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Sex, politics, and Harriet Harman.
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
Before you start to feel sick, straight onto the story at hand:
"Commons Leader Harriet Harman has told the BBC she wants the law to be changed to make it illegal to pay for sex. She said ministers were to look at how Sweden brought in such a law, and said a 'big debate' was needed in the UK. It would counter international human trafficking which sees girls bought and sold by criminals in the UK, she added. Buying or selling sex is legal, but many activities related to prostitution such as kerb crawling, brothel keeping, pimping and soliciting are not." Click here for more.
I think she's got this wrong, to be honest. I don't see what the problem is. If a woman genuinely wants to sell her body for sex, that's her business. It's not the business of government to interfere in the nation's bedrooms. Don't get me wrong - I realise there are many women who turn to prostitution as they feel they have no other option. And that is the problem. Human trafficking needs dealing with, no two ways about it, but I think toughening up the law yet further isn't the answer.
Over to you...
"Commons Leader Harriet Harman has told the BBC she wants the law to be changed to make it illegal to pay for sex. She said ministers were to look at how Sweden brought in such a law, and said a 'big debate' was needed in the UK. It would counter international human trafficking which sees girls bought and sold by criminals in the UK, she added. Buying or selling sex is legal, but many activities related to prostitution such as kerb crawling, brothel keeping, pimping and soliciting are not." Click here for more.
I think she's got this wrong, to be honest. I don't see what the problem is. If a woman genuinely wants to sell her body for sex, that's her business. It's not the business of government to interfere in the nation's bedrooms. Don't get me wrong - I realise there are many women who turn to prostitution as they feel they have no other option. And that is the problem. Human trafficking needs dealing with, no two ways about it, but I think toughening up the law yet further isn't the answer.
Over to you...
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Comments
The vast majority of prostitutes sell sex because they are addicted to drugs and it's the only way they can get money. They need help, and keeping the law the way it is, isn't working.
Any evidence for that?
A) All out ban - all our kids are safely tucked up in Enid Blyton land.
Seriously, it's like people think in fucking black and white theses days.
yes, but there's no evidence that driving it under ground will make it any better. Lots of things don't work, but the alternatives are worse.
personally I'd go the other way and legalise brothels, which have to be licensed, with regular medical inspections of the women (paid for by the owner) and with check-ups to ensure the women are there by 'choice', and are at least eighteen.
Walk the streets of any major city and you'll get all the evidence you need.
I'm not calling for an all out ban either, I dont know what the solution is. Only said that they need help.
strongly agree. :yes:
Agree with this
However, Harriet Harman is clearly clueless if she thinks prostitution can be outlawed, the oldest profession and all that. Harman wants to 'make it illegal to pay for sex.' If it happens this would be vintage Brown/Blair Labour government material - yet another unenforceable and unnecessary law.
Quoting from the BBC article we're told making it illegal to pay for sex would
Human trafficking is already illegal. Prostitution is a vile industry, horrific acts of abuse regularly take place within it - but we don't need new laws to tackle such abuse: we need existing laws to be properly enforced...
And distinctions need to be made... There's a difference between those smuggled here, those forced into it because of drug addiction - and those who consensually choose to go into prostitution. We need to help the first two groups of people get out of it. And the latter, some of who make good money deserve - if they are freely choosing to go into prostitution, protection and rights. And the only way I can see that happening is through legal and tightly regulated brothels. There are people who choose to go into prostitution - outlawing prostitution isn't going to make them any safer.
Those coerced into prostitution only comprise a minority of total working girls in the UK. Many enter the trade to make money and aren't subject to any "slave trade" or trafficking.
There was a buffoon of a woman on T.V. who started her argument about this by saying we should put aside moralising. Even if the women haven't been trafficked and forced to become prostitutes, even if they aren't doing it to pay for their addictions, it doesn't change the fact that prostitution in itself is wrong and immoral. It demeans both parties involved along with the society that accepts it. Herman is right (never thought I'd say that), it should be against the law for men to buy sex. As with drugs, you can't tackle the problem by dealing only with the supply side of it while ignoring the demand. We could learn a lot from the Swedes.
zomg they are forced into it by drugs... dire economic circumstances... slavers... bible fearing upbringing... id never do it so no one else must want to... vote tory... etc bs
money and sex can combine to form a good deal to some people. get over it.
the visible part of the sex trade involves alot of drugs so the less visible part does as well?
"immoral", "dehumanising", "wrong", "exploitation", "most sell because of drugs"
yeah, alot of jobs would be like that to me. value judgements innit.
Banning prostitution which means even the people who want to and are happy to provide 'services' are no longer able to.
Not banning prostituion which means some women may be exploited.
Of course, it's about finding a compromise between the two, but at the end of the day - along with other controversial 'libertarian' issues such as political correctness, do we fall on the edge that favours civil liberties, or the edge that favours the rights and wellbeing of those who may become victims?
Yes, it is probably too far, but then it may well do more good than harm.
Minimi: you discard any notion of exploitation of women, yet sex slaves still are a major problem all over the world.
I would argue prostitution is proportional to slavery. The more prostitution, the more money going into sex, the more money unscrupulous individuals have to gain and the more effort they will go to, to get sex slaves.
I'm not arguing that prostitution causes exploitation, but it is certainly linked - the moral arguments are complex but I would argue it objectifies women - which may be why when we are moving towards a more open society having women 'for sale' (or at least their bodies) is working against that.
But to my other point, there is a link between prostitution and exploitation just as there is a link (however people don't like to admit it) between drugs and organised crime.