Recently I came across two different documents on the web about prostitution. The first is the transcript of a debate in the House of Commons on 'commercial sexual exploitation' held in July this year. It wasn't much of a debate because although 15 MPs spoke they all supported the Nordic model where men are prosecuted for paying for sex. Lots of false statistics were used and I have made a web page to counter them.
The second document is the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee report on Prostitution. It says many of the things that I have been saying for years. It debunks the false statistic that 50% of prostitutes start before the age of 18. It says that information about street prostitutes is wrongly used to apply to all prostitutes.
The report says that in Northern Ireland women can still be arrested for soliciting despite the idea that Northern Ireland has adopted the Nordic model. This model is supposed to be 'shifting the burden' of criminality from prostitutes to their clients, but in Northern Ireland nothing has changed for prostitutes. It says 'the current practice of treating soliciting as an offence is having an adverse impact'.
The report says that 'the model of decriminalisation implemented in New Zealand has worked successfully'. We should recognize that there is a difference between 'prostitution which occurs between two consenting adults, and that which involves exploitation'. It also says sex workers are often denied 'the opportunity to speak for themselves and to make their own choices'.
The most important conclusions and recommendations of the report are to do with changes in British law which should occur without delay to help protect women. I have quoted them below.
"The current law on brothel-keeping also means that some sex workers are often too afraid of prosecution to work together at the same premises and as a result often compromise their safety and put themselves at considerable risk by working alone.
We therefore recommend that, at the earliest opportunity, the Home Office change existing legislation so that soliciting is no longer an offence and so that brothelkeeping provisions allow sex workers to share premises, without losing the ability to prosecute those who use brothels to control or exploit sex workers."
"In the meantime, we have made clear our strong view that the first step of changing the existing legislation on soliciting, and on brothel-keeping as it relates to sex workers sharing premises, should be taken by the Government as a matter of urgency."
This is something I agree with and I have been saying for some time. I hope that the Government will do this without delay.
The second document is the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee report on Prostitution. It says many of the things that I have been saying for years. It debunks the false statistic that 50% of prostitutes start before the age of 18. It says that information about street prostitutes is wrongly used to apply to all prostitutes.
The report says that in Northern Ireland women can still be arrested for soliciting despite the idea that Northern Ireland has adopted the Nordic model. This model is supposed to be 'shifting the burden' of criminality from prostitutes to their clients, but in Northern Ireland nothing has changed for prostitutes. It says 'the current practice of treating soliciting as an offence is having an adverse impact'.
The report says that 'the model of decriminalisation implemented in New Zealand has worked successfully'. We should recognize that there is a difference between 'prostitution which occurs between two consenting adults, and that which involves exploitation'. It also says sex workers are often denied 'the opportunity to speak for themselves and to make their own choices'.
The most important conclusions and recommendations of the report are to do with changes in British law which should occur without delay to help protect women. I have quoted them below.
"The current law on brothel-keeping also means that some sex workers are often too afraid of prosecution to work together at the same premises and as a result often compromise their safety and put themselves at considerable risk by working alone.
We therefore recommend that, at the earliest opportunity, the Home Office change existing legislation so that soliciting is no longer an offence and so that brothelkeeping provisions allow sex workers to share premises, without losing the ability to prosecute those who use brothels to control or exploit sex workers."
"In the meantime, we have made clear our strong view that the first step of changing the existing legislation on soliciting, and on brothel-keeping as it relates to sex workers sharing premises, should be taken by the Government as a matter of urgency."
This is something I agree with and I have been saying for some time. I hope that the Government will do this without delay.