The criminalisation of paying for sex in England and Wales ::How gender and power are implicated in the making of policy

AbstractThis article considers how gender and power are implicated in how prostitution policy is translated from initial proposal to enactment in law. The analysis brings together Freeman’s proposal for “policy translation” (2009) and Connell’s work on “hegemonic masculinity” (1987 with Messerschmidt 2005) to examine Hansard and other United Kingdom Parliament documents relating to Clause 13/14 of the Policing and Crime Bill 2008–2009, a proposal to criminalise the purchase of sex in England and Wales. It is argued here that hegemonic masculinity is implicated in how “responsibility” and “exploitation” in relation to sex purchase are disputed and defined within the Parliamentary debates on Clause 13/14, and this in turn informed the version of criminalisation that emerged as authoritative. This article reflects finally on how far mapping the translation of policy can elucidate the operation of gender and power within the policy process.</jats:p

Faith and Coercive Control

Natasha Mulvihill shares the faith-related findings from her interviews with individuals who have experienced coercive control

The impact of COVID-19 on sex workers

Sex workers, like the majority of society, have suffered from the effects of austerity – and COVID-19 has left them even more exposed. Natasha Mulvihill (University of Bristol) argues that legal and welfare reform are needed to enable choice and reduce harm

Victim of Abuse, Violence, or Harm? Naming Gender-Based Violence in French and English

The language used to describe the embodied experience of “victims of gender-based violence” is contested and evolving. Descriptions of violence are shaped by socio-historic context and by academic, media, and legal discourses. These in turn inform and delimit the production of knowledge. Yet victims themselves may struggle to recognise their experience in these words. We explore how lexical choices in French and in English construct and categorise individuals who experience sexual and domestic violence. We call for a more radical commitment to reflexively naming, collecting, and publishing data, and for the direct involvement of individuals with lived experience in shaping that work