Sex workers face a lot of violence. Sex workers in London are 12 times more likely to be murdered than other women. It is much safer to work indoors with others but this is illegal.
Criminalisation increases violence. Attacks on sex workers doubled in Scotland after kerb crawling laws were introduced which criminalised clients. A 2014 survey found that where arrests of sex workers and clients were high, only 5% of sex workers who were victims of a crime reported it. This compared to 46% of victims in areas where police adopted a harm reduction approach.
Hundreds of women are expected to take part in a march in central London today to protest the way the legal system lets down victims of rape. SlutWalk will see campaigners, some in their underwear, march from Piccadilly to Trafalgar Square, where there will be a rally. The protest is part of the global SlutWalk […]
Join us at SlutWalk on Saturday 22 Sept 12.30. We’ll be gathering at the top of Piccadilly (Hyde Park end) to join the march to Trafalgar Square and the rally. Look out for our bright pink banner! SlutWalk supports sex workers’ right to safety. Speakers include rape survivors fighting for justice, the ECP and Sheila Farmer […]
Dear Editor,Minister Lynne Featherstone claims that the National Ugly Mugs scheme, which publishes on line descriptions of violent men, “encourages sex workers to report violent incidents”. (“Sex workers and police join forces to create rapist database” Guardian, 5 July 2012) But sex workers are already reporting and are being prosecuted for prostitution offences while their […]
The tragic murders of five young women in Ipswich caused an unprecedented outcry. Each of us deserves to be safe regardless of gender, occupation, sexual preference, race, age, nationality, immigration status or lifestyle. Prostitution is a survival strategy to deal with poverty, debt, rape, low wages, homelessness, unemployment… Most sex workers are mothers or young […]
By English Collective of Prostitutes and Legal Action for Women The exclusion zone imposed on a suspected rapist of prostitute women in Birmingham is a striking example of the summary justice promoted by Tony Blair.[i] The police justify it by saying they don’t have enough evidence to prosecute, even though he has been identified by four […]
In Defense of Prostitute Women’s SafetyFor women who work the streets, massage parlors, clubs, in a house, as dancers, escorts, mistresses, models, on parole…it’s ok to use your working name or any other name – we respect your privacy.We are a self-help community resource that began in 1998 to:Provide support for prostitute women who have been […]
In 1999 Sweden criminalised men who buy sex, who on conviction face six months in jail. In 2003 the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Police Affairs launched a Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Women and Children. One of the measures in the plan was the appointment of a working group to collect experiences for […]
As arrests, raids and prosecutions of sex workers increase in Olympic boroughs and throughout the UK, calls for the decriminalisation of prostitution highlight the need to protect sex workers from rape and violence. Cari Mitchell, English Collective of Prostitutes commented: “Police crackdowns are putting sex workers’ lives at risk. Security systems among women on the street are […]
Barking and Dagenham Post hard copy here: Sex workers won’t report crimes for fear of being prosecuted Last week the Post reported on two aggravated burglaries in a Barking brothel, which led to the ordering of its closure. This week we speak to a women’s rights organisation, which criticises the police handling of the case, […]
Brothel attacks prompt debate whether police priority should be prosecuting sex workers or catching dangerous criminalsA series of gang attacks on brothels in east London has triggered calls for changes to the prostitution laws after victims who reported knifepoint robberies said they ended up being threatened with prosecution.A police investigation has been launched as senior Labour and […]