Prostitution survivor to share her experience with key Scottish Parliament committee
Holyrood’s criminal justice committee is due to discuss proposals to overhaul Scotland’s prostitution laws.
A Scottish prostitution survivor says sharing her own experience directly with MSPs is a “great opportunity” to get the law changed in Scotland.
Holyrood’s criminal justice committee is due to discuss proposals to overhaul prostitution law on Wednesday morning, where they will hear directly from Diane Martin.
The Bill, submitted by Alba MSP Ash Regan, aims to introduce what is known as the Nordic model. This would decriminalise the selling of sex and criminalise the buying of sex, as well as look at ways to reduce men’s demand for buying sex.
Ms Martin, who supports the Nordic model, has previously shared her own experience of being a “high end” prostitute in London. She now works to help other women exit prostitution themselves.
Speaking to The Scotsman, she said: “I am confident the MSPs will listen to our support of the Bill and will want to know how we feel.
“This is a great opportunity for me to come and speak on this because I have multiple vantage points as a survivor of prostitution in London who was then trafficked into a prostitution ring in the Middle East, and as someone who for the last 30 years has been supporting women to exit.
“We keep waiting for these issues to be addressed while people are being exploited and experiencing trauma and violence.”
Ms Martin said she would answer any questions MSPs have about her own experience as a prostitution survivor, as she is now “completely recovered”.
She said: “Policy cannot be based on individual experiences and a handful of people who say they are empowered and independent sex workers.
“We need to look at the vast, overwhelming majority of women who are trafficked in from other countries and those from the UK who have been chewed up and spat out by a number of different systems. It is 2025 and I am astonished that we are still having this conversation.”
As well as hearing from individuals who support the Bill proposed by Ms Regan, the criminal justice committee is also due to hear from National Ugly Mugs and Scotland for Decrim. Both these organisations are against the proposals and instead want to see full decriminalisation in Scotland.
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