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Edinburgh Reporter

Ash Regan's Unbuyable Bill lodged in parliament

Ash Regan MSP formally lodged a bill in parliament this week creating a new offence of paying for sexual acts, and ending the criminalisation for sex workers. The name of the bill – Proposed Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill, has led to it being dubbed the 'Unbuyable Bill'. The legislation aims to repeal the offence of soliciting or importuning by prostitutes, and to repeal any previous convictions in connection with those offences. Instead it will criminalise the buying of sex. It is also intended as a way of supporting those who are in or trying to leave prostitution. In January this year the final proposal for the Member's Bill was lodged in parliament after a consultation had been conducted and the bill attracted cross-party support. Ash Regan PHOTO Alan Simpson Ms Regan said she was delighted that the Nordic Approach may yet find its way into law – even though it will be 25 years after Sweden introduced similar legislation. This model has already been adopted elsewhere including Northern Ireland. Ahead of the Bill's formal introduction, Ms Regan said: 'Prostitution is not a job like any other, as some lobby groups claim. It is a system of commercial sexual exploitation that targets the vulnerable, is driven by demand and is enabled by silence. Commodifying human beings has consequences – it's time we reframe the shame. 'I am proud to bring commercial sexual exploitation out of the shadows into a debate across Scotland, by formally lodging the Unbuyable Bill in Parliament. Unbuyable is the first key step in tackling attitudes that have shamefully normalised inequality of the sexes and underpinned the scourge of male violence against women 'It is a Bill forged by those who have survived the system of exploitation, for their own recovery and for those still trapped inside or vulnerable to such exploitation. It recognises what so many are afraid to say: that buying sexual access to a human being is a form of male violence. 'We must reframe shame. It does not belong to exploited women and men – it belongs to the men who buy them.' 'The Bill aligns with the Nordic Model— adopted in countries such as Sweden, Norway, France, and Ireland—and marks a departure from the failed approach of decriminalising the sex trade, without addressing the root cause and consequences of commodifying human beings: demand. 'On-street prostitution has been criminalised for 17 years in Scotland yet none of the pimp lobby's predictions have materialised, few convictions of buyers have been made in over the last ten years and critically the demand has not diminished – it has just moved off street. 'Scotland faces a choice. Do we continue with piecemeal initiatives to reduce harm from visible prostitution, with fragile support funding for those exploited, or will we confront the injustice of commercial sexual exploitation head-on? 'Sweden was the first to adopt what we now know as the Nordic Model twenty-five years ago, so it is the same age as our Scottish devolved Parliament. 'The Scottish Government and COSLA's Equally Safe strategy explicitly recognise prostitution as a form of violence against women and girls (VAWG), framing prostitution within the broader context of gender inequality and male entitlement and identifying it as a manifestation of systemic abuse. 'The UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, has explicitly recognised prostitution as a form of violence against women and girls, with her 2024 report to the UN Human Rights Council stating that prostitution is intrinsically linked to various forms of violence and constitutes a violation of human rights. 'If Scotland is ready to stand up for women's human rights and dignity, we must legislate, and to do that, my Unbuyable Bill needs public support. I have been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement from frontline services, women's support groups and many others across Scotland and beyond, but that won't be enough. I'm calling on every Scot who believes women are not for sale to join the campaign and make their voices heard. 'No one is unbuyable—until the law clearly says so.' For and against Supporters of the Bill believe that the commodification of women's bodies makes a strong, healthy and just society impossible. They support criminalising the buyers because this sends a strong signal to all of Scotland that women are unbuyable, that we do not condone a practice as inherently harmful as prostitution and that we support its victims. Supporters also believe that this Bill will have an effect not just on those involved in buying and selling sexual acts, but on all of society. Almost all of the supportive respondents who answered this question share the conviction that it will improve the equality between the sexes, safeguard vulnerable women and girls, reduce human trafficking, have a positive effect on public health and so make Scotland a better society for future generations. Frontline services share a strong belief that only legislation of this kind will improve the lives of women and girls involved in prostitution. They also believe that only if these women and girls are protected and no longer freely buyable will Scottish society achieve true equality, fairness and justice. Opponents of the Bill say that it will worsen working and living conditions for sellers of sexual acts, put them at greater risk of harm and leave them worse off. They do not believe that there will be an effect on society. Some respondents also believe that the Bill is a waste of time, will worsen inequality and increase stigma for sellers of sexual acts. Ms Regan, who leads Alba at Holyrood, said: 'This proposal for a Bill is about protecting Scotland's most vulnerable from commercial sexual exploitation of prostitution and the harms that result. This is a critical step in reframing shame in the battle to remove the scourge of male violence against women in Scotland.' The Edinburgh Eastern MSP said in her final document produced for parliament: 'A Nordic Model approach, successfully implemented in countries like Sweden and Norway, promises a more compassionate, effective solution. By criminalising the purchase of sex and decriminalising those who sell it, we hold buyers to account and recognise the true victims of exploitation. Alongside that, granting legal rights to support – exit services, counselling, and real alternatives – ensures that the women involved have a genuine path out of prostitution. We can also reduce demand by rolling out public awareness campaigns that challenge harmful gender stereotypes and uphold the principle that women's bodies are not commodities.' Read more here. AGAINST A campaign has been set up by Scottish sex workers to fight the introduction of the proposed new law. The Scotland for Decrim campaign will oppose Ms Regan's bill. The campaign says that the bill will make sex work far less safe. They refer to an official government review of similar legislation in Northern Ireland – the only nation in the UK to enact the Nordic Model – found that there was 'no evidence that the offence of purchasing sexual services has produced a downward pressure on the demand for, or supply of, sexual services'. It also found that 'the legislation has contributed to a climate whereby sex workers feel further marginalised and stigmatised'. A spokesperson for the campaign said: 'Scotland for Decrim absolutely rejects Ash Regan's attempts to bring in the Nordic Model on sex work in Scotland. As a sex worker-led coalition campaigning for our rights, we know that this offensive bill will endanger sex workers by exposing us to more violence, poverty, and exploitation. Criminalising clients does not solve the reasons why people go into sex work: because of financial need, caring responsibilities, disability, or simply preferring this work to other kinds of work. 'Sex workers are the experts on our own needs. We know that only full decriminalisation will protect our safety, health, and human rights, giving us the power to choose when and how we work. The Scottish Government must also urgently strengthen the social security system so that everyone has access to the resources they need to live, and so that no one has to do sex work if they don't want to. 'This Nordic Model bill would be disastrous for sex workers' safety, as we have seen in other countries where this model has been implemented and sex workers have experienced more violence from clients and the police. Sex workers don't want this, the Scottish public doesn't want this, and politicians from a range of parties oppose this dangerous bill.' Lynsey Walton, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, the UK's national sex worker safety charity, said: 'This bill won't reduce harm; it will increase it. Criminalising the purchase of sex doesn't protect anyone. It pushes sex work further underground, makes it harder for people to report violence, and forces those already at risk into even more dangerous situations. 'NUM stands in solidarity with sex workers across Scotland who are calling for safety, not criminalisation. We hear every day what they need: access to justice, housing, healthcare, and a voice in the laws that shape their lives. This bill ignores that—and it puts lives at risk. 'It's therefore no surprise that opinion polling shows Scots overwhelmingly oppose Ash Regan's plans for the Nordic Model, alongside international organisations such as Amnesty, UN Aids and the World Health Organisation.' Loading… Like this: Like Related