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Prostitution In UK: Libido, Exploitation & Law

November 20th, 2008
By SWARAAJ CHAUHAN, International Columnist

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Britain’s first woman Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced plans to get tough on prostitution. This has led to a lively debate in the media. The new changes in the laws aim to crack down on those who buy sex or control its sale, rather than those who offer it.

Ms Smith says that paying for sex with someone who is “controlled for another person’s gain” should be a criminal offence. The BBC reports: “This will be a ’strict liability’ offence, and ignorance of the circumstances will be no defence in court.

“The law will cover activity controlled by a pimp - examples would include a woman who is addicted to drugs and is being offered for sex to clear her debt with her dealer. Police will also be given greater powers to close brothels…” More here…

The Independent says: “The aim is to target men that use prostitutes who have been trafficked or who are being forced into prostitution by pimps or drug dealers.

“People convicted under the new law would face a fine of up to £1,000 and receive a criminal record – which would most likely affect their chances of getting sensitive jobs.

“The murder of five prostitutes around Ipswich in December 2006 provided fresh impetus to efforts to crack down on prostitution.

“Ms Smith yesterday published the results of a six-month review into prostitution laws that was designed to find ways of reducing demand among the tens of thousands of men who are thought to use prostitutes each year.” More here…

The Times notes: “Niki Adams, a spokeswoman for the English Collective of Prostitutes, is horrified by the proposals. ‘Prostitutes need to stick together in groups,’ she says. ‘They benefit from having maids, who are usually older women who have been in the profession, looking after them, answering the phone, popping out to get them sandwiches and giving them advice. Most won’t be able to find other jobs; they will be forced underground’.

“She says that prostitutes are now terrified of ending up with the most unscrupulous pimps. ‘All this will do is hound the decent parlour owners. The Government is trying to take the moral high ground but it’s a low blow for women who are struggling to make ends meet, whether they are from Croydon or Croatia’.” More here…

It has been suggested that human trafficking “is the fastest growing form of modern day slavery and is the third largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Due to the illegal and underground nature of sex trafficking, the exact extent of women and children forced into prostitution is unknown.” More here…

Photo courtesy Rex Features



This entry was posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Women, Human Rights, Hypocrisy, Prostitution, Britain, Poverty, Sexuality, Social Commentary, United Kingdom, Women's Issues, Law & Legal Matters. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

 
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