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<p>The acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal in England and
Wales. Research the Home Office commissioned in 2019 on the nature of sex work and
prostitution in England and Wales found that some sex workers use technology to manage
their safety, and so criminalising the enablement of prostitution online could put
these individuals at greater risk of harm.</p><p> </p><p>However, we recognise that
advertising of sexual services has increasingly moved online, and that adult service
websites can be used enable sexual exploitation. That is why the Online Safety Act
2023 ensures online platforms are responsible and accountable for content on their
sites and take proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The
Act will make the UK the safest place to be online and will require online platforms
to proactively identify and remove content linked to priority offences, including
controlling and inciting prostitution for gain.</p><p> </p><p>Safeguarding Ministers
met the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for sex work on 31 January 2023,
24 May 2022, 6 February 2019, 19 April 2018 and 27 Nov 2017.</p>
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