British City Allows Sex Workers To Run Their Trade Legally

The pioneering scheme has been called "managed approach" and was implemented to make sure sex workers operate within a safer environment.

This is the city suburb running a pioneering scheme which allows women to legally sell sex between a specified period.

It all happens in Holbeck - a mainly industrial area to the south-east of Leeds city centre.

Under what local officials call "managed approach", female sex workers are allowed to charge punters for their services between the hours of 19.00 to 07.00 BST, without being harassed by police.

Around 40 women work in the area on a nightly basis - a mixture of migrant and British sex workers - who must be over 18.

They say the job has changed a lot since the scheme was introduced.

Whereas before they would have to worry about being arrested, now police checks on them to make sure they are alright.

One of those women is 29-year-old Chelsea (not her real name).

A mother and drug addict, Chelsea earns roughly £150 a night, which she spends on drugs and gifts for her children.

She said even though her line of work will always come with risks, having police protection makes women like her feel a lot safer.

She told the BBC : "I used to get a lot of cautions. It's better like this. We are all in agreement. They're giving you a time, you have to stick to it. If you go over you've only got yourself to blame.

"You don't know what type of man you're getting next. They may look all right but they could be nasty. You take a gamble with yourself. It's life or death."

Holbeck West Yorkshire locator wikipedia
Local business owners are not happy with the debris left behind by the sex workers and have called for the programme to be shut down
Emily, a caseworker from the charity Basis, visits regularly to check if there is anything the women are concerned about and offers hot drinks and condoms.

"If we have a managed area, we know where people are. It's policed properly with marked vehicles and a liaison officer. There's extra street cleaning. It's a whole approach," she explains.

Emily admits it is not completely safe, but says it is safer, with the key being an improved relationship with the police.

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