BMJ  2006;332:190-191 (28 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7535.190

Editorial

Sex workers to pay the price

UK plans to cut street prostitution will threaten sex workers' health

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In 2004 the UK Home Office published a consultation paper on sex work, after a review of the Sex Offences Act (2003). The paper, Paying the Price,¹ was criticised by specialist services for giving less priority to the health of sex workers than before and for focusing too much on issues of criminal justice, and by health researchers for its unethical use of questionnaires and interviews. The resulting Home Office strategy² published last week aims to challenge the view that street prostitution is inevitable; achieve an overall reduction in street prostitution; improve the safety and quality of life of communities affected by prostitution, including those directly involved in street sex markets; and reduce all forms of commercial sexual exploitation.

The strategy looks to the controversial Swedish model that criminalises men who pay for sex, and uses police photographs of sex acts and possession of condoms as evidence of . . . [Full text of this article]

University College London
(p.boynton@pcps.ucl.ac.uk)

Institute for Applied Social and Health Research, University of Paisley
(linda.cusick@paisley.ac.uk)

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Harding, R., Hamilton, P. (2008). Working Girls: Abuse or Choice in Street-Level Sex Work? A Study of Homeless Women in Nottingham. Br J Soc Work 0: bcm157v1-bcm157 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Spice, W. (2007). Management of sex workers and other high-risk groups. Occup Med (Lond) 57: 322-328 [Full text]  
• Goodyear, M. D E, Cusick, L. (2007). Protection of sex workers. BMJ 334: 52-53 [Full text]  
• Ward, H, Day, S (2006). What happens to women who sell sex? Report of a unique occupational cohort. Sex. Transm. Infect. 82: 413-417 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• (2006). Hit Parade. BMJ 332: 496-496 [Full text]  
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