NUM’s Statement on the Online Pimping Motion in the Scottish Parliament
10 February 2022
The Online Pimping Motion which has today been debated in the Scottish Parliament by MSPs is yet another instance of ideology taking precedence over sex workers’ experiences, safety and lives.
The motion, put forward by Ruth Maguire MSP, had 10 MSPs speaking in favour of banning ASWs. Two MSPs spoke against this motion – Mercedes Villalba and Maggie Chapman.
The debate also ties in to recent policy discovery work in Scotland, including the Equally Safe consultation.Rhoda Grant MSP made a statement about NUM’s funding from Vivastreet that misrepresented the relationship. We have been transparent about the service level agreement for cost recovery that we hold with this Adult Services Website and the ways in which this funding is used to support sex worker safety. Partial funding for a case worker to provide direct support to sex workers on this platform, and our processing of reports of harm, along with our alerting services to their customers forms the basis of this relationship. Creating meaningful partnerships with sex workers and some of the ASWs they use to address concerns, and intelligence sharing to promote safety for sex workers is a NUM priority. We are disturbed by this misrepresentation of our work and we object to her disparaging statement that NUM somehow financially benefits from the SLA with Vivastreet. We welcome the opportunity to discuss Ms. Grant’s concerns further.
NUM’s Response
“Banning the websites used by sex workers would have disastrous consequences for people engaged in sex work by making the industry more dangerous. It would increase community harm, by driving sex workers either to the streets or to hidden and informal networks on and offline. Rather than criminalising the sector we ought to be working with sex workers to explore how we can improve safety, regulate adult services websites, secure rights and options for earning the money needed to live, while also addressing poverty, economic insecurity, and structural inequity. Going forward, MSPs interested in hearing from sex workers on how policy decisions may affect their income, safety and lives, may meaningfully engage with NUM and other groups such as SCOT-PEP. Sex workers must have a voice in this debate.”
Dr. Raven Bowen
The impact of banning sex workers from advertising online is devastating. Research from sex worker communities in the US following the introduction of FOSTA/SESTA demonstrates the “chilling effect” that such policies have on sex workers – increased violence, decreased income, increased mental health issues, decreased safety. This, alongside our recent report on visual violence in sex work provides substantial evidence for the need for sex workers to be actively involved in the development of policy and law which shapes and regulates the way they work, along with their ability to seek remedy through civil, legal and other means when their rights are breached. More specifically, it considers the way in which the regulation of online spaces can be done with sex workers’ safety at its core.
We will be inviting Rhoda Grant MSP to explore how sex workers’ voices and experiences can be meaningfully included and prioritised in debates around their safety both within work and society more broadly. It is vital that sex workers are provided the necessary resources to be able to make meaningful and valued contributions. Sex workers who are part of groups such as SCOT-PEP need more support to participate in policy reform than an email invitation, especially during a pandemic. NUM wishes to facilitate safe, sensitive and respectful dialogue between MSPs and sex workers. We further extend this invitation to any MSP or MP who wishes to know more about our work on harm prevention and reduction, safety, access to justice, research, community support and inclusion.