By revealing that he is in favour of decriminalising sex work, Jeremy Corbyn has shown he is willing to listen to the voices of sex workers.
Corbyn’s support puts him in the company of the overwhelming majority of sex workers, academics and frontline support services like my charity, National Ugly Mugs (NUM), which provides direct support to thousands of sex workers throughout the UK. He is also joined by organisations such as UN AIDS, Human Rights Watch, Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women, and Amnesty International.
This is an emotive debate, but the voices of sex workers are absolutely central to it and Corbyn is clearly hearing what they are saying. Whether they are, like the majority of sex workers, making a conscious choice to sell sex, or part of the small minority who are forced or exploited, their views are clear. Criminalising any aspect of consenting sex between adults compromises their safety and as a result harms some of the most marginalised members of society.
NUM deals with around 60 incidents of violence against sex workers each month, and the vast majority of those targeted do not want to report these incidents to the police. Offenders often tell the sex workers, while abusing them, that they know they won’t be reported to the police and even if they are, the police won’t take the incident seriously. These offenders simply get away with their crimes and continue to pose a threat to us all.
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