New laws on prostitution in the UK 'will drive it underground'

[7-Eleven]

 

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced plans to make it an offence to pay for sex with a "controlled" woman, such as those with pimps, in brothels or who have been trafficked.

 

Kerb crawlers will also now be prosecuted for their first offence, and named in the local media.

 

Men who have sex with a woman who they know was a victim of people smuggling could even face rape charges.

 

The Home Office stopped short of an outright ban on paying for sex after admitting it would be "difficult to enforce" in the UK.

 

But the review document did not rule out such a move in the future once attitudes of customers and the public have been "challenged".

 

Police will also be given new powers to shut brothels down for three months.

 

Critics said the new law would only make the problem harder to control and said the Government would be better focused on stopping women being forced into the sex trade in the first place.

 

Conservative women's spokeswoman Theresa May said: "Once again the Government's answer is to reach for new legislation.

 

"The risk is this will force this activity even further underground, putting vulnerable women in even more danger.

 

"The Government should be doing more to help women who find themselves forced into prostitution."

 

The Home Office document estimates there are around 80,000 prostitutes working in the UK in a trade worth £1billion.

 

More than one in 10 men are said to pay for sex and it is feared 4,000 woman have been trafficked into the country for sex exploitation.

 

Ms Smith said that the tough new approach will mean there are "no more excuses" for men.

 

Under the changes, paying for sex with a woman "controlled for another's gain" will become a "strict liability offence" in England and Wales, meaning prosecutors will not have to prove that the man knew a prostitute was being exploited in order to charge him.

 

Ignorance of the woman's circumstances will be no defence and those convicted will get a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000.

 

In cases where the man knows that the woman is working as a prostitute against her will, he could be charged with rape, which carries a potential life jail sentence.

 

A change in the existing laws will also allow kerb crawlers to be prosecuted for a first offence, rather than persistent activity.

 

Ms Smith said the Home Office considered banning payment for sex outright - as proposed by women's minister Harriet Harman and similar to the law in Sweden - but found that there was no public support for it.

 

The document said the sex trade in Sweden is much smaller and it would be "difficult" to enforce here.

 

However, it added: "The Government needs to work to challenge the attitudes of sex buyers and the public as a whole before criminalising the purchase of sex per se becomes a viable option."

 

Ms Smith said: "I want to do everything we can to protect the thousands of vulnerable women coerced, exploited or trafficked into prostitution in our country and to bring those who take advantage of them to justice.

 

"I also want to tackle kerb crawling. In my book, once around the block is once too many, and so I'm making kerb-crawling punishable as a first offence. I also want to see more naming and shaming of persistent kerb crawlers."

 

The changes bring the law in England and Wales more closely into line with Scotland, where anyone trying to pick up a prostitute faces a possible fine of up to £1,000.

 

Cari Mitchell, of the English Collective of Prostitutes, warned: "Bitter experience tells us that any law against consenting sex forces prostitution further underground and makes women more vulnerable to violence."

 

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[Dr.Winston]

More f******* laws, just what we need! Once again justified by being tagged to a righteous cause like making it harder for trafficking women. Of course the law will be used against people a lot more innocent than traffickers and pimps.

[keswick01]

These laws have been in place in Scotland for a couple of years now but no major crackdown has been seen.

 

I dont visit prostitutes here in UK so I should be ok unless they get it in their heads that Patts must be the same as UK and all the bar girls are kept under lock and key when not in bar and slapped around if the dont get a farang companion for the night.

Edited November 19, 2008 by keswick01

[Dr.Winston]

These laws have been in place in Scotland for a couple of years now but no major crackdown has been seen.

 

I dont visit prostitutes here in UK so I should be ok unless h

hey get it in their heads that Patts must be the same as UK and all the bar girls are kept under lock and key when not in bar and slapped around if the dont get a farang companion for the night.

 

Good point. I was watching a video of Pattaya bar girls on youtube yesterday. One of the comments left by a viewer was "if they are prostitutes how come they all look so happy?"

[.Q.]

Hookers in the Uk and Thailand is like chalk and cheese.

 

Totaly different enviroments.

Edited November 19, 2008 by .Q.

[Limey]

Oh how nice it is to see my decision to get out of the UK a year ago confirmed yet again. Moved to Germany, where there is a far more enlightened and more easily regulated system of legal prostitution (outside of wedlock I mean, and that's not the reason I moved). These feminist tosspots who crop up in positions of power all over the place just don't have a clue about the ordinary lives of ordinary people with ordinary wants and desires. Yet another f ....ng offence on the statute book - as if pimps and criminals will stop trafficking in girls because the new laws have made demand dry up once 'attitude has been challenged'. God help us, what a laugh, it makes me sick to see what's become of English good sense.

[layow]

these laws are usually made by women who

 

have had their clams sown up for years

 

either by their own will or lack of demand.

[luv.you.long.time]

There are loads of 'legalised' type massage parlours in Scotland that are given entertainment licences from the local council as they saw this was a way of controlling it, inspecting it and making sure there was no horribleness going on.

 

Its clearly a Westminster (main UK law makers) directive that the sex industry will not be tolerated. All these laws do will put the wind up regular guys who visit these girls frequently. Its the same how they are turning the law against the kerb crawlers for the street walkers and now, the guys visiting the brothels. The last thing they want is criminal convictions and their wives / kids finding out. I suppose they are thinking that it will cut the lifeline cash for these places, but as we all know, the brothel owners will just put all the girls into private flats and not have too many working in each place.

 

The oldest profession in the world (and the money that it brings) will not be abolished by a political piece of statutory legislation being brought in. If the government were able to tax the earnings on the girls / managers, Im sure these new laws wouldnt have been introduced !!

[MONOCHROMEMAN]

From BBC online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7736436.stm

 

Are there critics?

The English Collective of Prostitutes, which campaigns on the law, opposes the moves, saying it will drive the trade further underground rather than making women safer. It says it sees no reason why consenting sex between adults should be criminalised just because one party pays.

It argues that women who want to work together in the sex business should be allowed to do so in safety - and the men who buy their services should not be turned into criminals.

The ECP normally speak commonsense. At least one other pro prostitute group took the same line. Yet the law was passed.

[irishlas]

IHMO I think these laws are only trying to protect to girls that get brought into prostitution against their own will...I cant see it affecting the willing and consenting females and the fellas who pay for their services...

[luv.you.long.time]

IHMO I think these laws are only trying to protect to girls that get brought into prostitution against their own will...I cant see it affecting the willing and consenting females and the fellas who pay for their services...

 

Yes I agree that would be a good thing.

 

If these girls are being held against there will, how do you find that out. They being threatened that if they dont pay off their debt, families will be hurt etc etc etc.

 

What these laws do is provide party politics policing powers to close down well run (but unpopular with local residents) places by arresting punters who come and go. Victimless crime perhaps ???

 

If the girls are being held against their will, there are more than enough existing powers to go in and get them. This is just powers to run the punters scared for fear of prosecution. I know, they have been up and running in Scotland for 18 months. In that time, no council / police has given media releases saying, "New laws smash people trafficking gang!" (and we all know how these sort love a wee headline to themselves!)

 

Time will tell, but Id be surprised.