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Written question asked by Diana Johnson (Labour) on Wednesday, 15 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 May 2024 (named day). It was answered by Laura Farris (Conservative) on Monday, 20 May 2024 on behalf of the Home Office.

Exploitation

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2024 to Question 24749 on Prostitution: Internet, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of criminalising the (a) enablement of and (b) profiting from prostitution of others.

Answer

The acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal in England and Wales. Research the Home Office commissioned in 2019 on the nature of sex work and prostitution in England and Wales found that some sex workers use technology to manage their safety, and so criminalising the enablement of prostitution online could put these individuals at greater risk of harm.

However, we recognise that advertising of sexual services has increasingly moved online, and that adult service websites can be used enable sexual exploitation. That is why the Online Safety Act 2023 ensures online platforms are responsible and accountable for content on their sites and take proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The Act will make the UK the safest place to be online and will require online platforms to proactively identify and remove content linked to priority offences, including controlling and inciting prostitution for gain.

Safeguarding Ministers met the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for sex work on 31 January 2023, 24 May 2022, 6 February 2019, 19 April 2018 and 27 Nov 2017.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26387
Session
2023-24
Related items
Prostitution: Internet
Thursday, 9 May 2024
Written questions
House of Commons
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Prostitution Exploitation
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk