Plans to criminalise prostitution becoming more likely

Plans to criminalise prostitution becoming more likely

Thursday, 04, Sep 2008 05:42

The criminalisation of prostitution has become increasingly likely following the release of government figures today showing 58 per cent of the public support a ban on the profession if it reduces human trafficking.

The Home Office has been conducting a review of prostitution laws for several months, visiting countries like Holland, where the profession is legalised, and Sweden, where buying sex is banned, before seeing what changes might be made to British law.

Vernon Coaker, home office minister, is understood to be sympathetic to full-scale criminalisation if there are signs of national consensus.

Harriet Harman, minister for equality and long-time campaigner for women's rights, supports criminalisation and has support from Vera Baird, solicitor general and Lady Scotland, attorney general.

The issue of criminalisation has divided analysts of the sex industry for decades. Opponents say it drives sex workers underground, putting vulnerable women in even more danger. Supporters say it acts as a buffer against human trafficking and sends a strong moral message.

The Liberal Democrats instantly came out against any suggestion of new legislation and called for proper imnplementation of laws already on the statute book.

"Before introducing this new law, the government has to prove that outlawing paying for sex will reduce trafficking," said Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat equality spokesperson.

"I remain to be convinced. "The statute book is already littered with offences relating to prostitution, some of which are rarely used.

"We should be gunning directly for the perpetrators - the pimps, the traffickers and the drug dealers that support this underworld, with better resourced policing that disrupts their actions.

The government survey, conducted by Ipsos/Mori, shows substantial disparities between men's and women's views of prostitution.

While 61 per cent of women thought buying sex was unacceptable, only 42 per cent of men agreed with them.

However, if when men were asked if they would accept a female relative selling sex, 60 per cent said no.

Interestingly, the younger the respondent the more likely they were to find it unacceptable.

"Our survey suggests that there are double standards out there: the overwhelming majority of those people who said they thought selling sex was a reasonable choice also said they would find it unacceptable if a family member was working as a prostitute," Ms Harman said.

"We know that paying for sex fuels the demand for trafficked women and children, but we can't talk about tackling demand without challenging cultural attitudes more widely."