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decrimnow.bsky.social
Decrim Now
@decrimnow.bsky.social
200 followers 150 following 49 posts
We are a grassroots campaign group led by sex workers, trade unionists & feminists. We fight for the full decriminalisation of sex work in the UK.

Take action: https://linktr.ee/ukdecrimnow
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decrimnow.bsky.social
If you’re based in Scotland, please stand in solidarity with sex workers by coming to Scotland for Decrim’s protest outside Scottish Parliament next Tuesday. Sex workers and allies will be there protesting Ash Regan’s dangerous Nordic model bill.
Poster with text reading ‘Stand with Scottish sex workers against the Nordic model! Meet: Scottish Parliament. Date: Tuesday 18th November. Time: 6pm’. The Scotland for Decrim logo is at the top and the background has images of hands holding a camera and a megaphone.
November 14, 2025 at 12:17 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
Is sex work a trade union issue?

Join sex workers, trade unionists and allies to discuss the fight for decriminalisation from a workers’ rights, women’s safety and public health perspective.

27/11/2025
7-8:30PM

Get your tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/workers-fo...
November 10, 2025 at 8:47 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
Instead, sex workers surveyed demanded full decriminalisation.

Full decriminalisation enables sex workers to utilise existing labour rights and protections to better their own working conditions, alongside the freedom to work without fear of arrest or police violence.

(7/9)
Black faded background with text overlaid that says: SEX WORKERS WANT SEX WORK TO BE DECRIMINALISED. Respondents stated that full decriminalisation is necessary for their safety. As it will allow them to utilise existing labour rights & protections & work without fear of arrest or police harrassment.
November 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
In England, Scotland and Wales, sex work is currently partially criminalised. Whilst the transaction of selling sex is technically legal, many elements surrounding it are illegal.

Our research showed sex workers overwhelmingly wanted to tell the Government that criminalisation harms them.

(6/9)
Red background with text overlaid stating: the law harms sex workers. In quotation marks: Tanya faces similar fears and worries: "Sex work itself shouldn't be dangerous, but the laws and stigma around it make it dangerous. If a friend and I decided to work together in a shared flat so that we can look out for each other, that flat would be classed as a brothel and would be against the law. Banks get suspicious if you deposit a lot of cash and some banks even shut down sex workers' accounts."
November 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
Harsh benefit sanctions were also cited as a main driver of respondents entering sex work.

Some sex workers surveyed entered sex work specifically because their benefits had been cut or taken away.

(4/9)
A black and faded background with text overlaid that says: Benefit cuts and sanctions were also cited as a main driver of people entering sex work. A situation reflected by Tanya, a sex worker the Big Issue interviewed. In quotation marks: "Even though my disabilities were now worse, they took away my PIP," Tanya said. "Without that I didn't have nearly enough to cover my rent and bills."
November 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
Recent cuts to disability benefits, low wages in full-time jobs, and welfare benefits that don't pay enough to survive on, were amongst the main reasons given as to why people chose to enter sex work.

55% of sex workers in receipt of Universal Credit felt it was not enough to live on.

(3/9)
A red background with text overlaid that states; 55% felt universal credit was not enough to live on and entered sex work to bridge the gap.
November 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
Unsurprisingly, our research found that 76% of sex workers entered due to poverty & financial need.

Whilst 77% of sex workers stated they have a disability, neurodivergence, or a long-term health issue, which made accessing traditional forms of employment difficult, or impossible.

(2/9)
A black and faded background with text overlaid that says: 77% of sex workers have a disability or long-term health condition, including mental illness or neurodivergence. In quotation marks: "I'm autistic, I have ADHD and PISD, and I also have a chronic form of leukaemia," Tanya told Big Issue. "I cope really badly with the pressure of a regular job, having to be present for certain hours of the day. I get tired, I can't focus.”
November 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
If you believe there should be no more cuts, no more austerity, no more poverty, take action now.

📧 Follow the link in our bio to use our template email to contact your MP.

💻 Sign up to our newsletter on our website & keep up to date with the situation for sex workers' rights in the UK.

(6/6)
Black background with faded orange patterns, with text overlaid that says: “Help us fight for sex workers' rights and combat poverty. Email your MP using the the template email in our bio. Sign up to our newsletter on our website & keep up to date with the situation for sex workers' rights in the UK. Donate to organisations like SWARM and the English Collective of Prostitutes by visiting their websites
September 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
You can read our open letter and see the rest of signatories, including the trade unions @aslefunion.bsky.social, @bfawu.bsky.social, and organisations like @disrightsuk.bsky.social, and @migrantsrights.bsky.social, in the images below.

(4/6)
our open letter: Dear Secretary of State, We are writing to you as a group of sex workers' rights and wider civil society organisations, to ask you to take urgent action to prevent increasing numbers of women being driven into sex work by poverty and financial need. Women and children disproportionately bear the brunt of the current poverty crisis, faced with a huge rise in living costs, low wages, and over a decade of harsh benefit cuts. Unacceptably, in 2025, 18% of UK children now live in households experiencing food poverty. The Government's upcoming Child Poverty Strategy presents a huge opportunity to tackle this staggeringly high level of child poverty, but the evidence must not be ignored: to lift children out of poverty, we must also lift women out of poverty. At this time, UK sex worker charities and advocacy groups are witnessing increasing numbers of women entering the industry for the first time out of financial necessity. There are a range of different reasons why people go into sex work to support themselves. However, Decrim Now's recent survey of 172 sex workers paints a bleak picture, finding that 76% started sex work due to financial need. 77% of respondents considered themselves to be disabled or to have a long-term health condition, and many sex workers highlighted their health or disability as a key reason why they went into sex work. Our survey additionally found that 53% of respondents were working multiple jobs outside of sex work, and 27% had caring responsibilities, predominantly for children or a family member. Alarmingly, we are seeing more students enter the industry, as well as older women who are increasingly entering or re-entering the industry later in life due to financial pressures. We know that many migrant women go into sex work to support themselves because they have limited or no access to public funds, even when destitute. Women are also more likely to be trapped in abusive relationships if they cannot afford to leave, and some women use sex work to enable themselves to escape abuse. Social security is the cornerstone of our human rights, such as housing, food and health. Clearly our social security system must be reformed to ensure people have the financial support they need to afford the essentials, without having to rely on sex work if they don't want to. While people of any gender (and no gender) can and do go into sex work, the majority of sex workers are women and many are mothers. Due to current laws, these women, driven by poverty, are then forced to work in unsafe conditions, facing violence, stigma and discrimination. This must end. The laws around sex work can be contentious, and the undersigned may differ in our views about which legislative models lead to the greatest safety for women. Despite this, we are united in our concern about women's poverty, and the wellbeing of those who feel they have no choice but to enter sex work in order to survive. The Government has promised to reduce child poverty by the end of this parliament. In order to achieve this moral imperative and prevent more women entering sex work due to poverty, we urge you to use your Autumn Budget to implement the following changes: • Increase Universal Credit to a level that meets people's essential needs • Scrap the no recourse to public funds condition • Scrap the two child limit on benefits • Lift the benefit cap • Stop cuts to disability and health benefits. We know that there is enough money in the Uk to fund these changes - the Government simply has to make the political decisions required to find it, such as by exploring the options for better taxing and redistributing wealth. As more women find themselves without the money to pay their rent or to feed their children, we can't afford not to make these changes. As one sex worker responded to our survey's final question, which asked what they would like to tell the Government about their experiences: "People do sex work because they need money. If you want to live in a society where women aren't reliant on selling sex, it's poverty we need to tackle." signatories: DECRIM NOW ENGLISH COLLECTIVE OF PROSTITUTES SAFETY FIRST WALES SEX WORKERS UNION UCU SEX WORKER ADVOCACY AND RESISTANCE MOVEMENT (SWARM) NATIONAL UGLY MUGS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK AGENDA ALLIANCE ARTS & HOMELESSNESS INTERNATIONAL ASLEF BFAWU EQUITY DISABILITY RIGHTS UK LEVEL UP THE ADULT SEXUAL EXPLOITATION PARTNERSHIP HALALEH TAHERI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE EASTERN WOMEN AND SOCIETY (MEWSO) LATIN AMERICAN WOMEN'S AID MIGRANTS' RIGHTS NETWORK ROSE BERNSTEIN, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JOINT COUNCIL FOR THE WELFARE OF IMMIGRANTS WOMEN AGAINST RAPE RESTORED ONE25 DISABLED PEOPLE AGAINST CUTS DIFFERENCE NORTH EAST SPECTRA BRISTOL SEX WORKERS COLLECTIVE WINVISIBLE (WOMEN WITH VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE DISABILITIES)
September 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
We’ve been joined by orgs including @amnestyuk.bsky.social, @agenda-alliance.bsky.social, and @ucu.org.uk. We’re proud to be leading this coalition of organisations working across the sex workers’ rights movement, the women’s sector, the disability sector, the trade union movement, & others.

(3/6)
A white background with orange faded patterns, with text overlaid saying, “Our letter has been signed by a coalition of sex worker collectives, charities and trade unions to tell the government they need to take action now. Read our open letter on the next slide. Help us by sharing this post and emailing your MP to ask them to support sex workers.”
September 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
The UK is in an ongoing poverty crisis, and some people are entering sex work in order to support themselves and their families. Women, mothers, migrants, disabled people and trans people are overrepresented in sex work because of the poverty they often face.

(2/6)
A black background with orange faded patterns. The text over the top says: “76% of sex workers who responded to a recent Decrim Now survey said that their main reason for going into sex work was financial need.”
September 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
We’ve sent an open letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to tell him that the the government must act urgently to prevent increasing numbers of women being driven into sex work by poverty and financial need.

(1/6)
A black and white photo of a person holding a sign that says, “benefit cuts drive women into prostitution,” on a bright red background. There is text overlaid that says, “OPEN LETTER: We've written to the government to tell them they must act urgently to prevent increasing numbers of women being driven into sex work by poverty and financial need.”
September 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
Criminalising sex work does not make it go away, it makes it more dangerous for sex workers. The government needs to tackle poverty and the basic failure of our society to support people’s essential needs.
Text reading ‘Ending women's poverty, low benefits, disability discrimination, housing insecurity, lack of recognition for care responsibilities, and pay inequality - this is where the focus needs to be. We, the English Collective of Prostitutes, guarantee that prostitution rates would fall off a cliff if every woman in this country had financial independence and security. But making the work more dangerous while not even attempting to address these causal factors will only get more women hurt.’
September 7, 2025 at 4:09 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
Austerity cuts to welfare and other crucial services since 2010 have led to the poverty crisis we’re now seeing across the country, which has driven more people into sex work to support themselves and their families.
Text reading ‘Austerity cuts and benefits-slashing policies have disproportionately harmed women, especially single mothers. Research shows that policies like the two-child benefit cap are increasing child poverty, but children don't exist in a vacuum. Children are poor because their mothers are poor. In 2018, the UN Rapporteur on poverty called austerity a "political choice" that specifically targets women. In 2019, a Work and Pensions Committee inquiry also acknowledged that benefits sanctions and delays to Universal Credit were pushing women into "survival sex". Since then, hundreds of women have reached out to ECP for support whilst starting or returning to sex work. They said they had little choice - they couldn't survive doing other jobs, and the benefits system was failing them.’
September 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
This is still going on, now in the context of a deepening poverty crisis across the country. The government must listen to sex workers and allies, and end the criminalisation of sex work.
Text reading ‘"Sex workers around the country continue to receive prostitute's cautions from the police for working on the street," Megan, one of the coordinators of Decrim Now, told Big Issue. "This hands them a criminal record that makes it incredibly difficult to get another job, essentially trapping them in sex work. At a time when the UK is facing a poverty crisis and the government is considering cutting disability benefits, it's outrageous that sex workers are being punished for doing what they need to in order to survive." In June, Watson and others from the English Collective of Prostitutes delivered a letter signed by 80 others, requesting the government abolish prostitute's cautions, expunge criminal records which trap women in prostitution.’
September 5, 2025 at 1:51 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
Sharon’s story is a shocking example of exactly what happens to hundreds of sex workers around the country - criminalised for doing sex work to survive, and prevented from leaving sex work as a result.
Text reading ‘"I never realised all of that [the cautions and convictions] would be included in my history," she said. But she found out the huge impact her sex work would have on her ability to find other work when she tried to start a career in nursing at the age of 28. Sharon enrolled on a nursing course at college, and had to find a job in the nursing field to accompany her classroom learning. "I applied for jobs and got taken on by a nursing agency," she said. "But when they got my CRB check [a criminal record check now known as a DBS check] back, it was the end of that. It was so embarrassing. I was still young enough to have a career, but the police record stopped me. I would have been good at nursing."’
September 5, 2025 at 1:48 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
To join Scottish sex workers in opposing further criminalisation under the Nordic Model;

- follow Scotland4Decrim on Instagram

- if you’re based in Scotland, use our email your MSP tool to demand they oppose the proposed Nordic Model: t.co/DOkwW8dQoa
May 31, 2025 at 1:43 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
“Sex workers know that only full decriminalisation will protect our safety, health, & human rights, giving us the power to choose when and how we work.”

Read more about our campaign to oppose the Nordic Model in Scotland: t.co/JMgYyBDNsb
May 31, 2025 at 1:42 PM
decrimnow.bsky.social
The criminalisation of sex work puts sex workers in danger.

It is against the law for sex workers in the U.K. to work together for safety.

Sex workers need decriminalisation & we need it now.

Use our tool to email your MP and demand full decrim.

decrim-email.netlify.app
May 20, 2025 at 5:37 PM