Legalising prostitution

[IHATEPeppaPig]

I am currently reading about the decriminalisation of prostitution and trying to get my head around the best way to ensure that women are not vilified for sex work, that they remain safe whilst also not normalising it.

I was all for the Nordic model but reading Labour's material it claims that this doesn't work and can make it less safe for women.

What are your thoughts?

Nordic model. Consent cannot be for sale and men who pay for sex are rapists in my book. A society that condones this is a society that hates women.

It always strikes me as odd that I've met many, many sex workers in RL (through work) almost all addicted, almost all abused as children, almost all victims of violence or at least witnesses to it, almost all with financial/personal pressures that made it impossible to say no.

And yet all the sex workers in the media are happy, joyful, loving every second of it. It's almost as if there is some reason the media, charities and politicians want everyone to look elsewhere...

I didn't know prostitution was illegal! I know soliciting is but escort work and the like is not illegal.

I don't go for the Nordic business.

Nordic model.

Criminalises the buyers, but not the sellers.

Reduces demand, reduces trafficking.

This is a good resource

nordicmodelnow.org

I didn't know prostitution was illegal! I know soliciting is but escort work and the like is not illegal

It isn't. No one has said it is.

I think my title is misleading - I meant decriminalising rather than legalising.

I think it's been pretty clear on the thread as a whole, OP, fear not! You're obviously talking about legalising all the activities round prostitution (pimping, soliciting, brothel keeping, etc.) not prostitution itself which we know (well most of us know) is legal in the UK. And importantly, the selling of sex would continue to be legal under the Nordic model, it would just be the buying which would be criminalised.

My MP is a labour MP and as I am writing to them today - to ask them to attend the meeting at the House of Commons on the 16th - I am going to mention this call by some young labour members to decriminalise prostitution and use the opportunity to (highlight it and) ask them for clarity on the party's position.

I think my title is misleading - I meant decriminalising rather than legalising

It is still misleading. It is not illegal or a crime to be a prostitute in the UK.

What is illegal and criminal is being a pimp, running a brothel, trafficking, soliciting, living off a prostitute's earnings, procuring and grooming prostitutes.

Whether one talks about legalisation or decriminalisation what one is talking about is allowing all the people involved in these activities to do so legally.