There’s a bill up for consideration in Scotland to criminalise the purchase of sex. It’s part of an international wave of laws that purport to “help” people in the sex trade by arresting their source of income – their customers. Rhoda Grant MSP has now released the results of her public consultation on the bill, including mentions of Amnesty International. Only: Amnesty International hasn’t taken any position on the bill, and in fact has demanded their name be withdrawn. They don’t want to be associated with a law that stands to do great harm to sex workers.
These kinds of laws, variously called the “Nordic model” or “end demand”, claim that by arresting and prosecuting men who hire sex workers, they are taking a more woman-friendly or even feminist approach to sex work. In truth, using the police in this way creates fear and a greater potential for violence for sex workers: customers are reluctant to participate in negotiations around fees and safer sex, for fear of risking arrest, and sex workers find their power on the job even further curtailed. Never mind that the enforcers of “end demand” are the police, who sex workers the world over report present are a far greater threat of violence to them than customers. These laws pass because lawmakers ignore sex workers. Rhoda Grant’s bill is following the same pattern.
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