Paying for sex could be made illegal

[Elizabetth]

politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2165900,00.html

It's an uncomfortable subject but I'm glad to see that the government are finally trying to deal with the root cause of prostitution which is the demand created by men who use prostitutes.

Sweden is already leading the way in this sphere, decriminalising prostitutes themselves but prosecuting pimps and customers. The Swedes regard prostitution as violence against women and as an abuse of human rights, a conclusion shared with most people who do any serious investigation into prostitution and the experiences of women and children in it.

Sweden has had a lot of success, reducing trafficking dramatically and offering help and support for women who want to leave the life.

and some serious amounts of drug replacement in the short term.

FWIW, paying for sex is not illegal. Advertising it's availability is illegal.

It's an excellent well overdue development in the law. It makes my skin crawl when I have to walk past the massage parlours and wonder what horrors must go on in there. And then weep with ironic laughter that it's got this semi-legal veneer.

While no one is denying that cruelty and exploitation occur in the sex industry (and in the catering industry and in the cut-flower industry - two of the industries with the worst records for contemporary slave labour), the law has no business criminalising the exchange of money for sexual favours in itself. For a great many people, sex is a transaction of some kind, whether its the cocklodgers so prevalent on relationship threads (cocklodger: bloke who targets desperate single mums to move in with so he gets his cooking and washing done in return for the odd shag) or the wannabe footballers' wives. Not to mention the people in long-term relationships who will engage in sex so their partners will oblige them in some other way (buying a present, putting up with an awful relative, agreeing to a change of job).

Many of the organisations dedicated to helping women leave sex work seem keen to help them into shitty minimum wage floor-cleaning jobs and then wonder why a percentage of the sex workers turn down such fabulous opportunities. I have some friends who are involved in a project to help migrant sex workers at present - by giving them free English lessons, without any conditions attached. This is surely a good way of helping them. Better than simply trying to drive them out of sight.

Oh well I'm a bit modern in my view about sex, in that both parties should want it and enjoy it. As it's women who are usually in the less powerful position than men and it's they who end up having to trade their bodies for security, a roof over their head, food etc. I can't really get behind you're "everybody's doing it so it must be OK" argument.

This lie back and think of England scenario (because maybe you'll get a new handbag) you are advocating madamez strikes me as more than a little Victorian.

I'm for women's sexual liberation, not sexual subjection.

Making paying for sex illegal obviously has to go hand in hand with creating better job opportunities, housing opportunities and social support for women leaving the sex trade. One doesn't preclude the other.

I don't think prostitutes would like it to be made legal for the simple fact that they do it for cash in hand. No taxes etc and one can make lots of money in one night without having to give any to the government. Plus they aren't on any books as being a prostitute, it's more annomous if it's not legal.

Elizabeth - so in Sweden the number of men using prositutes has decreased, have i got that bit right?

But unless using prositution ceases completely, are the women involved still not involved???

Elizabeth: what you think sex should be does not affect the fact that sex is a transaction for a lot of people. Most human interaction is a deal of some sort (i help you then you'll help me, I will trade you this for that) and if all particupants to a deal think that it's been fiar, what's the problem?
Certainly many employers mistreat and exploit employees, but the way to improve the situation of all vulnerable employees is to get them unionized and help them associate with one another, share experiences and stand together.
The criminalising and stigmatising of commercial sex doesn't make it go away, it just makes the most vulnerable people involved in the trade even more vulnerable.

Elizabeth - Few prostitutes claim to be willing participants, having been driven to it by poverty or drugs.

If no man ever had sex with a prostitute again and there was no 'need' for prostitutes, what would they do then to fund their drug habit? I assume that poverty stricken prostitutes cant get any other job, thats why they are doing what they do.

They would probably turn to crime, so would society be solving the problem or just passing the buck?