
Halfway through the Policing and Crime Bill's journey through Parliament, the Home Secretary has introduced the first legislation on prostitution that targets violence and coercion rather than consensual sex work.
Tomorrow, the Scrutiny Committee report on the Policing and Crime Bill is presented to the House of Commons, and the Bill receives its third reading. Only one day of parliamentary time has been allotted for this an astonishingly small amount of time for a large bill: there are 77 clauses, which cover police accountability and effectiveness, alcohol regulation, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and airport security as well as sections 13-20 on prostitution.
We've already changed the Bill vastly for the better. The Home Secretary has lodged an amendment that limits criminalisation of clients to those who pay for sex with someone subjected to force etc.' not those of us who are 'controlled for gain' (i.e., use a third party to find clients). This UK government has said there should still be a strict liability offence (strict liability is used for things like parking tickets, and ignorance is no defence against charges of sex with someone underage).
However, in the past few days, new clauses and amendments have been introduced by other MPs that could improve things even further.
The Debate starts 2pm on Today. Call your MP NOW on 020 7219 3000
Ask them to support new clauses and amendments that prioritise the safety of people in the sex industry, and decrease our criminalisation. Ask your MP to support:
1. New clause 4 which decriminalises anyone under 18 who is selling sex .
2. New clause 37 which defines a brothel as more than two people selling sex plus a maid .
3. New clause 38 which decriminalises 'associated workers' (e.g., maids) in brothels.
4. Amendment 6 to clause 15 which defines persistently for street sex workers as 'twice a week' rather than the current 'twice in three months'.
5. Amendment 7, which removes clause 16 (compulsory rehabilitation for street sex workers as a substitute for fines or jail time).
6. New clauses 25 and 26, which, like the government amendments, require that the person selling sex has been coerced and that the client knows this.
You can find out who is your MP on
sex laws and mps .
The more we put pressure on our MPs, the more likely they are to speak against dangerous legislation and vote to make us safer. It also means that we'll have an easier time of changing things for the better when the Bill goes to the House of Lords (probably in June). There's still a long tough fight ahead of us, and the government majority will carry the day tomorrow, but intervention now will make a difference.
Although the IUSW is very limited by resources we have no office space and all work is done by volunteers, usually paying expenses out of their own pockets we are beginning to persuade those who have
Power over us that people in the sex industry matter and that we can and should be consulted about the decisions which will affect us. The IUSW has been closely involved in developments so far. We've met with a dozen MPs and Lords, and begun to be accepted as part of the group of organisations to be consulted on sex work and issues around it (e.g., we were invited to attend the Home Affairs Select Committee launch of their report on Human Trafficking). Furthermore, we're building links with a range of institutions that influence the conditions in which we work and the consequences of our criminalisation for example, senior civil servants, local government policy makers, the Bar Council, the Crown Prosecution Service, police officers of various forces, non governmental organisations that work on this issue or may develop policies on sex work.