Petition · past parliament

Reform legislation on sex work to improve safety

Rejected 9 signatures

What the petition asks

Currently, it's illegal to solicit for sex in public places or in institutions such as brothels. By altering legislation concerning sex work this will allow sex workers to find work without fear of harassment and create safer environments for sex workers to work in a comfortable, safe environment.
Laws preventing the keeping, management and assistance of brothels should be completely abolished in order to make it safer and easier to monitor sex work. It can be dangerous to work in the sex industry, and legalising brothels could make it possible to protect sex workers and ensure all practices are within the law.

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.

We understand that you want to see changes to legislation governing sex work, but we're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do.

Your petition refers to two offences - soliciting someone for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services, which is an offence if the soliciting takes place in a street or public place, and owning or managing a brothel - but it's not clear if you want both of these offences to be abolished, or just the offence relating to brothels.

You could start a new petition explaining more clearly what changes you would like to legislation governing sex work.

Timeline

13 Jan 2023 Petition opened for signatures
16 Jan 2023 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 9
Status Rejected
Rejected 16 Jan 2023

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.