Sex work

Sex work is the exchange of sexual services for money. Sex work itself is not a crime but the following activities are crimes in the UK:

• Soliciting in a public place
• Kerb crawling
• Owning or managing a brothel
• Pimping
• Procuring (this includes trafficking a sex worker, operating a sex work business and transporting a sex worker to a location of their arrangement).

In addition, it is illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to:

• Pay for sex with a sex worker who has been subjected to force. Clients can be prosecuted even if they didn’t know the sex worker was forced.

Advice and support

Call 999 if a crime is happening now, or if you or someone you know is in immediate danger.

One25

Supporting women to exit sex-working through support around housing, mental health, addiction, domestic and sexual violence, finance, wellbeing and the criminal justice system.

Call 0117 909 8832 or email office@one25.org.uk

Night outreach van: 0800 6 125 125

Ugly Mugs

UK-wide charity working with sex workers to do research, design and deliver safety tools and to provide support services to people in adult industries.

Beloved

Beloved offer a friendly, non-judgemental and confidential service for women working in the indoor sex industry in Bristol, whether you are remaining in the industry, seeking to leave or have already left. They can offer practical advice and emotional support, they can also refer into other agencies for further specialist support.

Call 07541 366577 or email hello@beloved.org.uk 

For support and advice about sexual assault and sexual harassment, visit the Sexual Violence page.

For support and advice about sexual health, visit the Sexual Health page.