Dr Laura Graham

Assistant Professor

Department: Northumbria Law School

Laura's research primarily focuses on sex work and human rights, looking at both the legal and social impact of human rights on sex workers' lived experiences. Laura's ESRC 1+3 funded PhD (Nottingham University) critically explored how the Human Rights Act could impact reform of the law relating to sex work in England and Wales. Her current work considers the role of human rights law and discourse in sex workers' rights movements in the UK and Canada. Laura has presented on sex work and human rights at academic conferences in the UK and internationally, has published on this topic, andhas edited (with Mary Laing and Victoria Holt) a special issue of the International Journal of Gender, Sexuality and Law on Sex Work and the Law.

Laura's research interests also include criminal law and justice, feminisms, feminist legal theory, and bodily autonomy.

Laura holds degrees from Durham University (LLB First Class Hons, 2007) and the University of Nottingham (MA with Distinction, 2009; PhD). Prior to joining Northumbria Law School in 2017, Laura was a lecturer at Durham Law School. She has also taught at Nottingham University and Newcastle University.

Laura is a trustee of National Ugly Mugs, a national charity aimed at ending violence against sex workers. Laura is also the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Gender, Sexuality and Law.

Laura's teaching primarily focuses on Criminal Law, and Gender, Sexuality and Law. She supervises projects in these areas at undergraduate, Masters, and PhD level. Laura leads of the Gender, Sexuality and Law Research Cluster at Northumbria University. She is open to all discussions about future PhD project supervision.

Campus Address

Room 313
Faculty of Business and Law
City Campus East

Email Laura

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Sex Work, Human Rights, Criminal Law, Feminist Legal Theory, Bodily Autonomy

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Understanding the Law’s Relationship with Sex Work: Introduction to ‘Sex Work and The Law: Does the Law Matter?’, Graham, L., Holt, V., Laing, M. 6 Jul 2022, In: International Journal of Gender, Sexuality and Law
Dialogue on the Impact of Coronavirus on Research and Publishing: Monday 22nd June 2020, Graham, L., Raj, S., Munro, V., Westmarland, N., Wheatle, S., Sanders, T., Russell, Y., Maine, A. 1 Aug 2020, In: International Journal of Gender, Sexuality and Law
Governing sex work through crime: creating the context for violence and exploitation, Graham, L. 1 Jun 2017, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
Impossible Floodgates and Unworkable Analogies in the Irish Abortion Debate, de Londras, F., Graham, L. 1 Dec 2013, In: Irish Journal of Legal Studies
The promotion and resistance of rape myths in an internet discussion forum, Westmarland, N., Graham, L. 1 Apr 2010, In: The Journal of Social Criminology

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Sexual Autonomy, Identity, and Protection in Adult Care Setting funded by the Modern Law Review 2023
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Sex Work Research Hub Postgraduate Conference 2018

PGR Supervision

Zach Leggett A critical analysis of the responses of the Irish and Northern Irish policymakers to criticisms of the implementation and effectiveness of sex purchase bans in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Start Date: 01/10/2019
Rebecca French Transnational Corporations, Global Neo-Abolitionism and Sex Workers Rights: Can International Human Rights Law Better Protect Sex Workers from Financial Discrimination? Start Date: 01/10/2022

Qualifications

Law MA December 09 2009
Law LLB June 27 2007
Fellow (FHEA) Higher Education Academy (HEA) 2015

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Research at Northumbria

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