SNP backs changes to Scotland’s prostitution laws SNP members have backed changes to Scotland’s prostitution laws which would make it an offence for people to buy sex […]

SNP members have backed changes to Scotland’s prostitution laws which would make it an offence for people to buy sex but not to sell it.

Delegates at the party’s conference in Aberdeen voted in favour of a motion calling for the development of a “Scottish model” to handle prostitution, similar to the approach taken in countries such as Sweden and Norway.

“Prostitution is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of respect, of justice and equality that the SNP stands for” The i politics newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription. Ash Denham MSP

The gathering heard from Fiona Broadfoot, a former sex worker, who said she was thrown into the “violent and abusive” world of prostitution after falling under the control of a pimp at the age of 15.

She said she was brutally raped at the hands of numerous paying customers and called on delegates to “end the demand” for prostitution to “create a better society for all”.

SNP MSP Ash Denham also supported the resolution. She said prostitution was an “industry of deep seated violence” which provided the market for human trafficking.

“Prostitution is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of respect, of justice and equality that the SNP stands for,” she said to applause.

“The exchange of money does not buy consensual sex. As one survivor put it: ‘They do not buy our consent, they buy our silence’.”

Nordic model

The so-called Nordic model decriminalises the sale of sex but makes purchasing it an offence – as well as offering a support system for people wanting to get out of prostitution.

The approach is intended to protect people who are being exploited at the same time as punishing people taking advantage of sex workers.

However, it remains controversial and respected groups including Amnesty International have spoken out against it, arguing that it still puts sex workers in danger as they are pressurised to visit client’s houses to avoid detection by the police.

Speaking against the resolution, SNP delegate Christina Cannon cited research showing that the Nordic model “seriously harms people who sell sex” and does not reduce human trafficking.

Delegates eventually backed the motion, which recognised the “successful legislative approach to prostitution pioneered in Sweden” and now adopted by Norway, Finland, Iceland, Canada, Northern Ireland and France.