Here in the UK the police are asking for a new debate around the laws of prostitution!
Its in light of the conviction of a guy who killed 3 street sexworkers.
Today I see that most polls conducted are in favour of decriminalisation, some as much as 78% for.
Although I take a pro decriminalisation view, I also think we need to look seriously at street work.
I have been a street worker myself, but now there are more issues around drugs & gangland pimping, as well as illegal minors, than when I did it!
New Zealand is the newest country to de-crim sexwork, but they seem to still have major problems when it comes to street sexwork, for all the reasons aforementioned!
The brothels & other sexwork seems to be more protected & more sexworkers come forward to the police, than they did before de-criminalisation.
But new Zealand as yet has not being able to manage the street sexworker problems in certain area`s.
What is your thoughts on this problem, any ideas?
If we only legalised brothels, sauna`s, etc...there would still be those who are vulnerable because of age or drug/drink issues, & they would still go on the streets, despite the high dangers. When I did it I came off the street I became a dominatrix & went indoors. The pay was higher, as a bonus...so these women go on the street are the lowest paid in the industry, yet face the biggest dangers, both health wise & psychologically.
Do you think we will ever get around these dilemma`s?
Would value your ideas!
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david henry sterry
dicea
Alan Nothnagle
Sharon Kay
Pretty Lady
Kari van der Clouet
Salon.com
Comments
here in oz, sex work is legal but each state has various restrictions. my own, nsw, requires that brothels be located in 'industrial' areas, but many women work from their home which is tolerated as long as no more than two workers present. street solicitation is an offense if close to a school or church. it's not very productive anyway, unless in an 'entertainment' district.
all up, about as good as its likely to get for working women. as you point out, it's the workers you don't want working that remain a problem: runaways, and enslaved women.
the cure for runaways is simple: shelters for cast off kids and high sentences for people that use them. not a complete cure, but it's an imperfect world.
here in nsw we have plenty of asian women who are effectively enslaved. they are recruited in their homeland, imported on confected visas, and put to work in bad conditions, working off their recruitment fee. most know they will be sex workers, some are naive enough to imagine oz needs waitresses. when they get here, they find themselves turning 20 tricks a day for 3 or 4 years, with no contact outside the brothel, no passport, no money, and family back in the old country hostage to their good behavior. occasionally one slips away, or is caught in an inspection raid, and we learn what is going on still.
twenty years ago it was much worse in every area. crooked cops on the take, gang bosses controlling the women with violence and drugs, politicians getting their cut as well.
by comparison, nsw at least is more civilized, and trying to manage a complex problem as well as they can.
But new Zealand as yet has not being able to manage the street sexworker problems in certain area`s."
Your answer is right here. I know it's hard for politicians to keep their hands off, no pun intended, of something but that's what they need to do. Yes they will need to do the no kids, no disease type laws but they they need to butt out.
Pick a profession, any profession. There are always those who are just barely able to do or keep up. Every ladder has a bottom rung. The trick is to make it so the bottom rungs don't need the help from the sides to stay up. Hard to do yes, but if you put things in their way of doing it right, they will do it anyway they can.
If street work is what they think they need to do to survive, and bottom rung street workers are in survival mode, then they will do drugs, pimps, and abusers. If I have to give you 90% of my money so I can have enough left over to avoid starvation, where do I send the check?
Give them very simple rules that even the lowest of the low can do, and stay out of their way. All the rules need to target the pimps and others who make their money of these workers.
It also works both ways. If she doesn't need me and it's to dangerous to be a pimp I will find something else to do. It may not be legal work, OMG a JOB, but they will start to leave the ladies alone.
Before you say anything, nothing is perfect. There will always be pimps etc. The point is to bring their numbers down to almost nothing.