‘I would love to be doing this in my 60s’

Porcelain Victoria has been selling sex for eight years.

The 26-year-old woman says being self-employed gives her flexibility in her working hours, which helps with child care.

“I really enjoy how free it is and, of course, brings a smile to my customers’ faces,” she says.

“In any customer service job, you want to put a smile on your customer’s face, whether you’re a chef, or a plumber, or someone working at a store.”

Porcelain Victoria says she started selling sex when she was 18 and used it as a way to escape an abusive home.

“I plan to do this until I can’t do it anymore. I’d love to do it when I’m 60,” she says.

“I plan to semi-retire and become a counselor who can help couples and singles explore their sexuality when it comes to kink and sexuality.”

But she worries that a potential change to the law in Scotland could push her and other sex workers into poverty.

Independent MSP Ash Regan has introduced a bill which would make paying for sexual services a crime. This is an approach that is often referred to as the Nordic model and was first implemented in Sweden.

Regan, who has previously run in the SNP leadership contest, argues that challenging men’s demand for prostitution would help protect women.

At the moment, sex can be sold and bought in Scotland but some elements – such as soliciting, soliciting and keeping a brothel – are illegal.

Under Regan’s plans, sales would be legal and purchases would be criminalized. Sex workers will have a statutory right to support and punishment for solicitation will be abolished. The law regarding brothels will not change.

But the plans are divisive.

Porcelain Victoria, who works in the Fife area, says sex work has given her the income she needs to give her child the best life possible.

She says criminalizing clients will drive sex workers into poverty.

“There will be fewer customers who actually want to come to us, see us, and pay us,” she says.

“I know for a fact that if I had a normal nine to five job I wouldn’t be able to afford my bills.”

Porcelain Victoria’s concerns are shared by Amelia, who the BBC wishes to keep anonymous. She decided to sell sex six years ago.

“I was working in hospitality and doing 11-hour shifts with 20-minute breaks,” she says.

“Despite being very hard-working, I was being spoken to quite harshly at work. It felt like no matter what I did, I was never good enough.

“I started doing OnlyFans for a few years. And then after online, on Instagram, and meeting other sex workers, I realized I was quite interested in doing sex work in person.”

Amelia, who works in the Edinburgh area, disagrees with Regan’s belief that the Nordic model will reduce violence against women.

They fear that such a model would only discourage customers who are considered “good”.

She says, “I think we’re willing to put sex workers at risk of violence just to send a message to men. That’s crazy and it won’t work.”

“Because the violent client who was going to hurt you was breaking the law anyway. They would happily go and meet a sex worker. The client who was going to hurt me would do it, Nordic model or not.”

She also fears that other customers, who will be criminalized under these schemes, will be unwilling to share their personal details to avoid police.

“If I could sit down with a politician and show them how I do my booking process they would immediately understand all the ways in which the Nordic model would make me vulnerable,” she says.

“I wouldn’t feel safe at work if I couldn’t get basic things like my customer’s name, age, number, etc. I could never make a booking without their name.”

Regan dismissed concerns that, according to some, her plans could endanger the people she is trying to protect.

“This is complete nonsense,” she says. “At the moment the balance of power between a person working in prostitution and a bookie is very much in favor of the bookie, and often bookies use this to further exploit women’s vulnerabilities.

“So they’ll say to them ‘You know if you don’t do what I say I’ll report you to the police’ and so on, whereas this turns into the Nordic model. Women in prostitution can say to the pimp: ‘No, I’m not going to comply with that request, and I can call the police on you.’

“It doesn’t seem like much but it’s a subtle power change that I think provides more protection and security for those working in prostitution.”

Both Porcelain Victoria and Amelia fully acknowledge that not every person who sells sex has chosen to do so and they do not speak for every sex worker in Scotland.

Regan is supported by other people who have been involved in the business before and also some people who work to support him.

Bronagh Andrew is the operations manager of TARA (Trafficking Awareness Rising Alliance), a support service for trafficking survivors.

It strongly supports Regan’s plans based on the organization’s experience with prostitution.

This year it has seen a significant increase in the number of trafficked women.

“Between April and September this year, we supported 124 individual women,” Ms Andrew said.

“Within that six-month period, 43 of those women were newly identified and referred to us, which is a huge jump compared to this year.”

The women supported by Tara are extremely vulnerable. Ms Andrew was clear that the organization would never put anyone forward for an interview because of the trauma they had suffered.

“Traffickers use many different and creative methods to keep women under their control,” she says.

“So the women don’t speak English, many women are confused and don’t really know what part of the UK they are in. We had a young woman who was referred to us who thought she was in Toronto – she didn’t know she was in Glasgow.”

Just last week, the Scottish Government said it “strongly supports” making buying sex illegal – but it had “significant concerns” about Ash Regan’s bill.

Ministers want to see “substantial amendments” to the law, meaning it is unlikely to be passed before Parliament breaks for next year’s election.

This is a complex debate. Both sides want the same thing and that is to improve the lives of women.

But they have very different ideas about what that reform should look like.