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Original poster

The greens and prostitutes

807 replies

IceBeing · 04/03/2015 21:21

Be gentle as I am new to thinking about this.

I found the Natalie Bennett's comments on decriminalising prostitution pretty persuasive - what am I missing?

She basically said that sex workers would like this policy (having contributed to it) and that research from other countries indicated it was the way forward.

OP posts:
uglyswan · 04/03/2015 22:19

OP, here is a study from 2012 comparing the so-called scale effect - decriminalizing prostitution results in the expansion of the prostitution market which encourages traffickers to increase trafficking of (mainly) women and children - and the substitution effect - legal (non-trafficked) sex-workers are given preference over victims of trafficking. The results show that, overall, the scale effect tends to dominate the substitution effect. "On average, countries where prostitution is legal experience larger reported human trafficking inflows".
www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.405653.de/diw_econsec0071.pdf

ShirakawaKaede · 04/03/2015 22:16

To be clear, as you said you're new to this issue (I don't mean to patronise you if you know this already!) but the greens are proposing blanket decriminalization of prostitution. The Nordic model would not criminalize prostitutes themselves & part of it is help to get out of it. This seems a better solution to me and there is plenty of research supporting it.

scallopsrgreat · 04/03/2015 22:13

'Sex workers' also tends to be predominately the more privileged within the system and doesn't tend to include those who have exited prostitution.

ChazzerChaser · 04/03/2015 22:10

The 'sex workers like it' position is so disingenuous for me. Which sex workers? They're not a monolith. I find it so patronising. Women with experiences of prostitution be that current or previous have different opinions. So it comes down to a political decision of whose opinions you find more persuasive, and how this fits with the bigger picture. Hiding behind the 'it's the sex workers wot said it' argument is cowardly.

That's in addition to questions around who are the 'sex workers' (it's an umbrella term including phone workers to pimps) and why are they saying what they say.

CrispyFern · 04/03/2015 22:07

Maybe you aren't missing anything.
It's good to keep your mind open and be willing to change your mind on things sometimes if you receive persuasive evidence.

ShirakawaKaede · 04/03/2015 21:59

www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/02/if-you-think-decriminalisation-will-make-prostitution-safe-look-germanys-mega

Sarah Ditum talks lots of sense on this issue (see above).

Also, bear in mind that the term 'sex worker' doesn't necessarily mean prostitute. The term includes brothel owners for example - so at least some of these people have a vested interest in decriminalization.