The battle lines are being drawn. In Scotland, England and Wales are we going down the discredited line of the Nordic model. The proposed legislation is coming to both parliaments. In this article from Care, they talk about evidence. Evidence that the Nordic model and the criminalisation of the sex industry is dangerous is proven beyond all doubt, Even the recent Home Office research done by a group in Bristol University comes down on the side that the current laws are not fit, and the Nordic model is a failure. Evidence of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland show sex workers are in greater danger. Why is the evidence from New Zealand, and New South Wales always disregarded? Even unintended legislation that decriminalised the Sex Industry in Rhode Island showed that decriminalisation is a better way to go. Against all this evidence, we have CARE and other organisations campaigning for the Nordic model which will do nothing to help sex workers. If you are a sex worker or an ally, then it is time to communicate with your MP, otherwise, you will find your advertising streams closed, your clients more secretive and unlikely to divulge any personal information. Are you looking to go back to the street to get clients, this happened in the US after the SESTA/FESTA legislation was enacted.
Here is a small part of the CARE article, please read the whole article from the link.
We must explore options to criminalise the purchase of sex, sending the message that exploitation will not be tolerated.
Do we want to live in a society where you can buy sexual consent? That was the question posed two years ago in a ground-breaking report from the Conservative Human Rights Commission. It recommended that buying sex should be criminalised and people in prostitution supported through clear exit pathways and strategies. Now, two years on, are we any further forward?
The fact is, a debate about current prostitution laws is long overdue. When I say debate, I mean a proper, evidence-led, robust discussion about the type of society we want to be. Prostitution is a divisive issue, with strong feelings either side of the debate. But all campaigners agree that the current law is not working.
Paying for sex and providing sexual services for payment are legal in England, Wales, and Scotland. Someone can sell their body for the purposes of sex and someone else can legally buy it. However, other activities closely related to prostitution are against the law – soliciting in a public place, brothel keeping and controlling others for prostitution. This confusing legal framework is unsustainable and morally indefensible. The deficiencies are summed up by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prostitution, who, in their 2014 report wrote:
“The legal settlement around prostitution sends no clear signals to women who sell sex, men who purchase it, courts and the criminal justice system, the police or local authorities. In practice, those who sell sexual services carry the burden of criminality despite being those who are most vulnerable to coercion and violence. This serves to normalise the purchase and stigmatise the sale of sexual services - and undermines efforts to minimise entry into and promote exit from prostitution.”