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A woman who was trafficked into prostitution in the UK
TUC Women’s Conference voted down two motions calling for the decriminalisation of the sex industry just as the Morning Star went to press today.
Motions from the Aslef and GMB unions, entitled Decriminalisation of Sex Work and Sex Work is Still Work, both called for full decriminalisation, arguing that the trade’s criminal nature led to a “a greater risk of exploitation, abuse, and other violence.”
But opponents argued it was dangerous to treat an inherently exploitative and abusive industry, closely linked to human trafficking, as an ordinary job.
Legal frameworks designed to safeguard women are too often weaponised against them, reinforcing male power and entrenching injustice. The FiLiA Ending MVAWG Team highlight some of the issues
The legacy of socialist feminists such as Alexandra Kollontai challenges us today to confront an uncomfortable truth: framing prostitution as empowerment lets the abusers of the Epstein class off the hook, warns HELEN O’CONNOR
As Ash Regan’s Unbuyable Bill sparks debate in Scotland, the real issue remains unaddressed: a digitalised sex industry and a neoliberal economy that repackages exploitation as empowerment while leaving women’s material conditions unchanged, argues LAUREN HARPER
Susan Galloway talks to ASH REGAN MSP about her “Unbuyable” Bill, seeking to tackle the commercial sexual exploitation of women in Scotland