This summer, Leeds City Council will publish their evaluation of the Managed Area (MA) in Holbeck and decide about its future. We stand in solidarity with the people working in the Managed Area and believe it needs to stay. Here are some of our thoughts.
(A Thread)
The MA is a non-residential area where soliciting of clients on the street during certain hours is not prosecuted. Any sexual act has to happen outside of the designated zone. It was introduced in 2014 alongside a Sex Work Liaison Police officer and increased police presence.
Since it opened, more sex workers have reported crimes committed against them to the police and engaged more with support and health services. If our workplaces aren’t criminalised, we don’t have to fear prosecution when accessing support, it’s that simple.
Criminalisation never makes prostitution go away, it makes it less safe for us to work. Leeds has tried to eliminate street sex work before introducing the MA for years without success. Removing it would only shift street sex workers into illegal, invisible and unsafe spaces
It is of course harder to gentrify an area where sex work soliciting isn't criminalised which explains why campaigns against the MA are heavily supported by investors and landlords in the zone. Many residents do not agree with those campaigns that are run in their names
It is also important to remember the many advantages that working on the street has for many sex workers, eg. completely flexible hours so it can be fit with other commitments, often no involvement of third parties, no permanence online, and zero entrance barriers
Often, when people speak about 'independent sex workers' they mean those who advertise escorting services online - although most street-based sex workers are also independent
We call for the decriminalisation of all work spaces of sex workers, including the street, sexual entertainment venues, brothels, parlours and many more, both in Leeds and also in the rest of the UK!
We really hope that Leeds City Council will listen to sex workers and keep the people working in the MA informed of review findings.
For those of you who want to look into this some more, we recommend reading @graceyswer’s blog
You can follow @SWARM_North.
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