Scotland: Extra £90,000 to Support Women Involved in Sex Work

London: An extra £90,000 is being invested by the Scottish government to support women involved in Sex Work. The money will help fund services run by Victim Support Scotland, the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre and the Encompass Network. The funding – which brings the total spent during the pandemic to £170,000 – was announced as the findings of Scotland’s first ever consultation on Sex Work are published. The Equally Safe consultation – which attracted over 4,000 responses – found the pandemic had exacerbated the harms experienced by women involved in Sex Work and underlined the importance of a wide range of support to address their multiple, underlying needs.

Community safety minister Ash Denham, said: “As this consultation shows, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a profoundly negative impact on women involved in Sex Work. There was clear evidence that in many situations women were already experiencing poverty or additional challenges, such as immigration status. The pandemic put women into further precarious positions with some reporting that they had no choice but to continue to sell sex. The stigma and the hidden nature of Sex Work has created a further barrier to getting help through mainstream services. I am therefore pleased to announce this additional funding for specialist services designed specifically for women involved in prostitution. The Scottish government will build on the findings of the consultation and develop a model for Scotland to challenge men’s demand for Sex Workers, learning from other jurisdictions and international approaches. We will also bring forward a programme of work to engage with those with lived experience to help shape and strengthen services.”

Co-ordinator at the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre Katy Mathieson said: “Women who sell or exchange sex often face immeasurable barriers, stigma and discrimination when it comes to seeking justice after an experience of abuse or violence. With this funding we will develop a pilot project which will enable us to identify the specific legal and advocacy needs of women involved in selling or exchanging sex and support them to exercise their rights.”

Ash Denham, Scottish Legal News, https://is.gd/cjg0Jg