap women in sex work, prevent them from leaving abusive and violent relationships, and push them further into poverty. ‘Prostitute’s cautions’ are cautions that the police can give to […]
As part of a series of actions to mark the 50th anniversary of International Sex Workers’ Day/International Whores Day, we are organising a protest and photo op at Downing Street to hand in our Open Letter to the Home Secretary demanding the abolition of “prostitute’s cautions”. WHEN: Monday 2 June 2025, 11am-12pm WHERE: Downing Street, […]
Further criminalisation of sex work could be more dangerous for both sex workers and survivors of sexual exploitation, activists and charities have warnedLauren Crosby Medlicott Emma had just turned 18 and thought having sheets on the window was ‘normal’ in a first flat. But she started questioning her situation when her boyfriend dumped her in London […]
Campaigners are calling for an end to the “Prostitutes Caution”, saying it’s preventing women leaving sex work behind them. The caution stays on record for 100 years and there’s no appeal possible. A new report from the English Collective of Prostitutes says two thirds of women they surveyed who’d been given one found it hard […]
A ‘prostitute’s caution’, unlike other cautions, does not require a person to admit an offence or agree to it Police in England and Wales should be banned from issuing a “draconian” caution that exclusively targets sex workers, both politicians and campaigners have said. A “prostitute’s caution”, unlike other police cautions, does not require a person […]
Novara Media · Novara FM: Protect or Punish? The Stakes of Sex Worker Activism w/ Laura Watson Imagine a person arrested for keeping a brothel. Who are they? An abusive pimp? Such people exist, no doubt, but the law isn’t set up just to catch abusers: it also targets sex workers working together to […]
A Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is backing a group fighting for sex work convictions to be exempt from security checks. Cleveland’s Labour PCC Matt Storey has come out in support of the English Collective of Prostitutes’ (ECP) Proceed without Caution campaign which highlights the consequences of sex workers receiving criminal convictions. The charity says […]
Parliamentary launch of PROCEED WITHOUT CAUTION: The Impact of “Prostitute’s Cautions” and Convictions on Sex Workers’ Lives Organised by the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) Hosted by Nadia Whittome MP Tuesday 12th November, 18:00-20:00 House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA (Committee Room 10) Plus UK launch of: “Exposed from All Sides: The Role of Policing […]
A ‘prostitute caution’ requires no evidence, merely suspicion – but stays on your record for a 100 years and blocks you from finding other work. Back in the 1980s, Amanda* worked as a sex worker in Blackpool, desperately trying to earn money for herself and her autistic son. Police were a constant menace. “Because I’m a Black […]