Thank you very much.
I just wanted to say that there is ample empirical evidence worldwide to show that criminalization in any of its forms—whether its the criminalization of sex work activities, of some sectors of the industry such as, with legalization, where it's legal only in licenced brothels but everybody else is criminalized and [Technical difficulty—Editor] parties such as the Nordic model—is not achieving its purported aims and is creating a significant amount of harm for sex workers.
Policy is liable to fall down when it's not acceptable to those who are affected by it, because they have not been consulted. It drives them underground where they are exposed to more danger. That's predominantly the reason for the failure of policies focused on sex work. Sex work is constructed in a way that is meaningless to most of those who work in this occupation, but the sanctions it places upon them cause a great deal of harm. The best possible way to develop policy that is acceptable and effective is to develop it in collaboration with sex workers. The empirical evidence from both New Zealand and [Technical difficulty—Editor] has shown [Technical difficulty—Editor] is the only legislative approach to show that sex workers are better off since its introduction.
That's what I wanted to end off with. Thank you for giving me that chance.