RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR CHANGES IN
PROSTITUTION LAW AND POLICY
By the English Collective of Prostitutes which co-ordinates the
Safety First Coalition
1. Give serious consideration to the New Zealand Prostitution Reform
Act 2003 as a model for decriminalising prostitution in the UK.
2. Prevent women being trapped in prostitution by fines and criminal
records. Repeal section 1, Street Offences Act 1959 "Loitering
or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution."
3. . Allow women to work together more safely from premises. Repeal
section 33, Sexual Offences Act 1956 "Keeping a brothel."
4. Ensure that the law targets abuse and violence rather than women
working consensually and collectively. Amend section 53, Sexual Offences
Act 2003. Use the UN definition of trafficking to define "controlling
prostitution for gain" thus adding "by means of the threat
or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud,
of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability
or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the
consent of a person."
5. Ensure that anti-trafficking laws target abuse and violence, and
are not used to deport immigrant sex workers or the people we choose
to associate with. Amend sections 57, 58, 59 Sexual Offences Act 2003:
"Trafficking into, [within and out] of the UK for sexual exploitation"
to add "by means of the threat or use of force or other forms
of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of
power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving
of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person."
6. Expunge all criminal records for prostitution offences that do
not include force or coercion including loitering and soliciting,
brothel-keeping and controlling - no force or coercion is needed under
the current law so those convicted are primarily "managers".
7. Recognise sex workers as workers with rights like other workers,
including the right to safety, to a pension, to form and join trade
unions.
8. Instruct the police and courts to prioritise safety by vigorously
investigating and prosecuting rape, sexual assault, domestic and other
violence. Non consenting sex is a serious violent crime. Criminalisation
increases prostitute women's vulnerability to violence: many will
not report for fear of being dismissed or even arrested. We agree
with Women Against Rape that officials who are negligent, discriminatory,
obstructive or hostile to anyone reporting a violent crime should
be sacked. As numerous cases of serial rape and murder made clear,
no woman is safe if prostitute women aren't safe.
9. Ensure free, accessible, non-discriminatory health services for
all. The Royal College of Nursing supports decriminalisation on grounds
of removing any obstacle to health service delivery.
10. Provide viable economic alternatives to prostitution for those
who want to get out,
including: refuge places and other targeted assistance for women to
escape domestic
violence; immediate weekly cash payments comparable to what was provided
in Ipswich at
the time of the murders to cover the transitional period until women
are able to get benefits
or another form of employment; housing priority for sex workers who
are "vulnerable"
because of homelessness, drug use, domestic or other violence; financial
help to cover
childcare costs; financial help to clear debt; immediate and appropriate
drug rehabilitation
services for those who want it.
11. Financial recognition for mothers and other carers, and pay equity
for those who go out to waged work. Seventy percent of prostitute
women are mothers. Mothers are the lowest paid workers. Financial
support, and equal pay for work of equal value would help many, especially
single mothers, stay out of prostitution
12. Reinstate benefits to under 18 year olds, recognised by children's
organisations and charities as the single most important measure to
prevent young people being forced into prostitution by poverty.
13. . Ensure that sex workers and sex workers' organisations are
central to the process of changing the law.
14. Recognise and measure the contribution sex workers make to the survival
of families, communities and the economy of every country by including
this work in national accounts as the System of National Accounts recommends
Click
here for more information on English
Collective of Prostitutes.
Keep Diageo jobs in
Scotland
Diageo, the immensely wealthy and highly profitable drinks transnational,
has announced in excess of 900 job losses in the Scottish home of
the famous Johnny Walker brand with the closure of the Kilmarnock
packaging plant and the distillery in Port Dundas, together with redundancies
on other sites and outsourcing of part of their logistics operations.
Last year, Diageo made a cool £2,226 million in profits and
CEO Paul Walsh walked home with a fat £5 million in his pay
packet, yet now they want to cut Scotland's jobs to make more profits.
Unite, together with GMB, have launched a major campaign against the
job cuts and trade unionists everywhere can help by writing to CEO
Paul Walsh to urge him to think again.
click
on Hand to Sign Petition
We're asking you to write a short, sharp message to make the people
who own Diageo see sense. We'll then put all of our supporters' messages
in a giant bottle and deliver it to their door. To be part of this
moment, write your message now:
click
on bottle above
to send a message
It will only take you a minute or two and you'll be joining hundreds
of people who have already sent their message. It's important that
we do this - from day one we've known that the only way we'll save
these jobs is by taking on Diageo, exposing their willingness to turn
their backs on the workers who built their success. With your help
we'll do this - a giant bottle full of messages to Diageo - and a
great story in the press.
