Legalising Brothels - why I changed my mind

[redqueen]

On Friday, the Criminal Justice (Sexual Services) (Amendment) Bill was introduced to the Dáil. This bill, if it is passed, will criminalise the purchase of sex from prostitutes. Thomas Pringle TD certainly has strong feelings about it, attesting that “gender equality is not achievable while women are for sale,” and that “when people make a conscious decision to purchase the body of another human being to do with it what they see fit, that is unacceptable human behaviour, which should not be tolerated or accepted as the norm”.

Discussing how to deal with prostitution is difficult. The debate very quickly gets hijacked by people who either miss the point or intentionally bury their heads in the sand and start grandstanding on the morality of the sale of sex as a commodity. This is a philosophical point. It does not matter. What matters is that people are being trafficked here and live out their lives in conditions too horrendous for most of us with a voice to debate to even imagine. It’s time to wake up and face the fact that most prostitution is sexual slavery. Sex with a prostitute is most likely rape. I have never heard the “it’s their choice” line from anyone who works with sex workers on the ground – in their experience the woman who 'genuinely wants to exchange sex for money' does not exist. There's always some level of coercion, addiction, desperation. And even if there are some women who do genuinely work of their own free will, helping them to find another source of income in order to protect the many women who are working against their will is what any decent society would do.

I used to be very much in favour of decriminalising and regulating prostitution. I thought it was the way forward into a society where women would be more empowered and that having everything open and legal would ultimately halt trafficking and afford sex workers more protection. That isn’t the case.

Prostitution isn’t about morals, or liberation, or particularly about sex. It’s about money. Sexual slavery and human trafficking will continue for as long as they are profitable, and the clearest way to mitigate them, and the best way to protect more women and girls from horrendous lives, is to decrease profitability. The only way to do that is to decrease demand by making sure there are consequences that will make people think twice before stepping into the red light district. On a purely moral level, we all know that to have sex with someone who lacks the capacity to say no is utterly wrong. There’s no way to be sure that a prostitute is acting of her own free will, which means there’s no way someone who uses prostitutes can say he is not guilty of rape. Being forced into sex, howsoever it is done, is humiliating and degrading, and in the truest terrible meaning of the word, utterly violating. Having sex with a woman, very likely underage, who has more than likely been forced into having sex with you – even if you are not directly doing the forcing – is rape. And paying for both the privilege of abusing her and the privilege of not having to admit that that is what you are doing is a crime worthy of far more than a four-week jail term, the strictest punishment meted out by this bill.

...

http://www.irishfeministnetwork.org/1/post/2013/05/legalising-brothels-why-i-changed-my-mind.html

[sigmasix]

1. prostitution is a victim-rich crime

The children of women forced into prostitution are often victims of sexual abuse as well. I've listened to reasonable people repeat the belief that legalization would lead to empowering the women that are in the sex industry, no matter what the reason is for them working in the industry. I can't accept that line of reasoning either; prostitution is dependant on a culture that includes commodification of the human being (mostly women and girls) as an object to use for gratification of any perversion or sexual power trip. This sort of subjectification is a dysfunctional aspect of the culture that leads to the disintegration of liberties and humanity for every citizen.
It's too bad we cant start over fresh with this, the apex of human objectification and commodification. Thanks for the OP- did you write it or is it from somewhere else?

[redqueen]

5. No, this was written by a scientist in Ireland who used to be pro-prostitution.

Ireland is currently adopting the most successful approach to ending human trafficking. She has apparently done her research and come to the same conclusion that many other progressives have.

prostitution is dependant on a culture that includes commodification of the human being

This. Exactly.

[undergroundpanther]

2. I agree with you redqueen

Also considering porn,people also hide their heads in the sand, and they grandstand and minimize. or point out the few people that do porn for "fun".Porn is about making money off the vulnerable too.And how do you know the people depicted in the porn are NOT slaves,desperate ,or if they can't say no,once they are captured on the net or in a picture,printed out in millions of copies,their humiliation remains for anyone to gawk at.

I hate both industries.

[ErikJ]

3. If it is closely regulated and controlled there is less chance of minors or

sex slavery. When it is illegal like drugs there will be a bigger demand for an underground black market which will exploit more minors.

[rightsideout]

4. Exactly

In Nevada, where it is legal in two counties, it's regulated under strict controls. I seriously doubt human trafficking would be an issue. Definitely, minors wouldn't be allowed.

[ismnotwasm]

6. That and passing anti-sex trafficking bills

Nevada Committee Passes Major Sex Trafficking Bill

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- Nevada lawmakers continue their drive for anti-sex trafficking legislation by passing the session's most comprehensive bill on the subject.

Members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee voted AB67 out of committee unanimously Tuesday, just days before the deadline for bills to clear committee.

The bill defines sex trafficking, stiffens criminal penalties, provides tools for victims and law enforcement officers and includes customers of trafficked persons in the same criminal class as the traffickers in some cases.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Masto is the lead proponent for AB67.

The committee also passed AB146, which increases the penalties for holding a minor against their will and forcing them to do acts of service or committing other crimes.

The bills now await a full Assembly vote.

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/21921070/nevada-committee-passes-major-sex-trafficking-bill



My guess is the simple legalization of prostitution wasn't enough.

[ismnotwasm]

7. Or anti-sex trafficking organizations

Senator Harry Reid's Call To Outlaw Legal Prostitution In His Address To The Nevada Legislature
TUESDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2011

Nevada Coalition Against Sex Trafficking Press Release about Sen Reid's proposal to outlaw legal prostitution

"I recently met with a group of businessmen who run data centers for technology companies. They visited Storey County to see about opening a facility there, a move that would have created desperately needed jobs.
Storey County does a lot of things right. It’s the home of the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, which is the largest of its kind in the country. But one of the businessmen in that meeting told me he simply couldn’t believe that one of the biggest businesses in the county he was considering for his new home is legal prostitution. I’ve talked to families who feel the same way – parents who don't want their children to look out of a school bus and see a brothel. Or to live in a state with the wrong kind of red lights.

So let’s have an adult conversation about an adult subject. Nevada needs to be known as the first place for innovation and investment – not as the last place where prostitution is still legal. When the nation thinks about Nevada, it should think about the world’s newest ideas and newest careers – not about its oldest profession.

We should do everything we can to make sure the world holds Nevada in the same high regard you and I do. If we want to attract business to Nevada that puts people back to work, the time has come for us to outlaw prostitution.

http://www.nevadacoalition.org/

Welcome to the web site of NCAST, the Nevada Coalition Against Sex Trafficking. We are building a coalition to end prostitution in the state of Nevada. Our mission is to:

Educate people about the harms of prostitution and trafficking in Nevada.
Ensure services are available for women escaping prostitution and trafficking.
Affect public policy on prostitution and trafficking.
You can read our full mission statement here .

We invite you to send us an email . Let us know if you want to sign up as a vounteer, add yourself to the email updates list, and/or donate money to help fund this important work.

[ismnotwasm]

8. I would love to see prostitutes decriminalized

And johns tossed in jail. I think this is a strong statement

In 1999 Sweden, admirably progressive, criminalised the purchase of sex. In five years, trafficking fell 41%, and the price of sex fell – a sign that demand was dropping and profitability of exploitation was plummeting. How does Amsterdam, poster child of the leagalisation and regulation movement, compare? Very badly. Brothels were legalised in Amsterdam in 2000. Ten years later underage girls are still being pimped out, trafficking increased following legalisation, and despite a decade of free, regular healthchecks, STI’s including HIV have not decreased in brothels.

Certain Sex workers working on legalization have their own view of this topic. I admire their tenacity and dedication. But as they try to 'debunk' stereotypes, I find a large silence on what the life and dangers of sexworkers is like. It's lying by omission and makes me less inclined to listen, and factor in their opinion, although I still do.

[redqueen]

9. Yep, the fact is that trafficking doesn't magically disappear where prostitution is legal,

Clearly, decriminalizing prostitution and making solicitation the crime is the overwhelmingly more successful method of curtailing the trafficking in human beings.

That's pretty much all there is to it IMO.

UN highlights human trafficking

According to a report last year by UNODC, countries that were major sources of trafficked persons included Thailand, China, Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

Thailand, Japan, Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey and the US were the most common destinations, the report said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6497799.stm

Increase in human trafficking in Netherlands

Latest figures show more women, especially from Hungary and China, falling prey to human traffickers.

THE NETHERLANDS – Human trafficking in the Netherlands is on the rise, according to figures obtained from the National Centre against Human Trafficking.

Dutch newspaper Trouw reports there were 809 registered victims of human trafficking last year, up from 716 in 2007.

The figures show a substantial increase in the number of victims from Hungary and China. Some 763 were women and at least 60 percent of them were forced to work in the sex industry.

http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/local_news/Increase-in-human-trafficking-in-Netherlands_49349.html

'Loverboys' child prostitution scandal back in Dutch spotlight

Phenomenon of young men pimping underage schoolchildren prompts national wave of soul-searching

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/18/loverboy-child-prostitution-netherlands

Six get heavy sentences in Dutch human trafficking trial

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — A court convicted six people Friday in what prosecutors said was the largest case of human trafficking ever brought to trial in the Netherlands.

Experts said the case could have an impact on Dutch policy because the crimes were committed after brothels were legalized in 2000 in the hope that legitimacy would make it easier for the police to monitor prostitution.

Five of the six convicted men were found guilty of participating in a large, well-established network that kept women in prostitution by force — and with extreme violence.

Some of the victims were compelled to have breast enlargement surgery, and one defendant was convicted of forcing at least one woman to have an abortion. Women were beaten and forced to sit in icy water to avoid bruising. They also were tattooed.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-07-11-Dutch-human-trafficking_N.htm

Nigerian Jailed in Netherlands for smuggling 16 women into prostitution

On Monday, Ada Solomon Osaikhwuwuomwan was found guilty of smuggling Josephine and 16 other women, and sentenced to seven years in prison, one year short of the maximum sentence in the Netherlands for this offence. Seven other members of his gang, including his wife, received shorter sentences for smuggling, people trafficking and for being members of a criminal organisation.

For Warner ten Cate, the Dutch National Public Prosecutor for trafficking in human beings and people smuggling, this is a major victory – especially the fact that the court of appeal in Leeuwarden found Solomon guilty of human trafficking and not smuggling. Trafficking, when victims are forced to work as prostitutes or forced labour, is a crime against human dignity, he says.
Unorthodox strategy

He is most proud of the fact that the high court accepted the unorthodox strategy used by the prosecution to convince fearful and often traumatised probable victims of trafficking to talk. For the first time, it seems, Dutch police looked at cultural traditions that could help explain their reluctance to disclose valuable information.

Way back in 2009 Josephine had been consumed by fear after she testified against Solomon, the fellow Nigerian she said took her to Italy where she was forced into street prostitution.

http://www.elombah.com/index.php/special-reports/10248-nigerian-jailed-in-netherlands-for-smuggling-16-women-into-prostitution-v15-10248

Germany too lax on human trafficking?

...

Germany is often among the frontrunners when it comes to calling for the rule of law to be upheld. Yet it seems that sometimes, even the apparent poster boy doesn't abide by the rules himself - for instance when it comes to fighting human trafficking. UNICEF and child protection organization ECPAT criticize that Berlin is dragging its heels on the implementation of an EU guideline to combat trafficking.

...

Many victims are underage

But the domestic policy spokesman of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in parliament, Hans-Peter Uhl, doesn't exactly agree. "The Justice Ministry (held by the Conservative's junior coalition partners, the Free Democrats) simply plans to extend existing jurisdiction to include cases like human trafficking for instance for the purpose of begging, or with the intention of exploitation for pick-pocketing or organ trafficking." Uhl says plans don't go far enough since there is no plan to include human trafficking with the intention of sexual exploitation.

NGOs also criticize the new legislation would still be too lax. "If for instance an underage girl is brought from Romania to Germany and forced into prostitution, then this qualifies as sexual abuse and exploitation but not as human trafficking. And the latter would be punished more severely under German law," explains Rudi Tarneden of UNICEF Germany.

It would be almost impossible in Germany to convict someone for human trafficking because of forced prostitution, says Uhl. The reason is that according to German law, the burden of proof lies with the victim. Often though the victims refuse to testify - for fear of revenge. "And if a victim does testify, they often withdraw their statements because they're being blackmailed," Uhl explains.


http://www.dw.de/germany-too-lax-on-human-trafficking/a-16724634

[ismnotwasm]

10. And we saw this coming right down the pike

Last edited Tue May 7, 2013, 03:01 PM - Edit history (1)

Those of us paying attention.

When others are celebrating a kind of libertarian 'freedom' for sex-workers, we knew that demand drives supply, that the female body is a sexual commodity (when it's not busy being a reproductive one) and NO laws will change that.

So the demand for the younger, for the exotic, for the unwilling and more proved too much for suppliers and their profit.

No it's not about morality in any sense of the word. It does, however describe inhumanity quite well.