this just in: sex with someone coerced into prostitution illegal ... in the future.
Posted on 7:05 AM, under prostitution, the hell?
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While bit-torrenting, I noticed an interesting add (and no, I'm not talking about the 1 Rule to a Flat Stomach add). It led me to this site.
On 1 April 2010, it will become an offence to pay for sex with someone who has been forced, threatened, exploited or otherwise coerced or deceived into providing the sexual services by someone else, who has engaged in such conduct for gain. If convicted of the offence you could face a fine of up to £1,000, a court summons and a criminal record, and risk having your name mentioned in newspapers. It will be no defence for a person to say that they did not know the prostitute was being forced or threatened.
Shaming, seriously? Scarlet Letter much?
The key objectives of the strategy are to:
I would say prostitution, in any form, is inevitable and here to stay. Whatever the form.
But many street-walkers are exploited, and the relation of coerced prostitution and drug abuse and traffic is there. So by tackling the demand, I'd say yes, we can tackle one side of the problem.
What this fails to address is the safety and quality of life of the women it seeks to protect. A truly comprehensive programme would also include job alternatives for them, training, counseling. Access to shelters and day care, maybe. Or, simply, access to the alternatives other women have. Think about it.
You've cracked down on every pimp and drug dealer and thus "freed" these women. These women, that at the very least, had a roof over their heads while they were being pimped. I am fully aware that being forced into prostitution is nothing short of being a slave. But what would happen to a woman after her only way of earning a living is taken from them? If she knows nothing else, she will continue doing what she did. And there you go: you still have street-walkers.
In short: targeting the well-being of exploited women will be what reduces exploitation, combined with more stringent laws regarding coerced prostitution, abuse, and drug trafficking.
As many doubts as I might have about it, I don't want to miss the core: this is a step towards helping reduce coerced prostitution. Big or little, we won't know until the law comes into effect and results are presented. That's going to take a while, of course.
