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.
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 […]
Police crackdowns on brothel-keeping mean that sex workers are unwilling to report intimidation and violence.The trial of Sheila Farmer, an escort with a malignant brain tumor and diabetes charged with brothel-keeping, collapsed on 4 January after the prosecution failed to bring a witness to testify against her.Farmer, who worked with friends for safety after she was […]
All Sheila Farmer was trying to do was guarantee the safety of her and fellow consensual sex workers from violence, rape and robbery, that she was prosecuted is a national disgrace…It was January 3rd, 2012. Stepping over the broken-winged corpses of umbrellas on Croydon’s pavements, a rain-drenched, gale-battered group of approximately thirty supporters, myself included, […]
The government claims it needs to make cuts but squanders huge amounts of money prosecuting women like me.This week charges of brothel-keeping against me were dropped. It’s enough for two prostitutes to live or work together for us to be illegal. To be within the law we must work alone. After 18 months of campaigning to […]
Sheila Farmer, a sex worker who worked with other women from premises for safety had charges of brothel-keeping dismissed today in Croydon Crown Court. She worked with other women since being viciously raped and attacked whilst working alone. Ms Farmer left court with over 20 supporters delighted and relieved that she no longer faces a […]