https://doi.org/10.25392/leicester.data.23900205 Policy Brief 2023 – Professor Teela Sanders and Dr Rachel Keighley Prevention of Modern Slavery within Sex Work: the role of Adult Services Websites Executive Summary • The landscape where modern slavery and sexual exploitation takes place has changed with the onset of digital technologies dominating the organisation of the commercial sex industry. • Adult Service Websites (ASWs), where most sexual services are advertised, negotiated and facilitated in the UK, is a relatively new space where exploiters can manipulate, entrap, coerce and force individuals into selling sexual services. • The role of ASWs in facilitating offending behaviour is complicated and unregulated as national intelligence services try to understand routes to trafficking, the police work to identify victims and target offenders, and first responders deliver interventions to victims of sexual exploitation. • Researchers from the University of Leicester, (in partnership with the National Crime Agency, National Police Chief's Council, & the NGO Unseen) investigated what role ASWs can play in preventing human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the UK, and their role in wider policies and laws. Key messages • ASWs are host to large amounts of intelligence and therefore must play a crucial role in the identification and prevention of MSHT online. • ASWs ought to be regulated through ID verification and reporting tools, mandatory and proactive data sharing, safeguarding policies and proactive content moderation which is nuanced and informed. • This paper provides an overview of how legislation can regulate ASWs, supplying recommendations for how Ofcom (as the independent regulator) can shape their Codes of Conduct. Key policy recommendations 1. The Online Safety Bill and Ofcom’s associated Codes of Conduct must include robust prevention and regulatory methods for ASW platforms. 2. The legislation must be appropriately applied and target offenders of exploitation, whilst protecting consensual sex workers advertising online. • Within this is a criticism of the current move to conflate modern slavery with illegal immigration. 3. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, need to understand what modern slavery is, what sexual exploitation is, the ways in which victims are recruited and trafficked into the UK, and the ways ASWs are used to facilitate consensual sex work as distinct from exploitation and trafficking. • Ofcom need the tools to monitor ASWs themselves or work closely with partners (e.g., police) to identify violations. 4. The inclusion of partnership work between law enforcement and ASWs to share tips for identifying exploitation, proactive referrals of suspicious content and other measures. 5. A failure for ASWs to be proactive would result in them being liable for third party content violations, resulting in economic sanctions to ensure compliance. 6. Ofcom’s Code of Conduct must include minimum standards and detailed guidelines for ASWs to improve their MSHT detection and prevention, including ID and consent verification. 7. A statutory release of resources to support the implementation of the Bill and associated Codes of Conduct to overcome resource challenges.