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In June, it will become illegal to pay for sex in Northern Ireland, following Sweden and Norway in criminalising men who use prostitutes.

Authorities in Sweden say the number of women on the streets in the prostitution area in Stockholm has fallen from 700-800 to 200 women since the legislation was introduced in 1999.

Prostitution is technically legal in the UK although related activities, such as soliciting for sex in a public place, are outlawed. Some campaigners are calling for the UK to follow Northern Ireland’s lead, while others argue that the best protection for prostitutes is actually legalisation.

Catrin Nye speaks to current and former prostitutes, men who pay for sex and the police.