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| Criminalisation of sex workers in the context of murder | |
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| The Femicide Census report launched earlier this month provides important insights into the epidemic of women killed by men in England and Wales, but it was disappointing to see Karen Ingala Smith of Nia using this to further an agenda about the criminalisation of sex buyers (Why does a woman stay with a violent man? Sometimes, to save her life, theguardian.com, 7 December). | The Femicide Census report launched earlier this month provides important insights into the epidemic of women killed by men in England and Wales, but it was disappointing to see Karen Ingala Smith of Nia using this to further an agenda about the criminalisation of sex buyers (Why does a woman stay with a violent man? Sometimes, to save her life, theguardian.com, 7 December). |
| Violence against women is one of the factors at play when female sex workers are killed. But large amounts of evidence from around the world have shown that another major factor is the criminalisation of those involved in the sex industry. Ingala Smith isolated the death of Daria Pionko here in Leeds as a reason why the purchase of sex should be criminalised. Pionko was murdered since the development of a new approach to street sex work – women can work in a designated area of the city without being prosecuted for soliciting. What Ingala Smith didn’t mention was that four sex workers have been killed in Leeds since 1990, three under a policy of criminalisation of sex workers and buyers. Pionko was a migrant sex worker. Of 18 UK sex workers murdered since 2013, more than half have been migrant women, indicating a targeting of vulnerability exacerbated by criminalisation and stigmatisation. | Violence against women is one of the factors at play when female sex workers are killed. But large amounts of evidence from around the world have shown that another major factor is the criminalisation of those involved in the sex industry. Ingala Smith isolated the death of Daria Pionko here in Leeds as a reason why the purchase of sex should be criminalised. Pionko was murdered since the development of a new approach to street sex work – women can work in a designated area of the city without being prosecuted for soliciting. What Ingala Smith didn’t mention was that four sex workers have been killed in Leeds since 1990, three under a policy of criminalisation of sex workers and buyers. Pionko was a migrant sex worker. Of 18 UK sex workers murdered since 2013, more than half have been migrant women, indicating a targeting of vulnerability exacerbated by criminalisation and stigmatisation. |
| Under the new approach we have seen a 10-fold increase in crimes against sex workers reported to police, and have secured convictions for violent crimes never achieved before. The Femicide Census is all about understanding the killings of women in context. It was a shame to see the context of sex worker murders stripped away to argue for the criminalisation of sex buyers, a policy that has such a weak evidence base.Dr Kate BrownUniversity of York; trustee, Basis Sex Work Project, LeedsPaddy TrimmerChair, Basis Sex Work Project, Leeds | Under the new approach we have seen a 10-fold increase in crimes against sex workers reported to police, and have secured convictions for violent crimes never achieved before. The Femicide Census is all about understanding the killings of women in context. It was a shame to see the context of sex worker murders stripped away to argue for the criminalisation of sex buyers, a policy that has such a weak evidence base.Dr Kate BrownUniversity of York; trustee, Basis Sex Work Project, LeedsPaddy TrimmerChair, Basis Sex Work Project, Leeds |
| • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com | • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com |
| • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters | • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters |
| • This letter was amended on 15 December 2016. An earlier version misnamed the Femicide Census report as the “femicide consensus”. | • This letter was amended on 15 December 2016. An earlier version misnamed the Femicide Census report as the “femicide consensus”. |