Ministers are being urged to abandon their “extremist” proposals to overhaul prostitution laws after a new poll revealed that the majority of Scots oppose the SNP Government’s stance on decriminalising the selling of sex.

The Government’s plan, which would criminalise the buying of sex, follows the Nordic model. This model is already implemented in countries like Sweden, Iceland, Ireland, France, and parts of the US and is being considered for Scotland. However, a YouGov poll conducted for the charity National Ugly Mugs indicates that the majority of Scots are against these proposals.

According to the poll, only 13 percent of Scots support the Nordic model, and only 32 percent believe that paying someone for sex should be illegal, compared to 47 percent who think it should be legalised. Furthermore, 62 percent oppose the Scottish Government’s declaration that “sex work always equals violence against women,” with only 13 percent supporting this notion.

Despite these findings, only 1 percent of adults think overhauling prostitution laws in Scotland should be a priority for the Scottish Government at this time.

Dr. Raven Bowen, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, stated: “This poll shows that Scots are opposed to the SNP’s extreme plans to criminalise the purchase of sex, which international evidence shows only serves to increase violence against sex workers by eliminating their revenue streams, making them desperate and destitute.

“It is now clear that mainstream Scottish voters side with charities, researchers, and international organisations such as Amnesty International, UN AIDS, and the World Health Organization in calling for a fundamentally different approach to regulating sex work that focuses on supporting sex workers’ rights and safety, and improving their quality of life and life chances.”

The SNP’s manifesto commitments include banning pimping websites, which are currently legal and unregulated in Scotland. The poll suggests that 63 percent of Scots would prefer sex workers to advertise themselves online, compared to just 2 percent who think this should be done on the street. It also found that 45 percent of Scots believe two sex workers should be allowed to work together in the same premises, despite the risk of being charged under brothel-keeping legislation.

Dr. Bowen added: “Despite being the UK’s largest sex worker safety charity, supporting more sex workers through our NUMbrella Lane Glasgow hub than any other organisation in Scotland, the SNP has barred National Ugly Mugs from sitting on any Government-backed sex work policy groups.

“We now know that the Scottish public also overwhelmingly rejects this inaccurate and oversimplified notion, which is the basis for the government’s entire sex work policy agenda.”

The Scottish Greens support full decriminalisation and have stated they would vote against any SNP proposals to adopt the Nordic model in Scotland.

Nevertheless, the SNP government remains undeterred. A Government spokesman said: “Prostitution is a form of violence against women and girls and is completely unacceptable. Our recently published strategic approach to challenge men’s demand for prostitution outlines a number of actions to support the recovery and sustainable exit of those involved in prostitution, including the creation of a pilot programme for a new national hub.

“Lessons learned from the piloting of the strategy will help inform any future legislative considerations, including whether to criminalise the purchase of sex.”

SNP MSP Ruth Maguire commented: “I absolutely agree that those involved in prostitution should not be stigmatised and that the conditions driving women into forced labour and survival sex need to be addressed. Women need safe routes out of prostitution.

“However, it is undeniable that the market trading in sexual access to women and girls contributes to those conditions, and any move to further legitimise that trade would only increase the abuse and harm caused. I’m clear that when presented with the reality of the industry, which harms so many, the majority of Scots will agree that it is sex buyers, pimping websites, and traffickers who should be criminalised, not the women they exploit.”