22-05-2025
Perpetrators of violence against women have walked the corridors of our Parliament
Tuesday's press conference confirmed what many survivors have long known: Edinburgh is a hotspot for commercial sexual exploitation.
This should shock no one. Where there is power, wealth and impunity, there is often exploitation. It is not a coincidence. It is a pattern.
And that pattern reaches right to the heart of our politics. The Daily Record's exclusive of the disclosure to me from a brave survivor who revealed she had sold sex to sitting MSPs is heartbreaking — but sadly, it is not surprising.
When you leave the Holyrood bubble and speak directly with women who have been exploited, when you do the research into the domestic and international trade in human beings for sex, you begin to see the full picture. And the picture is ugly.
I have also had survivors disclose to me that some of their perpetrators have walked the corridors of our Parliament. That is the reality. When women speak up about this, they are not seeking scandal. They are exposing the power imbalance at the core of prostitution.
Prostitution is not a story of free choice. It is a system in which those with power — often men, often with wealth, influence or status — buy access to the bodies of those with none.
And those with the most to lose if they speak out — women facing poverty, addiction, coercion or homelessness — carry the burden of the consequences: shame, trauma, and, too often, criminal records.
If we are still surprised in 2025 by revelations like this, then we have not been paying attention to how power operates.
For Anas Sarwar to now call for an investigation, I would remind him: the buying of sex is not currently illegal in Scotland. That is the problem. Survivors are forced to carry the cost of speaking out, while the buyers — even those in public office — remain protected by silence and inaction.
That must end. My Unbuyable Bill would criminalise the demand that fuels this system, while supporting women to exit and recover.
It is based on the Nordic Model, adopted in Sweden, the very year our Scottish Parliament was founded. In 25 years, we have not had this debate. It is long overdue.
The surprise about the reaction to yesterday's Daily Record front page is that people were surprised at all. Back in 2013, 'Sauna' operators in Edinburgh had drawn up lists of clients, including police officers, public officials, lawyers and celebrities in advance of the court case.
They were going to name and shame them if their premises had to shut down. Why else does our nation's capital serve as the brothel capital of the UK if not for the fact that clearly Kompromat must exist to exert personal or political leverage on influential men if required?
My door is open. I urge colleagues and the media alike: ask questions, conduct research, speak with survivors, and support this Bill.
In 2025, it is time to bring this issue out of the shadows and into the light of the debating chamber.
