By Paul Hutcheon

Copyright dailyrecord

A former prostitute has urged Scotland to put a “not for sale” sign up by criminalising people who pay for sex . Diane Martin endorsed a Bill by Alba MSP Ash Regan which would fine the largely male clients up to £10,000 or hit them with jail sentences . The proposals would also decriminalise the selling of sex by prostitute s. Martin told MSPs who are scrutinising the Bill that she had previously worked in London at “the supposed highest end of prostitution”. But she said: “It is no different if you are in a five-star hotel or in an alley.” She said of her support for the Bill: “We think of ourselves as a progressive country and we need to put the not for sale sign out.” Another former sex worker, Amanda Jane Quick, said criminalising buyers would act as a “deterrent” and could “reduce demand and reduce violence”. She recalled her experiences working as a prostitute on the streets and in a brothel. Quick said she was was raped at the age of 18 by a client and told how when she became pregnant and tried to leave. But she said she was encouraged to stay after being told “men liked young pregnant women” and would be able to make more money. Quick said selling sex “can never be made safe” and claimed prostitution “thrives on silence and thrives on violence”. She added: “When I sold sex I was also selling silence and secrets, not just my body. “It is not a birth right to buy sex. It might be a need and urge, but it is not a right.” Her view was echoed by Bronagh Andrew, who is the operations manager for an anti-trafficking group. Andrew said: “There needs to be a very strong message sent out to civic society that paying for sex causes harm to a significant number of women. “It is overwhelmingly men that are the ones paying for sex, and it is overwhelmingly women who are selling sex. That needs to be understood better and a clear message going out saying ‘this is not a harmless activity, this does cause harm to women and society in general’.” However, other campaigners warned the legislation could leave sex workers at an increased risk of violence. Laura Baillie of Scotland for Decrim – which wants sex work to be fully decriminalised – told MSPs: “Any form of criminalisation, whether it is the buyer or the seller, increases the likelihood of sex workers’ experiences three times over.” She said the group “strongly oppose” the move to criminalise those buying sex: “It does increase the likelihood of violence against sex workers. “It puts them in more danger because it limits their ability to conduct safety checks such as asking for ID or providing a deposit so there is a record of a financial transaction.” Niki Adams of the English Collective of Prostitutes also said criminalising those who buy sex would “endanger sex workers and push us underground”. She insisted: “There is no evidence it reduces prostitution. “We really feel that the biggest flaw of this Bill is it does not address the poverty, homelessness, lack of pay equity, expensive childcare and many of the other reasons that push women in particular and mothers into particular into sex work. “We agree with the aim, ultimately, of trying to reduce prostitution, because we think women should have the option to leave if they want to. “But we do not understand why the focus is not on ending women’s poverty.” Regan’s Bill is backed by Police Scotland and a recent opinion poll found sizeable support for her plan. To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here