A landmark framework for researchers and institutions to ensure sex work studies are ethical, inclusive and accountable to sex worker communities.

On September 16th, the European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA) and the European Sex Work Research Network (ESWORN) publicly launched their groundbreaking report: ‘Gold Standard Guidelines for Safe and Ethical Sex Work Research in Europe.’ This landmark event brought together activists, researchers and community members to champion ethical research practices that centre sex workers’ autonomy. We attended so we could embed these standards into our own research at Image Angel, as an organisation that cares deeply about the protection and wellbeing of the sex work community.

Image Angel would not exist without our founders own lived experience of exploitation in the sex industry, made possibly by criminalisation, stigma and the lack of legitimacy afforded to this work. This is why the complex, intersectional welfare of this labour sector must always come first. The guidelines developed in this project offer a crucial intervention that attends to the lived experiences of sex workers in ethical ways, while also offering an approach that can be adapted to support other marginalised communities. This blog pays homage to such critical work by reflecting on the key messages shared by the event’s speakers and organisers.

Remarks on Ethics from Yigit Aydinalp

The public launch began with an address from Yigit Aydinalp, who is Senior Programme Office at The European Sex Workers Rights Alliance. Yigit began by thanking everyone who took part in the project. The report was shaped by sex work researchers and through the input and feedback of sex workers’ rights organisations, the latter of which made a major contribution to ensure the communities voices were heard.

Yigit pointed out that there can be a problematic lack of acknowledgement of sex workers’ organisations (SWOs) research within academia, even when they have drawn from SWOs to aid them with research and access to community. They also stressed that academic research on sex work has perpetuated stigma, and, at times, caused harm. In response, sex workers have consistently called for research approaches grounded in the principle of “nothing about us, without us.” The report, therefore, confronts these issues by establishing clear, ethical standards that place sex workers’ rights, safety and voices at the heart of research.

Remarks on the Broader Political Context from Elizabeth McGuiness

Elizabeth McGuiness is a Research Coordinator at National Ugly Mugs, a charity that provides safety tools and essential access to justice and protection for sex workers. Elizabeth highlighted the deeply concerning closure of National Ugly Mugs in Ireland, bleak reminder of the increasing difficulty in securing sustainable funding for organisations supporting sex workers. This development reflects a broader climate of hostility, where anti-science agendas are gaining ground and critical, community-led services are under threat.

They also commented on the barriers posed by precarity in relation to participation, given that sex work often provides the financial means for individuals to remain in precariously funded roles within sex work research or academia. In addition, even when sex workers are heard they are just as easily dismissed.

Elizabeth warned, “opponents will do anything to discredit our voices,” stressing the urgency for broad, cross-sector mobilisation and opposition. Researchers were called upon to actively agitate against criminalisation efforts, including the UK’s proposed Crime and Policing Bill and the Ash Regan bill currently under debate in Scotland, both of which pose significant risks to sex workers’ safety and rights.

Remarks on the Proposed Guidelines from Dr. Laura Connelly: Ethical Failings and Structural Harms in Sex Work Research

Dr. Laura Connelly is a major contributor to the report and a senior lecturer in the School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield. Dr. Connelly powerfully addressed the deep-rooted ethical and structural problems within academic research on sex work. They described it as a deeply contentious field, where harmful practices are not the exception but often the norm. Academic institutions, with their colonial and paternalistic structures, have historically misrepresented, excluded or even exploited sex workers, contributing to ongoing harm.

Dr. Connelly points out that sex workers have long criticised the way researchers build careers on the backs of their experiences, often without meaningful collaboration or accountability. Community organisations are frequently approached for access to sex worker networks, yet their contributions are overlooked and their communities are reduced to harmful tropes: as vectors of disease or passive victims of trafficking. This kind of representation not only reinforces stigma but also undermines access to healthcare and ignores the diversity of motivations that lead people to sex work.

Dr. Connelly argued that research that flattens the diversity of sex workers’ experiences into stereotypes is especially damaging. It contributes to policies that fail to meet the actual, varied needs of sex workers across different identities, contexts and types of work. In response, the speaker framed the Gold Standard Guidelines as a much-needed intervention, offering concrete, community-informed principles for ethical research that is accountable to sex worker autonomy.

They stressed that ethical research helps build trust, particularly in a field where the risks of participation can be significant. As the speaker explained, “Sex work requires particular ethical care… the risks involved are arguably far greater. For example, being outed through research can have serious consequences.” They also rejected simplistic labels like “victim,” calling instead for nuance and care in language and analysis.

Dr. Laura Connelly Discussed Five Overarching Considerations for Ethical Research

Dr. Connelly outlined five overarching considerations that should shape ethical research on sex work. First, she called for an end to the ‘lone wolf’ approach, where researchers work in isolation from sex worker communities and organisations. Instead, collaboration should be at the core, enabling sex workers to help shape research agendas, challenge assumptions and hold researchers accountable. Secondly, research must be useful and co-developed, guided by the needs and priorities of sex workers themselves. This means moving beyond tokenistic consultation to involve sex workers meaningfully in setting research priorities and timelines, with shared decision-making power.

The third consideration is access and transparency. Research findings should not be locked behind academic paywalls but made freely available to the communities they concern. Denying sex workers access to research about their own lives only perpetuates the very harms the research seeks to address. Fourth, Dr. Connelly stressed that lived experience must be placed at the centre of research design and delivery. This requires inclusive practices that avoid tokenism and acknowledge that no single voice can speak for all. Finally, she urged researchers to challenge the academic hierarchies that assume universities are the sole custodians of knowledge. Organisations like ESWA, she reminded the audience, are not just sources of experience but also sites of legitimate and vital knowledge production.

Dr. Laura Connelly’s Remarks on the Seven Key Principles

Dr. Connelly outlined seven key principles for ethical research on sex work. This includes the notion that informed consent should be treated as an ongoing process rather than a one-off formality. Circumstances can shift, someone who initially agreed to take part may later leave sex work and no longer wish to be included, so researchers must remain responsive and re-confirm consent as needed. Inclusive participation is also essential, including fair compensation. While universities may discourage payments due to concerns around inducement, the report argues that paying participants respects their expertise and reduces financial barriers. Payment methods should reflect participants’ preferences, with cash often preferred over the common default of gift vouchers.

The report further encourages participatory methods that embed sex workers’ knowledge and skills throughout the research process, warning against superficial forms of involvement. True participation means giving sex workers influence over how research is shaped and conducted. Language is another crucial consideration. Researchers must use the terms communities use themselves, recognising that language is political and that stigmatising labels can reinforce harm.

Finally, Dr. Connelly emphasised that these guidelines are not a fixed template. Researchers should treat them as a starting point and work collaboratively with sex workers to adapt them to the specific context of each project.

Read the full report and ethical guidelines here: ESWA_Gold_Standard_Guidelines_for_Safe_and_Ethical_Sex_Work_Research_in_Europe_2025_final.pdf