In Great Britain England, Wales and Scotland , prostitution itself the exchange of sexual services for money is legal, [2] but a number of related activities, including soliciting in a public place, kerb crawling , owning or managing a brothel , pimping and pandering , are crimes.
In Northern Ireland, which previously had similar laws, paying for sex became illegal from 1 June Throughout Great Britain it is illegal to buy sex from a person younger than 18, [5] although the age of consent for non-commercial sex is 16 throughout the United Kingdom. The total number of prostitutes in the United Kingdom is not known exactly and is difficult to assess.
In authorities and NGOs estimated that approximately , persons in the country were engaged in prostitution. The migrant prostitutes came from: Thirty-five different countries of origin were identified. The sex trade in the UK takes diverse forms, including street prostitution, escort prostitution and prostitution conducted from premises. The premises used include massage parlours , saunas, private flats and Soho walk-ups.
In undercover police visited the lap dancing club Spearmint Rhino on Tottenham Court Road in London and claimed that it was a front for prostitution.
Westminster had the highest number with 71, compared with 8 in Southwark. For this study the researchers had posed as potential customers and had telephoned brothels that had advertised in local newspapers. Many brothels operated through legitimate businesses which were licensed as saunas or massage parlours.
