Tag Archives: sex workers

Sarah Noble

Opinion: Why Liberal Democrats must oppose any criminalisation of sex workers

By Sarah Noble | Mon 3rd November 2014 - 10:50 am

Amsterdam red light district by Trey Ratcliff On Tuesday, Parliament will debate the Report Stage of the Modern Slavery Bill, and in particular, an amendments that would criminalise the purchase of sex in England and Wales, similar to the one that was passed in Northern Ireland just a couple of weeks ago. It’s important that, as Liberal Democrats, we oppose those amendments.

When Belinda Brooks-Gordon and I, with the help of too many sex workers to list, put forward a policy motion towards safer sex work at Conference in Glasgow,

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 15 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Moves to close Edinburgh’s saunas show centralising and illiberal effects of Scottish Police merger

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 6th January 2014 - 3:24 pm

For the New Year, a story which shows the adverse effects of both illiberal and centralising measures. In Edinburgh, for the past 30 years, “saunas” have been licensed with the unspoken knowledge that it was sex, rather than massages, which were on offer inside them. Even if you don’t approve of sex being sold like any other commodity, there are obvious advantages in giving sex workers a safe environment to work in.

However, this tolerance is set to end after a series of raids on saunas. The City of Edinburgh Council is set to withdraw licences from these facilities within the …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | 5 Comments
James Shaddock

Opinion: As Liberals, we must stand up For sex workers

By James Shaddock | Tue 17th December 2013 - 4:38 pm

Today, 17th December, is the 10th International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. It seeks to raise awareness of the violence and hate experienced by sex workers around the world and help fight the stigma, discrimination and persecution brought on by society’s attitudes towards sex work and dangerous prohibitionist laws.

It’s is all the more poignant this year following the anti-sex work actions that have occurred throughout 2013. From Rhoda Grant’s attempt to criminalise the purchase of sex in Scotland, to the condom ban in Edinburgh saunas, through to the recent raids in Soho only two weeks ago, the …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 29 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • cim
    Agreed with a lot of the above, "compulsory voting" is just a way to mask the symptom that there's not much in our current democracy that gets people excited to...
  • SteveTrevethan
    Thanks to all for a most interesting and relevant article and set of comments! From the information and possibilities therein contained, is it the case that ...
  • David Evans
    Let's be honest here. The whole thing is a political carve up, by an instinctively centralising and authoritarian Labour party, emboldened by a huge parliament...
  • George Thomas
    Perhaps my most illiberal "opinion" is that automatic freedom of movement for immigrants is possibly a bad thing*. I remember speaking with a recent refugee who...
  • Chloe
    'underlying emotions are fear, resentment and inadequacy relating to their own lives' Are you saying the residents of Crowborough or Bicester who've protested ...