Online safety bill could put sex workers lives at danger, politicians warn

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New legal guidelines designed to make the web safer could put sex workers’ lives at danger by pushing them into street-based prostitution, a former chief prosecutor and senior politicians have warned.

Campaigners raised fears the Online Safety Bill, which grew to become legislation final October, will result in on-line adverts posted by sex workers being eliminated from the web by platforms as they warned the bill is already fostering a local weather of worry and pushing sex workers into extra harmful conditions.

The laws forces promoting platforms to take away materials they choose to be selling prostitution for acquire, with the specter of fines for high bosses hanging over them if they don’t comply.

Audrey*, a 29-year-old sex employee, mentioned nervousness concerning the bill and the price of residing disaster have pushed her into working at a brothel the place a pimp takes half of her cash and she or he is at better danger from harmful prospects as a consequence of being unable to test them out on-line.

Nazir Afzal, the ex-chief crown prosecutor for North West England, advised The Independent: “The protection of sex workers is not a morality issue, it’s a safeguarding one”.

Mr Afzal, who took on instances involving violence in opposition to girls and little one exploitation whereas working for the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “Anything that pushes them into more dangerous ways of working is to be avoided. This prohibition on online contact will only drive them further underground and more liable to abuse and exploitation.”

While the bill has already come into drive, particulars about how it will likely be applied in follow are nonetheless being determined, with UK communications regulator Ofcom presently consulting on the primary draft of codes of follow for companies and lately assembly with the Sex Workers’ Union to debate the roll-out.

Senior Labour MP John McDonnell, the previous shadow chancellor, mentioned: “We should not forget the key lesson of past tragedies of incidents of violence against, and cases of murder of, sex workers that anything forcing sex workers back onto the streets is inherently dangerous.”

And Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty International UK’s coverage director, warned the laws “could make sex work impossible or risky”.

She added: “Sex workers face human rights abuses daily and they are consistently at risk of rape, violence, extortion and discrimination. Far too often they receive no, or very little, protection from the law or means for redress. We should not add another law that disproportionately harms sex workers.”

It will not be unlawful for people to purchase or promote sex from one another within the UK, however many actions related to sex work are in opposition to the legislation, together with a prostitute working with one other individual or a bunch to say secure, which incorporates working in a brothel.

Audrey, who has been doing sex work for 5 years, advised The Independent she juggles her shifts at a brothel with work she will get from on-line prostitution promoting platforms.

She added: “I don’t really want to work in a brothel. I would prefer to work for myself so I don’t have to deal with a pimp taking half of my money or the fact that I don’t have a say over my own working conditions. Yet because of the online safety bill, I feel forced to keep my job in this brothel – just in case the websites that I sell independently on get shut down.

“Out of fear, I feel forced to stay in a criminalised workplace where I have zero rights and the police might come in. I am breaking the law because there is more than one person working from there.”

Audrey, who lives in Bristol, mentioned a lot of her colleagues have began working in brothels as a result of risk of the web safety bill hanging over them.

“Street-based sex workers are so much more at risk of receiving harassment or violence, whether from clients or the police,” she added. “The main driver of people entering sex work is poverty. And to me, the way that sex workers are criminalised seems like a consistent attack on the working class. It’s also patriarchal. It’s 100 per cent misogynistic.”

Andrew Boff, Chair of the London Assembly, condemned the web safety bill as an “illegal constraint on a legal business”, arguing sex work will all the time happen no matter whether or not the federal government or the general public prefer it or not.

Mr Boff, a Tory Party member, added: “If it is going to carry on, it should be safe. One of the advantages of getting customers online is you can do routine checks about whether they are a problem customer. There are many checking services.

“All that [checking] goes if your only interest is pushing it underground. The online safety act is very, very dangerous. There are going to be some serious violent implications as sex workers go underground”.

Reports of violence and rape are way more prevalent amongst street-based sex workers than those that work inside, analysis has discovered.

Niki Adams, a spokesperson for the English Collective of Prostitutes, which helps sex workers, mentioned they’re getting calls each week from “frightened” sex workers asking for details about the laws.

“They know that working with others or collaborating with other sex workers could bring them to the attention of the advertising platforms and that would result in their ad being taken down,” she added.

“Obviously women depend on advertising online to screen clients and everyone knows that if clients think they can’t be traced, they are more likely to be abusive or rob women. Robbery is a really big problem.”

Sex workers typically use messaging teams to cross on details about violent prospects. Ms Adams mentioned worry concerning the laws is prompting girls to censor themselves as a consequence of nervousness they could be punished for serving to different sex workers.

She famous the time period “controlling prostitution for gain”, which the web safety bill explicitly incorporates, is troublesome as a consequence of being obscure, warning the one definition that exists is what’s used within the felony courts.

“And it is interpreted very widely there,” Ms Adams added. “It is primarily used against women working collectively or helping out other sex workers to stay safe. There is no requirement for force or coercion to be proved.”

Nadia Whittome, a Labour MP who campaigns for sex workers’ rights, mentioned if sex workers lose the precise to promote on-line, they could be plunged “into the arms of those who want to exploit or control them”.

“It is vital that the impact of the Online Safety Act on sex workers is reviewed and that any necessary changes are made to help protect them from harm,” she added.

Megan Isaac, a spokesperson for marketing campaign group Decrim Now, mentioned she has seen from the impression of comparable legal guidelines within the US that “preventing sex workers from advertising online pushes them into more dangerous work.”

Ms Isaac mentioned sex workers in England, Scotland and Wales are already “working under a disastrous regime of partial criminalisation, which puts them at increased risk of poverty and violence. We need the full decriminalisation of sex work in order to keep sex workers safe”.

A authorities spokesperson mentioned: “In-scope online service providers have a legal duty to tackle the harm and exploitation that can be associated with prostitution by swiftly removing illegal content. The act will not prevent people from engaging in lawful activities where there is no exploitation involved.”

However Audrey defined the “sense of threat” fellow sex workers really feel concerning the laws is profound. “Every other sex worker I know is also terrified of this bill,” she added. “If the bill is regulated in the way we fear it will be, we are worried we are going to completely use our ability to advertise online and the websites we use will be criminalised and shutdown.”

An Ofcom spokesperson mentioned: “The Online Safety Act aims to protect sex workers from coercion and exploitation. We recognise the importance of making sure sex workers can operate safely online, and aren’t driven towards less safe environments. This is something we have considered in our draft guidance on how the new laws should be implemented. We are keen to hear from all interested parties so we can add to our growing body of evidence.”

*Names have been modified to make sure the safety of these talking to The Independent.