Plans to overhaul prostitution laws in Scotland branded 'disastrous'

Ash Regan MSP is introducing a new bill to change the laws on prostitution in Scotland.

A group of Scottish sex workers are launching a new campaign against proposals to overhaul prostitution law in Scotland.

On Tuesday, Alba MSP Ash Regan will unveil her Bill to bring in what is known as the Nordic model.

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The Nordic model legalises the selling of sex while criminalising the buying of sex. Under existing legislation, soliciting in public, kerb crawling and brothel-keeping are illegal, but running a pimping website or paying for sex is legal.

Campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament.Campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament.
Campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament. | Mina Karenina

A number of neighbouring countries have already introduced the Nordic model, including France, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland.

However, campaigners from Scotland For Decrim say they are worried this would put them in more danger, push the industry underground, increase stigma and expose people to more violence and poverty

A spokesperson for the campaign group said: “Scotland For Decrim absolutely rejects Ash Regan’s attempts to bring in the Nordic model on sex work in Scotland.

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“As a sex worker-led coalition campaigning for our rights, we know that this offensive Bill will endanger sex workers by exposing us to more violence, poverty, and exploitation.

“Criminalising clients does not solve the reasons why people go into sex work - because of financial need, caring responsibilities, disability or simply preferring this work to other kinds of work.

Sex workers are the experts on our own needs. We know that only full decriminalisation will protect our safety, health and human rights, giving us the power to choose when and how we work.”

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The group said the Government should be focusing on strengthening the social security system and added the Nordic model would be “disastrous” for their safety.

Scotland For Decrim pointed to a 2024 YouGov poll that suggested more Scots think it should be legal to pay someone for sex compared to those who think it should be illegal. The same poll also found only 14 per cent of Scots supported the proposed laws.

The spokesperson said: “Sex workers don’t want this, the Scottish public doesn’t want this, and politicians from a range of parties oppose this dangerous Bill.”

The campaigners said a Northern Irish government review found there was “no evidence that the offence of purchasing sexual services has produced a downward pressure on the demand for, or supply of, sexual services”, and found “the legislation has contributed to a climate whereby sex workers feel further marginalised and stigmatised”.

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In 2021, the SNP Government pledged to develop the Nordic model to challenge men’s demands for purchasing sex, and in 2017 branded prostitution a form of gender-based violence and said there were risks to women’s safety, as well as their physical and mental health.

Ms Regan said she hoped the previous promises would see her gaining cross-party support in Holyrood for her Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill.

Ash Regan MSP asked an SNP minister 'are the children of Scotland safe?' in an urgent parliamentary question in the wake of the sentencing of a Glasgow paedophile gang (Picture: Jane Barlow)Ash Regan MSP asked an SNP minister 'are the children of Scotland safe?' in an urgent parliamentary question in the wake of the sentencing of a Glasgow paedophile gang (Picture: Jane Barlow)
Ash Regan MSP asked an SNP minister 'are the children of Scotland safe?' in an urgent parliamentary question in the wake of the sentencing of a Glasgow paedophile gang (Picture: Jane Barlow) | Jane Barlow/Press Association

She said: “Ending prostitution is essential to achieving true equality between the sexes. A society that allows women’s bodies to be bought and sold cannot claim to value them as equals.

“Challenging the demand that fuels sexual exploitation is not just about justice - it’s about dignity, safety and the right of all women, girls and vulnerable men to live free from commodification and harm.”

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A group of organisations known as A Model For Scotland are supporting Ms Regan’s Bill, saying the Nordic model has proved successful in other countries.

They say the proportion of men paying for sex in Sweden - the first country to introduce this model - fell from 12.7 per cent to 7.6 per cent. Around 4 per cent of men in Scotland have paid for sex in the past five years.

Diane Martin is chair of A Model For Scotland and was previously trafficked into high-end prostitution.

She said: “There is overwhelming evidence of the control, violence and terror experienced by the vast majority of women and girls exploited through prostitution in Scotland.

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Diane Martin CBE is calling for the laws on prostitution in Scotland to be overhauled.Diane Martin CBE is calling for the laws on prostitution in Scotland to be overhauled.
Diane Martin CBE is calling for the laws on prostitution in Scotland to be overhauled.

“It is long overdue that those suffering in this oppressive and violent system are not criminalised for their own abuse and that instead the focus be shifted to those creating the demand and those financially benefiting from it, so that they are the ones facing criminal accountability and consequences.

“Where is the progressive Scotland that we all know is possible? Where is our vision of a Scotland where no one is for sale?”

Ms Martin is now urging MSPs in the Scottish Parliament to support Ms Regan’s Bill, saying it could be “life-changing action for the most vulnerable, marginalised and preyed upon women and girls in our society”.

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She said: “I urge MSPs, as someone exploited through supposed ‘high-class’ prostitution in the UK then trafficked overseas, and who has subsequently supported women to exit prostitution for over 30 years, to support this Bill.”

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