Decriminalise prostitution now

[plekhanov 10]

Brothels should of course be legalised but that won't fully solve the problem of street prostitution, largely because many sex workers on the streets are there to support a drug habit and as such would have great difficulty finding work in a licensed brothel whilst we still persist in the 'war on drugs'.

 

The only way I can see to make street prostitution safer is to decriminalise kerb crawling in designated zones (most likely in industrial areas at night) which are well lit and well covered with CCTV so that kerb crawlers know that they won't be arrested or in any way persecuted for paying for sexual services but that they were caught on camera so if they are violent they are very likely to be identified. The other side of this law would be to robustly prosecute kerb crawlers outside the designated zone to stop them hassling people who aren't sex workers.

 

The current laws dealing with prostitution are so bad that you'd almost think they were designed to make sex work as dangerous as possible, it's a real shame that it's taken a serial killer to wake most people up to this.

[plekhanov 10]

I don't know if these schemes could realitically run from brothels though. However schemes like this are needed. People condemn all sorts of people for being in horrible situations such as homeless, prostitution, addicted to drugs but they people like this need help as they are in a downward, dangerous spiral. Can't believe how some people say things on this forum like 'kill druggies, 'kill prostitutes'.

 

I don't think licensed brothels would work as I think although it might make the women a bit safer, they are still trapped in prostitution. I don't really think legalising soliciting etc will really help the problem?

Not all sex workers are 'trapped in prostitution' believe it or not some of them (though very few street workers) actively chose to go into that line of work, largely because it can be very financially rewarding. A significant proportion of sex workers for example do so occasionally when short of money and see it as a valuable way of helping make ends meet. You may find the idea of sex work abhorrent that doesn't mean all people do.

 

edit. for an example of the attitudes of some of those in the sex industry to their work take a look at the International Union of Sex Workers (which is affiliated to the GMB in the UK) website.

[funkymiss 10]

Well I'm sure there will be some who are trapped in it and need help. I didn't say I find it abhorrent, I just made a point about the degradation and danger some must go through. People can't blame the police for enforcing the laws, more useful to think up ways to help women who are in danger

[plekhanov 10]

Well I'm sure there will be some who are trapped in it and need help. I didn't say I find it abhorrent, I just made a point about the degradation and danger some must go through. People can't blame the police for enforcing the laws, more useful to think up ways to help women who are in danger

You certainly seemed to be saying that you consider prostitution to be a 'horrible situation' and that those who practice it are 'trapped', I was just pointing out that this isn't necessarily the case some people actively choose sex work and don't consider themselves to be 'trapped' in a 'terrible situation'.

 

I don't blame the police for the current situation the responsibility for which is clearly the lawmakers who out of a combination of left over puritanical anti-sex attitudes from our Christian dominated past and fear of incurring the wrath of the likes of the Daily Mail have consistently failed to take simple steps to help stop sex workers getting abused and killed.

[donkey 10]

You certainly seemed to be saying that you consider prostitution to be a 'horrible situation' and that those who practice it are 'trapped', I was just pointing out that this isn't necessarily the case some people actively choose sex work and don't consider themselves to be 'trapped' in a 'terrible situation'.

 

I don't blame the police for the current situation the responsibility for which is clearly the lawmakers who out of a combination of left over puritanical anti-sex attitudes from our Christian dominated past and fear of incurring the wrath of the likes of the Daily Mail have consistently failed to take simple steps to help stop sex workers getting abused and killed.

 

Most people in prostitution do it from choice - bar those few who are forced - but what made them make those choices? Low self-esteem caused by tragic personal histories?

 

The women who know what they want and use prostitution as a means to an end are a minority, and anyway, are not the ones who are likely to put themselves in vulnerable situations where they are likely to be raped or murdered.

 

Calling prostitutes 'sex workers' conjures up an image of a life choice which anyone might make. You can't change the reality of the seedy, mostly hidden underside of our society, which is the cause of most people falling into the trap of prostitution, by rebranding it 'sex work.'

[plekhanov 10]

Most people in prostitution do it from choice - bar those few who are forced - but what made them make those choices? Low self-esteem caused by tragic personal histories?

You could say the same thing about people doing any job you find unpalatable.

 

The women who know what they want and use prostitution as a means to an end are a minority, and anyway, are not the ones who are likely to put themselves in vulnerable situations where they are likely to be raped or murdered.

According to a spokeswoman of the IUSW I heard on Radio 4 when the government was reviewing the law a significant number of sex workers do so only occasionally, for example when they have a difficult bill to pay. they clearly 'use prostitution as a means to an end' however the illicit nature of the 'means' forces them into vulnerable situation like working on the street or alone in premises.

 

Calling prostitutes 'sex workers' conjures up an image of a life choice which anyone might make. You can't change the reality of the seedy, mostly hidden underside of our society, which is the cause of most people falling into the trap of prostitution, by rebranding it 'sex work.'

Sex work is a completely accurate description of what prostitutes do and isn't in any way euphemistic. As for your charge of 'rebranding', current attitudes to prostitution/sex work in the UK and the way in which they stop us dealing with the sex trade in a rational and honest manner are extremely damaging and make it easy for those who like to exploit, abuse and even kill sex workers. The judgemental, puritanical connotations of 'prostitution' you seem to want to hold on to help nobody and harm prostitutes I fail to see why you are so attached to the word.

[Heyesey 11]

It's the really desperate and vulnerable women who need proper help and support, and unfortunately, I couldn't see a single one of them getting a job in a legal brothel.

 

 

Maybe true, but if guys are going to brothels, they aren't cruising the streets, so prostitutes ON the streets aren't getting any work. So they'll stop doing it.

[Tony 10]

The main failure of the police is not that they have failed to catch the killer but that they drive the girls into the streets and the 'protection' of the criminal gangs who pump them with heroin and take all their earnings.

I think you will find that it's the other way around, and it's a bit rich to blame the Police.

[Mo 10]

The police said concerning the Murders in Ipswich until the killer is caught they would turn a blind eye to solicitation. If they had turned a blind eye to start with then the girls could be working in the safety of a regulated, inspected and even save brothels. The main failure of the police is not that they have failed to catch the killer but that they drive the girls into the streets and the 'protection' of the criminal gangs who pump them with heroin and take all their earnings.

 

I assume from what you are saying that you think that no murders would have taken place had the girls not been working the streets.

 

If this man? wanted to murder women then I assume any women would ultimately do. The fact that they were prsotitutes just made his job a whole lot easier.

[donkey 10]

 

The judgemental, puritanical connotations of 'prostitution' you seem to want to hold on to help nobody and harm prostitutes I fail to see why you are so attached to the word.

 

It's the trade which some people are judgemental and puritanical about, not the word, and if you change the word, it won't make any difference. That is the essence of the point I'm making.

 

 

If you call it sex work, there'll still be women kidnapped from third world country's and incarcerated in brothels, and teenage girls - and boys - with horrible home lives will still run away and end up addicted to heroin and working the streets. Changing the name of what they do to 'sex work' would be a bit like calling homeless people 'outdoor voluntary cash donation request workers.'

 

I'm not for criminalising prostitutes in any way, but neither do I think it's a good idea to start projecting an image of it which would encourage more vulnerable people to think it is a good and normal way for them to solve their financial problems.

[Mr Goose 10]

History clearly shows that (virtually) all societies have featured prostitution. It isn't going to go away - so why make it a crime?

 

Much like when the US banned alcohol in the 1920's - it was the act of criminalising the issue which lead to many of the problems.

 

People need to aske themselves just WHY we wont fully legalise and regulate the sex industry ..and yes, before you ask, I am for legalising, controlling and TAXING the illegal drug industry as well.

 

Honk

[sayloubay 10]

Legalising prostitution i.e. saying to society that this kind of 'job' and behaviour is acceptable would make women be seen as a commodity - a second class citizen available for, and to be used by men. A piece of meat that men can use for their own sexual pleasure in exchange for money. This is not a healthy way for society to function.

 

Although no one deserves to be murdered, whatever way they choose to live their life, maybe these killings will give prostitutes a wake up call to get off the streets. Surely there are other ways for them to earn money.