Sex workers across Scotland have launched a new campaign urging MSPs to reject proposed laws they say will make their lives more dangerous.
The coalition, called Scotland for Decrim, is fighting back against Alba MSP Ash Regan’s Prostitution Bill, which seeks to criminalise the purchase of sex.
Campaigners warn that this approach, often called the Nordic Model, has already failed elsewhere and would push sex work further into the shadows.
Instead of reducing harm, they say it would increase violence, stigma and exploitation.
The proposed law is expected to be introduced at Holyrood this week.
It would make it illegal to pay for sexual services in Scotland, even though sex work itself would not be criminalised.
Sex workers and their allies say this would force people to work in more dangerous conditions and make it harder to screen clients or report abuse.
They argue the bill targets the wrong people and ignores the realities of why many enter the industry in the first place.
Financial need, disability, caring responsibilities and limited job options all play a role.
The campaign is backed by groups led by sex workers themselves, including national organisations such as National Ugly Mugs and the English Collective of Prostitutes.
To rally public support, Scotland for Decrim has launched a one-click online tool that lets people email their MSP in seconds.
They are urging voters to demand safety, not criminalisation.
Public opinion appears to support them.
A YouGov poll of over 1,000 Scottish adults found that 69 percent think MSPs should focus on protecting the health and safety of sex workers.
Just 14 percent supported new laws that criminalise people exchanging sex for money.
The same poll showed that 47 percent believe it should be legal to pay someone for sex, while only 32 percent believe it should not.
Evidence from Northern Ireland, the only UK nation to introduce the Nordic Model, also raises concerns.
A government review found no reduction in demand for sexual services.
It did find that sex workers felt more marginalised and less safe.
Campaigners say these are the same risks Scotland now faces.
A spokesperson for Scotland for Decrim said the bill would endanger sex workers, not protect them.
“Sex workers are the experts on our own lives,” they said.
“Criminalising clients will not stop people doing this work, but it will make it much harder to do it safely.”
They called instead for full decriminalisation and stronger social support for anyone who wants to leave the industry.
Lynsey Walton, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, said the bill would only increase harm.
“This approach does not protect anyone,” she said.
“It just makes it harder for people to report abuse and stay safe.”
The English Collective of Prostitutes added that tackling poverty, not policing, is the real solution.
“If Ash Regan wants to reduce prostitution, she should be reducing women’s poverty,” said a spokesperson.
“Decriminalisation is what keeps people safe.
“This bill would do the opposite.”
