Whether to outlaw or decriminalise prostitution remains one of feminism’s most enduring, and divisive, questions. Now, as the UK once again considers calls to adopt the Nordic model, Lauren Crosby Medlicott takes a look at both sides of the debate… As a feminist, what do I think about sex work? The answer to that question […]
A controversial new proposal could make paying for sex a criminal offence and protect women from violence, but workers, activists and charities argue it will have the opposite effect, writes Rachel HaganPaying for sex could become a criminal offence in England and Wales if parliament approves a new bill which has been put forward by Dame […]
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 […]
A response to Nordic Model Now – Dame Diana Johnson’s Sexual Exploitation Bill: The DebateThe COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated in real-time the dangerous effects that reducing demand for sex work has on sex workers. Exclusion from government support means many sex workers face a near-impossible choice between continuing to work or attempting to survive on Universal […]
Diana Johnson’s Sexual Exploitation Bill comes back to parliament on 5 February. Its main provisions aim to “criminalise paying for sex” and target online sites where sex workers advertise. Criminalisation of clients undermines sex workers safety. The Bill includes provisions to decriminalise sex workers and provide services. We comment below on why these two measures, […]
In December 2020, Diana Johnson MP introduced a Ten-Minute Rule motion which aimed to criminalise the purchase of sex and target online sites where sex workers advertise. With members of its Safety First Coalition, including trade unionists, women’s and human rights organisations, the ECP briefed MPs against the motion. thousands of people wrote to their MP with […]
The hostile environment and exploitative capitalism fuels state violence against migrant sex workers, writes Rachel Trafford. “Police don’t ask us about trafficking – it is only about arrests.” Maria, a sex worker in the UK originally from Eastern Europe, knows the damage the current attitude of the state does for women working in the sex […]
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 […]
Dear Friends, On Wednesday 9 December, Dame Diana Johnson MP, introduced a Ten-Minute Rule motion to Parliament which aims to criminalise the purchase of sex. The legislation, known as the Nordic model, which is coming back to Parliament for its second reading on the 29 January, also seeks to criminalise online sites which sex workers use to advertise their work. Johnson is […]
Diana Johnson’s bill aims to reduce demand for sex work by making its purchase illegal. Instead, the law could put women in danger and drive them into poverty Lauren Crosby Medlicott @laurenmedlicott Last Wednesday, Dame Diana Johnson, Labour MP for Kingston Upon Hull North, tabled a motion in the House of Commons to criminalise the purchase of […]