UK sex work laws turn survival into exploitation, but it doesn’t have to

New research from Decrim Now exposes a stark reality: poverty, job insecurity, and the soaring cost of living are pushing more people in the UK into sex work simply to survive. Survival shouldn’t mean exploitation, but unfortunately, in this case it often does.

In the UK, lawmakers have created a dangerous legal grey area—selling sex is legal, but they criminalize nearly every activity surrounding it. This contradictory system doesn’t protect people; it exposes them. Fearing arrest, sex workers are often too scared to report violence, coercion, or trafficking. Instead of preventing exploitation, the law enables it. By forcing people into silence and leaving them at greater risk of abuse and sexual exploitation.

“You cannot criminalize people out of poverty”

When Sofia, a 28-year-old social care worker from London, saw her rent rise by £300 while her wages stagnated, she turned to her credit card to get by—until debt spiralled out of control. She told the Big Issue that,

The only reason I made the choice to do sex work was because of structural and societal issues—wages haven’t risen with inflation, and no rental caps have been set.

According to Decrim Now’s survey of 172 sex workers, 76% entered the industry due to financial need. And 77% live with a disability or long-term health condition. “Sex work is being increasingly turned to as a way to fill in the gaps left by terrible wages, unaffordable childcare, or cuts to disability benefits,” said Audre Whorne from Decrim Now.

Under current UK laws, even basic safety measures can be illegal. “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,” explained another worker, Tanya.

Whorne warns that criminalization traps workers in poverty. Often, police will fine workers, which only contributes to the cycle of debt, sex work, and risk of arrest.

Still there has been a “concerted effort” from politicians, to implement the Nordic Model. This model criminalizes the person who purchases sex in efforts to end the demand, and by effect, prevent people from entering into sex work. Whorne warns that:

In every country the Nordic Model has been implemented in, it has failed to prevent people from, nor decrease the amount of people, entering sex work. This is because the Nordic Model fundamentally fails to understand why people enter sex work, people don’t start sex work due to demand but because of poverty. The only thing the Nordic Model is evidenced to be successful in is putting sex workers at greater risk of arrest, poverty, violence and death.

Ireland’s decriminalization bill: A model for reform

While many nations have yet to realize the harms of the Nordic Model, Ireland might become one that does. On October 20th, Irish legislator Ruth Coppinger proposed a bill to fully decriminalize sex work. The bill includes eliminating penalties for workers collaborating or employing help like security or drivers. Coppinger criticized Ireland’s current laws, noting that the 2017 Sexual Offences Act has made workers “more vulnerable to violence.” Indeed, University Times reports that there was a 92% rise in violence against sex workers since 2017, with a 77% spike in violent crime in the first year alone.

Linda Kavanagh of Sex Workers Ireland urged broad support:

Anyone who cares about violence against sex workers, women’s rights, LGBTQI+ rights, migrants, people in poverty or insecure housing must support this bill.

A call for safety and justice

Inspired by decriminalization models in New Zealand, Australia, and Belgium, Ireland’s proposed law represents a vital step toward evidence-based reform.

Decriminalization isn’t about promoting sex work—it’s about protecting lives, ensuring dignity, and addressing the structural inequalities that make survival work necessary in the first place. And significantly, decriminalization builds resilience to trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Like Ireland, the US state of Illinois introduced a law that would transform the fight against sex trafficking and exploitation through the decriminalization of sex work. Sign the petition today to call on Illinois lawmakers to pass this important bill!