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.

Men are born into poverty as well but how many of them go into prostitution/traffiking? Hardly any in comparison to women. There are clearly other options for some.

saw this earlier and didn't get time to post, sure all of what I'd say has been said by someone much cleverer than me, so just marking place :)

Oh god, I really have nothing cogent to say but urgh, I feel so disappointed in AI. Women's rights to have lives free from sexual exploitation are missing in the documents shared so far.

MooncupGodess Some forms of prostitution can be compared (correctly) to slavery, some cannot.
We need to find a way to root out the bad stuff and maybe hiding it all under a cloak of prohibition isn't working?
A woman should have the right to choose to sell her body, and not to.

I hate arguments for prostitution that basically come down 'will someone think of the children!'

Firstly, children have two parents. Where the fuck is the dad if the mother is so desperate to put food on the table that she is choosing between her children going hungry and prostitution?

Secondly, radical feminists always argue that if you want to improve the situation of children, you need to improve the situation of mothers. Arguing that at least the kids get fed if their mother is prostituted, is lamentable. And anti woman and anti children. The problem is the feminization of poverty, which, of course, directly affects children. Women need real, healthy, sustainable economic solutions. Their subjugation to men who want to fuck is not a solution, it is a poverty trap and a low status trap.

It is a vicious circle of misogyny. Women do not have children by themselves and they are not the driving force behind prostitution. Where are all the men in this???

Beachcomber I think you are on the money with that argument, you've summed up the correct "no" vote perfectly.

I'm not necessarily likening prostitution to slavery; I'm saying that 'but without this exploitative institution people will starve' was a crap argument for slavery, and it's a crap argument for prostitution.

And my point was that prostitution is not always exploitative ergo some forms can be equated to slavery, some cannot.

And notice, it is always about the 'right' of a woman to sell her body in order to feed her children.

The gendered klaxon doesn't get much louder than this.

The women are left (literally) holding the babies and have to act as subordinates deferring to male dominance, and a system of social organisation that classes men as human and women (and children, especially girl children), as 'other'. As the sex class.

It is so blatant.

If this AI thing is true then we are really in trouble. This is the backlash reaching a height that AFAIA no-one, not even the most cynical radical feminist would have predicted.

Right yeah 'While individuals engaged in sex work (um what's with the gender neutral bullshit, the vast majority of these workers are women) may face increased health risks (which they acknowledge include increased STD risks, and violence) these are less related to sex work itself and more to policies, practices and cultural bias that limit their health related decisions and choices and access to health services.' Uh huh, right, ok, tell that to the HIV positive porn workers in the USA who worked within a legal and apparently safe and consensual set up, worked well for them.....

I get protesting at this but leaving what is an organisation trying to do good in multiple ways seems rather ott and stupid.

If ai are willing to debate on stuff I'd be more keen to join tbh as I find them rather smug sometimes so choose other 'charities' to support. Whilst prostitution is rife with criminal elements (obvs) there's aspects to the discussion id like to see occur that I find mners often just shut down. To my mind there's statistics and lies to support criminalisation and de-criminalisation. Both have plus and minus.

prostitution is not always exploitative

Yes it is. Of course it is. Because...patriarchy.

Beach I wish I could carry you around in my pocket. My dungarees are quite roomy...

No one wants women to have to choose between their children starving and prostitution, this is the kind of situation that cannot be helped by prostitution laws and is obviously not a choice. I think we all get it.
The other side is the woman who decides she'd rather not spend 40 hours a week at sainsburys for minimum wage. She should have that choice and none of you should be in a position to take that from her.

Can those who are against Amnestys proposal, please tell them on their facebook page. I am not sure they read MN

AF

Now beachcomber, that really is a poor effort haha

Vaudeville, should she also have the choice to be paid to give blood, or be a surrogate, or donate a kidney?

The laws of each country regulate what can be bought and sold, particularly with respect to people's bodies.

I notice you've bumped a five month old thread about a GTA advertising display of a bikini clad woman asking if the poster would have protested about a hot guy in the ad, vaudevelle.

Doctrine, or chop her own head off or leap down the well or any number of other things which are not related to prostitution

Doctrine, I know, just joined today and didn't notice how old all the posts in that sub were haha. It was on the first page!

Eh?

Your examples are fatal, mine are not.

This worship of "choice" always gets trotted out when it comes to women in prostitution. Our choices are highly regulated, particularly where there is an imbalance of power or as AI puts in an "imperfect context" [snort]. Every law on the books is there to constrain someone's choice whether it's my choice to murder you, my choice to work for £2 an hour, my choice to work on a roof without a safety harness. Choice is not an analysis.

What about these choices?

the-invisible-men.tumblr.com/

This is dreadful.

Anyone who doesn't know much about prostitution (I didn't before researching it as a feminist) - I really recommend Rachel Moran's book www.amazon.co.uk/Paid-Rachel-Moran/dp/0717156028

It's only £1.89 on Kindle.

You will see how a disadvantage girl became a prostitute and just how vile the "punters" are.

The "Human Rights' angle to this is fucking vile. No person has a human right to another's body, that they could even suggest that makes me feel sick. Let alone them wanting to put more power in the hands of pimps, I'm sure that'll work out wonderfully for the women they own 'manage.'

I've been a donating to Amnesty for over 20 years and will be stopping that and writing to them to voice my concerns.