New Research on ASWs, Sex Work and Trafficking Policies
8 November 2023

New research published by Teela Sanders and Rachel Keighley has echoed sex workers’ advocacy around inclusion and involvement in policies that prevent trafficking and exploitation. 

NUM supports the recommendation from this research that calls for the inclusion of sex workers in the development of any anti-trafficking measures, for these measures to understand the impact on those involved in sex work, and particularly for the need to ensure that migration, and migrant sex workers, are not criminalised. 

It is vital that any measures taken to reduce trafficking and exploitation are done in ways which do not cause harm to sex workers, and the best way to achieve this is through sex worker inclusion. In the words of Holt, Kenway and Berry, ‘we cannot allow sex workers to become collateral damage, once again‘. 

We offer the following considerations based on the research:

• ASWs are an important tool utilised by sex workers, enabling them to work independently, to screen potential clients, and to communicate with other workers. As seen in the US with FOSTA/SESTA, the removal of online platforms for advertising and resources can cause significant harm to sex workers and trafficking victims, forcing them into even more hidden spaces and increasing dependence on exploitative third parties.
• There must be extreme caution exercised in the gathering and sharing of identity data by ASWs and other organisations. There are concerns about the increasing surveillance of sex workers by ASWs, and the way in which data is used. This is particularly notable with regards to sex workers expressing increasing concern about travel, migration, detention and refusal of entry at international borders. 
• Any intelligence-gathering activities using ASWs must be done with caution, recognising that ASWs and the profiles hosted upon them are marketing tools, and do not necessarily present an accurate reflection of any individual worker or sex workers as a whole. We recommend Holt, Kenway and Berry’s discussion of attempting to identify risk factors on ASWs for further consideration of these.
• Anti-trafficking initiatives benefit from trusting relationships between sex workers and police in order to make important distinctions between these populations and adequately respond to their calls for protection. We support the demand for a firewall between enforcement and immigration, as recommended by Southhall Black Sisters and other groups. Meaningful and trusting relationships between police and sex workers do not currently exist  and are particularly weak for sex workers of colour and migrant sex workers. 
• Wider policy and practice must change to remove criminalisation, to tackle stigma, racism and discrimination, as well as shifting the culture of policing. 

For police forces wanting to learn more about how to serve and protect sex workers, please visit our eLearning page.