Amnesty International says laws against buying sex breach men's human rights

[DonkeySkin]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2545003/Amnesty-calls-legal-prostitution-Charity-says-laws-ban-people-buying-selling-sex-breach-human-rights.html

The organisation is planning to adopt a position that calls for the full decriminalisation of the sex industry, including johns and pimps.

It is tabling a paper for its UK branch to vote on that says it is a human right for 'consenting adults' to purchase sexual consent from another person (regardless of the desperate circumstances that person may be in, presumably). The paper also devotes time to that latest favourite cover-all for sex-industry advocates, 'the rights of the disabled', as a reason to allow the continuing expansion of the global sex industry with no oversight or concern from governments.

Apparently the human rights of the (overwhelmingly) women and girls who are coerced, trafficked and enslaved inside the sex industry to satisfy the demand from men for paid sex are of no concern.

Oh, sorry - Amnesty does remember to devote a whole two words to this, conceding that prostitution takes place in an 'imperfect context'. That would presumably be the context of a worldwide patriarchy that devalues female human beings, denies them education, safety and fairly paid work, and tells men they have the right to use their bodies for sex regardless of their actual desires. Not to mention, systemic racism, colonialism and exploitative capitalism.

Good to know Amnesty is prepared to stand up for the most vulnerable people on earth - male sex buyers.

Have amnesty responded at all to all of this? I saw the twitter link yesterday, surely they can't just ignore all those people?

So point 5 of whenthereds post addresses the reasons for legalising brothels and purchasers

The lgbt element seems like it misses something in the relative numbers being talked about.

The point about the Swedish model leading to prostitutes protecting pimps and punters and ending up in greater risk as a result (presumably from threats etc) needs some validation but at least it comes from the right perspective. Not the daily mail reported view that purchasing sex is a human right.

Nice tabard I posted amnesty's Facebook response earlier. It is pretty disappointing.

Reading the document in full just makes me more sick. They really haven't a clue about the realities of prostitution, the gendered nature of it, or the evidence of the impact of different approaches including total legalisation.

They are talking as if individuals freely choose to sell their bodies for others to use for sexual pleasure. The criminal gangs who control most prostitution would be laughing their heads off reading this. How can they be so bloody naive? I would expect this from a bunch of sixth formers, but from an organisation who should understand the realities of prostitution and the sex industry, and how this is fuelled by misogyny.

Donkey, thanks for your suggested changes. I didn't actually write the letter, just copied it off that website. But I agree with the changes you recommend.

Their response is so revoltingly political it reads like it was drafted by Malcolm Tucker.

Agree with OP that I feel like I must be dreaming - it's too bizarre

TAIT thank you, I was hoping / thinking that they might have put out something a bit more complete or something.

OK, this has just gone out on their site in answer

: www.amnesty.org.uk/global-policy-consultation-sex-work

It's not rebutting anything specific beyond reiterating that it is a fully open consultation with plans for a detailed debate at the AGM. They are adamant they have no position.

*We have been aware of the need to develop our thinking on this issue for a while, informed by work on our Stop Violence Against Women campaign, and then on poverty and human rights. Both campaigns highlighted gaps in our policies as they relate to the human rights of sex workers.

For these reasons, our International research headquarters (the International Secretariat) undertook a study of the issue and has proposed a draft policy for consultation.

The draft policy proposes the decriminalisation of activities relating to the buying or selling of consensual sex between adults, on the basis that this is the best means to protect the rights of sex workers and ensure that these individuals receive adequate medical care, legal assistance and police protection.

However, we acknowledge that these issues are complex and opinion is polarised. Proponents of different policy responses invoke core human rights principles in justifying their positions. As a human rights organisation, we therefore think it is important to consider our position in this debate.

We value debate and have not yet endorsed any particular position.*

For Amnesty members this is the email to get hold of the full consultation documents and have your say: [email protected]

The letters earlier suggested writing directly to the international team - UK members would do better to address Amnesty UK:

Consultation on sex work
c/o Chief Executive’s Office
Amnesty International UK
Human Rights Action Centre
17-25 New Inn Yard
London
EC2A 3EA

Well you see that sounds reasonable.

But someone wrote that document FFS and really? what on earth.

\oh they missed a bit out though

Fucking hell! Sex is not and never should be a human right!

It is not reasonable. They ignore the fact they are actively lobbying in Ireland against the introduction of the Nordic Model. That is hardly - not decided a position.

So it is simply a lie to say that no particular position has been endorsed. And those campaigning for the Nordic Model in Ireland include a lot of women who used to be in the sex industry. They are actively lobbying against these women.

I have also read rumours that at the AGM they plan to give out a paper listing 10 points that outline why members should support this proposed policy. If that is true, it would be hardly neutral consultation.

Given the paper pasted in by whenthered, this response looks comletely disingenious. As grennie says, AI are lobbying in NI - not consistent with an undecided position.

Also, this response does not address the "rights" of sex buyers and brothel keepers specifically mentioned in the consultation document, nor that fact that AI have pronounced the Swedish Model "mistaken".

"The draft policy proposes the decriminalisation of activities relating to the buying or selling of consensual sex between adults"...

Because we live in a happy happy utopia where this description is valid all the time!!!!

I thought earlier, while I was coming home from work.

Their document is all YAY to happy fun people having really fun and super great SEX all the time if they are over 18. But if not then DIE DIE. Erm no actually it was if under 18 people should be nice to the prostituted people who probably are but let's not say that female, and look after them and stuff and listen to their views if it is age appropriate to do so (WTAF???) and not at all ever mention the fact that what was done to them were Criminal Acts by Criminals who should be prosecuted to the max of the law. Why is that not at all ever mentioned?

And also what of people who aren't making an active fun choice to have really fun sex with super people who are over 18????

So are things like drug addiction, poverty, children to support, being pimped out by a husband or boyfriend, having mental health issues, being vulnerable due to learning disabilities, past sexual abuse, past emotional abuse, being groomed etc etc etc ad infintum.... People who sell (or are persuaded to sell) their bodies to be used by others are "choosing" to do so in an "imperfect context".

Well what a bunch of absolute fucking cunts they are.

Apols for swear but really. Can't think of a better one for this bunch. Clearly as a cunt is no more or less than any other commodity, like a packet of biscuits or a t-shirt, as long as children aren't involved in it, then they are quite happy. So I'm using it with impunity.

Sex workers organisations is usually a eupheminism for pimp sponsored organisations, like the International Sex Workers Union. And read their response to questions recorded in a parliamentary enquiry and in Hansard. They basically admit in their own words they are a pimp sponsored organisation.

The reality is it is easy to listen to pimp sponsored organisations. They have money to make their voices heard. Organisations of survivors often struggle with just the travel expenses to attend meetings.

Why decriminalize? Don't you think amnesty has researched this subject before taking such a controversial position? This is no light thing! Decriminalization would establish HARM REDUCTION for the victims of human trafficking and would prevent lives from being unnecessarily devastated as is the case currently when sex workers are arrested. Arresting sex workers does not serve society and is very destructive to society despite all the moralizing and all the talk of protecting women. Why are trafficking victims being arrested if they are VICTIMS?! BECAUSE prostitution is criminalized that's why! Criminalizing prostitution does NOT prevent prostitution this is a hard cold FACT. therefore, the line of thinking is about establishing harm reduction. The current method of rescuing the victims of sex trafficking is ARREST. Arrest is not a rescue. When a sex worker (forced or not) gets arrested this practically ensures that the sex worker will have an even harder time getting a 'regular' job as well as a safe place to live (try renting an apt or applying for a job with a prostitution arrest on your record). Society expects sex workers to somehow change their lives but society does not take into account the actual circumstances involved. This is not a simple issue. It is very easy to sit behind a computer and moralize and judge when you don't have a clue what reality is like for the people you are judging.

Not a single person on this thread thinks that it should be a criminal offence to sell sex.

The argument we have with Amnesty is that they think that it is a human right to BUY sex.

Yes, loved the LGBT reference. So in Amnesty's eyes loving gay sex between consenting adults is right up there with adulterous sex and women whose bodies are being sold? Yay!

Grennie that is simply not true. It's a good story but it's not true. There are an abundance of sex workers who are independent operators who are not associated with so called pimps who are standing up demanding their rights be acknowledged. The sex worker organizations I know of are operating on shoe string budgets I don't know of any that have funding as you are stating here. In fact you have it backwards. Abolitionist/anti prostitution non profits are getting funded in the millions! Perhaps your group needs a better grant writer or you haven't done the right leg work but sex worker organizations have been consistently denied funding even though they are the very organizations trying to actually help sex workers! There are no organizations that I know of which are working to help sex workers get out of sex work when they want to. All I see are non profits who exploit sex workers who have been ARRESTED. by the way, ARREST IS NOT A RESCUE.

DominaElle, the Nordic model (which AI are lobbying against in NI) decriminalizes the selling of sex and criminalizes the buying of sex.