NO - Sally Copley, director of policy, research and campaigns, YWCA
Young sex workers are not criminals, they are coerced. Few young women choose to sell sex. Home Office guidance suggests that young prostitutes should be protected and supported, but does not rule out prosecution if the young person continues to sell sex. It's time to take a new approach.
We want the Government to amend the Street Offences Act so that young people under the age of 18 cannot be subject to charges of soliciting and loitering.
Young people selling sex on the streets are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. We must do more to prevent them being there in the first place, as well as helping them find routes out of prostitution.
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