Call for 'pimping websites' to be banned

A cross party group of Scottish parliamentarians has called for a ban on so-called 'pimping websites'.

Labour MSP Rhoda Grant, who chairs cross-party group on commercial sexual exploitation, said such websites allow men to buy sexual services completely anonymously.

“Websites advertising women for prostitution in Scotland are getting rich from facilitating sex trafficking – and it is an absolute scandal that they are able to do this with impunity", she warned.

“Scotland’s laws against sexual exploitation are not fit for the twenty-first century. The Scottish Government urgently needs to drag them into the modern age by outlawing online pimping and cracking down on the website companies that are enabling and profiting from sexual exploitation and abuse.”

The call comes after an inquiry revealed 500 examples of prostitution adverts on just one platform in Scotland.

Last month, the Scottish Government announced that is plans to develop a new bespoke approach to prostitution that will tackle demand for sex. A working group has been established to design a set of principles. A spokeswoman for CARE said:

“We believe the key to helping victims of commercial sexual exploitation lies in tackling demand for sex and improving support for those leaving exploitative situations. This includes curbing exploitative adverts such as the ones mentioned by Ms Grant.

“CARE is calling on the Scottish Government to incorporate aspects of the Nordic Model in its own ‘Model for Scotland’. In particular, we must criminalise the purchase of sex and ensure that victims of sexual exploitation have access to the support they need to rebuild their lives."