P4P News

Human Rights Abuser

Home Office press release:

THINK TWICE ABOUT PAYING FOR SEX

The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith today announced her intention to work with the police and other partners to outlaw paying for sex with someone controlled for another person's gain. This is aimed at protecting vulnerable individuals, for example those who have been trafficked or exploited in some other way.

This follows a six month Government review into tackling the demand for prostitution, which explored both the legislative and non-legislative options available as well as learning from the experiences of other countries such as Sweden and Holland.

The review identified a number of measures to improve the protection of vulnerable women including criminalising those supporting the exploitation by purchasing sex from them.

The Home Secretary also announced:

• A crackdown on kerb-crawlers - removing the need to prove that a person has acted persistently. This will ensure that kerb-crawlers can be prosecuted on a first offence
• New powers to close premises associated with prostitution - allowing police to close brothels for a period of three months. At the moment, police can only close premises associated with prostitution if anti-social behaviour or Class A drugs are involved

The Home Secretary also indicated her intention to give greater powers to local people and Local Authorities to control the opening and regulation of lap-dancing clubs, through changes in legislation.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

The Government has a responsibility to protect those who have been groomed or trafficked into prostitution, or for those who remain involved for fear of violence from a partner or a pimp. So we will start work to outlaw paying for sex with someone forced into prostitution at another's will or controlled for another's gain.

Communities shouldn't have to put up with street prostitution. The package of measures I have announced today will help the police and local people to crack down on it.

Minister for Women and Equality Harriet Harman said:

We must protect women from being victims of human trafficking – the modern slave trade.

The trade only exists because men buy sex, so to protect women we must stop men buying sex from the victims of human trafficking.

Commenting on the potential new regulation of lap-dancing clubs, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said:

Local people are often best placed to know the needs of their area and to find home-grown solutions.

These new measures, alongside the robust planning powers councils already have, will see communities taking ownership/control of the environment in which they live, ensuring safer, more welcoming neighbourhoods.

Communities have an important role to play in tackling the local issues that can affect their everyday lives and their neighbours' welfare.

Justice Minister Maria Eagle said:

I welcome these measures which underline the importance the Government places on ensuring the appropriate protection and safety for women involved in street prostitution and the wider community.


Notes to Editors:

1. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced a package of new offences designed to tackle various forms of sexual exploitation. These included:
• Causing of inciting prostitution for gain
• Controlling prostitution for gain
• Trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation
There are however currently no specific offences to tackle those who pay or offer to pay for sex with someone who has been trafficked or exploited, unless there is sufficient evidence to prove that person knew the person selling sex did not consent to sexual intercourse. In these situations, the police and prosecutors would look at prosecution for rape. The Government's intention is to look at criminalising those who pay or offer to pay for sex with victims of these crimes in order to deter the sex buyers who fuel illegal exploitative and coercive practices, as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

2. In England and Wales, the act of purchasing sex is not a criminal offence. There are, however, offences that effectively prohibit individuals from paying for sex on the street or in a public place. The Sexual Offences Act 1985 introduced two distinct offences which can be used to prosecute those who buy sex:

• kerb crawling (where someone solicits from a motor vehicle, or within the vicinity of a motor vehicle), for the purposes of prostitution, persistently or in a manner that is likely to cause annoyance to people in the neighbourhood; or

• persistent soliciting for the purposes of prostitution (effectively kerb crawling but without a vehicle)

The Government now intends to remove the 'persistence' requirement from both offences and in the case of kerb-crawling to remove the alternative requirement of "in a manner that is likely to cause annoyance to people in the neighbourhood". The purpose is to make it possible to prosecute the kerb crawler in the first instance, increasing the deterrent to those who consider paying for sex on the street or in a public place.

3. At present, the police have no powers to close premises associated with the sexual exploitation of adults or children, unless there is sufficient evidence to warrant the use of a premise closure order or a crack house closure order. However, many premises where sexual exploitation takes place will not be associated with anti-social behaviour or the use, supply or production of Class A drugs. This means that in practice, premises that are subject to police investigations for offences relating to sexual exploitation can reopen and begin operating again quickly.

The Government now intends to introduce a new order that allows for such premises to be closed and sealed for a set period, providing an opportunity for agencies to act swiftly and decisively to prevent further exploitation and abuse from taking place. The order will prohibit entry to the premises by any individual for a period of three months.

4. The results of the recent lap dancing consultation made it clear that Local Authorities in England and Wales felt that the Licensing Act 2003 offers little or no opportunity for local communities to object to lap dancing clubs opening in their local area and has limited powers for Local Authorities to control the growth of these establishments. Difficulties arise where residents and local authorities try to use the current legislation to tackle general concerns about these clubs being situated in a particular area (for example, near schools, historic tourist areas or churches) or because of concerns about equality, public decency, obscenity and the sexual exploitation of women.

The Government now intends to give greater powers to Local Authorities and local communities to control the opening and regulation of lap dancing clubs and will do this in consultation with stakeholders through legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Don't fuck with Jacqui Smith ...she's 'controlled' by Gordon Brown

Kerb-crawling and soliciting for prostitutes on the streets are to be outlawed as part of a mean minded tightening of the law, the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced.

Smith outlined a three-point plan at the Labour conference that will:

• Remove the requirement that only persistent kerb crawlers and men who solicit on the street can be prosecuted. An alternative requirement for kerb-crawlers - that they act in a manner that is likely to cause annoyance to people in the neighbourhood - is also to be removed. The changes will mean that kerb-crawlers and men soliciting sex on the street can be prosecuted after a first offence.
• Give new powers to councils and the police to close down brothels for at least three months if prostitutes are being run by a pimp or have been trafficked. At the moment, police can only close brothels if there is anti-social behaviour and if Class-A drugs are involved.
• Change the law so that men can be prosecuted if they pay for sex with women who are exploited - controlled for another person's gain , as Smith said. Currently, police can only pursue a prosecution if they can prove that the women did not consent to sex, which means they have to compile evidence of rape.

The home secretary also announced that communities will be given more say in lap-dancing clubs opening in their areas.

Smith announced the new measures on prostitution after a six-month government review into prostitution that focused on how Sweden and the Netherlands deal with the problem.

We will do more to tackle the blight of street prostitution, Smith told the Labour conference in Manchester. At the moment only persistent kerb-crawling is outlawed. In my book, once around the block is once too many - and so we'll make kerb-crawling punishable as a first offence.

The government will also toughen the law to prosecute men who pay for sex with women who are run by a pimp or who have been trafficked. Harriet Harman, Labour's deputy leader who is also equality minister, said: We must protect women from being victims of human trafficking - the modern slave trade. The trade only exists because men buy sex, so to protect women we must stop men buying sex from the victims of human trafficking.

Based on article from theargus.co.uk

 A Government source later confirmed that legislation will be introduced in the next Parliamentary session, which starts in November, with a view to changing the licensing rules by the middle of next year.

It is not yet known whether lap dancing clubs will in future be placed in the same category as sex establishments such as sex shops and adult cinemas, or whether a new category will be created for them. It is also unclear whether existing clubs will be forced to reapply for new licenses when the reforms come into effect.

The Government source told The Argus full details would be determined shortly but stressed the aim of the legislation would be to “make it much more difficult” for new lap dancing clubs to open.

Off with their dicks!

It seems that Labour will compromise over their mean minded intentions to criminalise people who buy sex. They will now limit this to the rare cases of buying sex from those coerced into providing it (Hopefully with leniency should customers be unaware of the coercion)

It would be fascinating to know how this apparent change of heart came about. Up until now, all Government ministers involved have been positively salivating over the thought of locking up men who pay for sex.

Earlier in September Gordon Brown was very positive about both agreeing with the policy to lock up men buying sex and also supporting Harriet to implement the policy.

On 4th of September Number 10 issued the following press briefing :

Asked if the Prime Minister backed Harriet Harman in her crusade to make paying for sex illegal, the PMS replied that Harriet Harman was a Government Minister and as such had the Prime Minister's backing.

Asked to clarify if the Prime Minister was backing Harriet Harman in her job as Minister responsible for such matters or the view that prostitution should be legalised, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister had full support for Harriet Harman.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought that there should be a law banning the purchase of sex, the PMS referred journalists to the relevant department on that question.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought it was socially and morally acceptable to buy sex, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister did not think this.

Men who buy sex from women who have been coerced into prostitution or trafficked for sexual exploitation would be prosecuted under proposals to be announced by the Home Secretary.

It would be an offence in England and Wales to pay for sex if the woman was being controlled by a pimp, had been coerced into the sex trade or was trafficked into Britain for sexual exploitation. Last year Jacqui Smith said: We recognise that there is considerable support for us to do more to tackle the demand for prostitution and to prevent the trafficking of people for sexual exploitation.

Gordon Brown recently indicated his determination to legislate in this area, when his spokesman said that he believed it was wrong for men to pay for sex.

The Home Secretary will make clear that the measure will not affect sole traders or women selling sex of their own free will. The move represents a compromise solution to demands from some senior members of the Government to criminalise the purchase of all sex. Police were concerned about the practicalities of a law banning any payment for sex.

Exact details of the new offence and the penalties to be imposed are yet to be worked out. Ministers believe that the measure will act as a deterrent to international human trafficking.

Operation Pentameter 2, a six-month police campaign, has shown the extent of the sex trade industry but uncovered little in the way of trafficking that it was targeting.

Update: Fascinating

21st September, thanks to Donald

Off with their dicks!

It would be fascinating to know how this apparent change of heart came about. Up until now, all Government ministers involved have been positively salivating over the thought of locking up men who pay for sex.

Earlier in September Gordon Brown was very positive about both agreeing with the policy to lock up men buying sex and also supporting Harriet to implement the policy.

On 4th of September Number 10 issued the following press briefing :

Asked if the Prime Minister backed Harriet Harman in her crusade to make paying for sex illegal, the PMS replied that Harriet Harman was a Government Minister and as such had the Prime Minister's backing.

Asked to clarify if the Prime Minister was backing Harriet Harman in her job as Minister responsible for such matters or the view that prostitution should be legalised, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister had full support for Harriet Harman.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought that there should be a law banning the purchase of sex, the PMS referred journalists to the relevant department on that question.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought it was socially and morally acceptable to buy sex, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister did not think this.

Prostitutes in Italy who have been ordered to stop wearing skimpy clothing while they tout for business in broad daylight plan to dress as nuns instead.

By donning nuns' black and white habits street walkers hope to make the tough new legislation so confusing that it becomes unworkable.

Thousands of women, many of them from Eastern Europe and South America, sell themselves for sex on the side of major roads leading in and out of Italy's main cities, where brothels and red light districts are banned.

But they face a crackdown from the centre-right government of Silvio Berlusconi, as well as individual city councils such as Rome, Milan and Florence.

The mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, unveiled a decree this week which will ban the capital's thousands of street prostitutes from wearing unseemly and indecent clothing, saying the sight of barely clothed young women distracted male motorists and caused accidents.

Even the way in which sex workers stand is under scrutiny - the decree bans the women from adopting poses or behaviour or wearing clothing that unequivocally manifest the intention to solicit or practise the activity of prostitution.

Sex worker welfare groups have called the decree absurd and have pledged to challenge it in any way they can.

We'll dress as nuns so that the police will arrest scantily dressed girls outside discos or other women with their cleavage on show, said Pia Covre, of the Committee for the Rights of Prostitutes.

In Florence, for example, the mayor has forbidden girls from walking up and down and we are thinking of going around on bicycles instead. Meanwhile police in Rome have issued more than 100 prostitutes and 40 of their clients with spot fines of 200 euros (£158) since the new decree was introduced on Tuesday.

The sex workers were mostly from Romania, Colombia and Brazil. Many of the women have refused to pay the fines, which the mayor has said could increase to 500 euros by next month.

The Rome decree came after the Italian government last week agreed to outlaw prostitution in public places, recommending prison terms of up to 15 days and fines of 200 to 13,000 euros for prostitutes and their clients.

The mayor said his order would be valid until January 31, 2009, when the parliament is expected to adopt the government's proposed law.

The proposed law does not ban prostitution altogether because it does not outlaw sex work as a private business.

The Poppy Project's recent survey of the off-street sex industry in London shows that the industry is populated by adult women (average age 21, with no firm evidence of under-18s working) who are obeying current laws, are in control of their work (no concrete evidence of trafficking was found), in some cases are being very well paid for what they do and are taking sensible steps to protect themselves (98 per cent of establishments insist that clients wear condoms). The research also shows that low-key sex-work establishments cause no problems to their neighbours, stating that many premises are in residential areas and of "discreet" appearance.

Despite this evidence, the Poppy Project, some government ministers and other campaigning groups continue to claim that the sex industry is saturated with underage girls and trafficked "sex slaves". They also claim this situation will be improved by driving the industry further underground and by criminalising our clients. Earlier research by Poppy found that only 5 per cent of clients would be dissuaded from buying sex if doing so were criminalised.

As part of the Government's review, Vernon Coaker met with a group of 21 sex workers, who between them had over 250 years' experience of selling sex. All described how the law endangers them and had broadly positive experience of clients. It is time campaigning organisations and the Government itself prioritised sex workers' safety over ideology and moral judgement, and listened to the voice of people from the industry.

More and more Swedish prostitutes want to pay taxes in order to receive the social welfare benefits that come with doing so.

So far this year I've spoken with several women who want to make things right, said Pia Blank Thörnroos, a legal expert with Sweden's Tax Authority.

While it remains against the law to purchase sex in Sweden, selling sex is perfectly legal according to Sweden's unique prostitution law, which came into force in 1999.

Moreover, prostitution has been considered a business activity in Sweden since 1982 and as a result proceeds from the sale of sex subject to taxation just like any other form of income.

You have to keep track of all your income and expenses; all compensation should be accounted for, explained Blank Thörnroos: One should really have accounting records. And in actuality [customers] should write out a receipt, because the transaction is considered a private operation which is subject to value added tax. But customers' names need not be on the receipt.

Income recorded on prostitutes' tax returns gives them the right to sick-leave pay, parental leave benefits, and a pension.

But Christian Democrat Riksdag member Désirée Pethrus Engström thinks that legitimizing prostitution by collecting taxes on the proceeds sends the wrong message: Economic security is something which makes a situation permanent. And that in turn can encourage prostitution, which is wrong. It's indirectly illegal to be a prostitute because it's illegal to buy sex. But it's a tough question to which there isn't a simple solution.

Brothels in London are offering sex for as little as £15, an anti-prostitution campaign report says.

Some are charging just £10 extra for unprotected intercourse. The report also found that 85% of brothels in the capital operate in residential areas.

The report has been compiled by the Poppy Project, which campaigns against prostitution. Campaigners posing as potential punters telephoned 921 brothels that had advertised in local newspapers.

They also found 77 different ethnicities of women were selling sex, many from eastern Europe and south-east Asia.

The average age of the women was 21, but several places offered very very young girls" but did not admit to having underage girls available , the report said.

According to the Poppy Project, the average price for full sex was about £62.

Co-author Helen Atkins said: This research shows the disturbing prevalence of the sex industry in every corner of London - fuelled by the demand for prostitution services.

Multi-media misrepresentations of commercial sex as a glamorous, easy and fun career choice for girls and women further contribute to the ubiquity of London's brothel industry.

However, for most women involved in prostitution, the reality is a cycle of violence and coercion, perpetuated by poverty and inequality.

Labour's deputy leader came under fire from MPs as she signalled her support for outlawing prostitution.

While the majority of men and women agree that paying for sex should be made illegal if it will help stop the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation, women and young people are much more likely to find the whole idea of paying for sex unacceptable, Harriet Harman said.

But there was a backlash yesterday from politicians who said that criminalising prostitution would not solve the problems but could push them further underground.

Anthony Steen, Conservative MP and chairman of the All Party Group on Trafficking of Women and Children, said he was "stunned'' by Harman's comments: Whacking a criminal label on prostitution certainly won't solve our trafficking problems in Britain today .

If the government forces through legislation to make buying sex illegal in the UK, it will force trafficking underground or on to the internet. This is much more ominous and will make the victims of trafficking invisible, Steen added.

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities spokeswoman, also said that outlawing prostitution was no solution: The statute book is littered with offences relating to prostitution, some of which are rarely used . We should be gunning directly for pimps, traffickers and drug dealers with better-resourced policing.

Yesterday the Guardian wrote up the results of a government commissioned Ipsos survey into prostitution.

The article quoted:

The The Ipsos-Mori poll, conducted in July and August, showed that more than half of men and women (58%) support making it illegal to pay for sex if it will help reduce the numbers of women and children being trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation.

And indeed the published Ipsos results feature this as one of three questions particularly highlighted.

However there is no mention in the article of the two other important results

Do you think the purchase of sex by men should be legal or illegal?

Legal 50%
Illegal 43%

Do you think the selling of sex by women should be legal or illegal?

Legal 51%
Illegal 42%

So in a question not loaded by the issue of trafficking, the MAJORITY of those answering believe that prostitution should REMAIN LEGAL

Harriet Harman will today step up her nasty and vindictive drive to make buying sex illegal when she releases new figures showing that more than half of men and women support the move if it will reduce people-trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Labour's deputy leader, the minister for women and inequality, will also highlight cultural double standards after some respondents, particularly older men, condoned buying sex but condemned those who sell it.

A Home Office-led review into the demand for prostitution, due to report this year, is looking at whether ministers should make it illegal to pay for sex. The review is looking at a range of options to curb demand, but the Home Office minister, Vernon Coaker, has given a broad hint he will back criminalising the purchase of sex if there is a sign of a national consensus on the issue.

The findings of the government-commissioned survey are likely to give ministers greater confidence in introducing the measure. At present the law makes it illegal to sell sex, but ministers including Coaker have visited Sweden to see if tougher laws, including banning the purchase of sex, can work.

Harman has the backing of a number of prominent man hating ministers, including the solicitor general, Vera Baird, and the attorney general, Lady Scotland.

The Ipsos-Mori poll, conducted in July and August, showed that more than half of men and women (58%) support making it illegal to pay for sex if it will help reduce the numbers of women and children being trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation.

The research also found divergent attitudes between women and men. A clear majority of women found both paying for sex and selling it unacceptable (61% and 65% respectively), but men were much more equivocal, with just 42% and 40% respectively finding it unacceptable.

Young people were more likely than older people to find paying for sex and selling sex unacceptable (64% and 69% respectively).

Harman has been allowed to express her personal view that buying sex should be made illegal before the government review has been completed.

A high profile organisation has called for a prostitution tolerance zone to be introduced. The Cockburn Association, Edinburgh's Civic Trust, has raised eyebrows after requesting the introduction of such an area in Leith.

The historic group, more commonly known for its frequent opposition to modern development, said a tolerance zone around Salamander Street would demonstrate an enlightened approach.

The suggestion was included in a response sent to city councillors about plans for a massive redevelopment of Leith Docks – due to be discussed next week.

Alongside concerns about the proposed layout of buildings and whether there will be enough green space, cases committee officer Yvonne Holton wrote: The area around Salamander Street has, in the recent past, been the subject of a great deal of debate on the issue of prostitution.

Surely there is an opportunity here for the city to revisit this issue with consideration given to the creation of a tolerance zone. This would demonstrate an enlightened approach and would address important issues before they inevitably arise.

Edinburgh operated an unofficial tolerance zone in the Coburg Street area of Leith for 20 years until 2001, when changes in the neighbourhood prompted complaints from residents. An attempt to shift this to Salamander Street led to further protests and the scheme was abandoned.

Supporters of tolerance zones argue they offer increased safety for women and allow medical and advice services to be provided.

Last month, police said they had seen a sharp fall in the number of calls about prostitutes operating in and around Salamander Street and Leith Links. It is thought the drop is the result of an increased police presence and a crackdown on kerb crawlers. New prostitution laws do not give councils the power to establish tolerance zones

Jim Hunter, the council's community protection manager, said: From a legal and enforcement perspective, (a tolerance zone] is not possible. There's also a community safety partnership approach we have adopted to encourage routes out of prostitution.

The only remaining adult fun in Glasgow

Prostitution is set to be outlawed in Scotland's biggest city as part of a mean minded bid to 'clean up' Glasgow's streets.

Senior council nutters and police said they were adopting a zero tolerance approach to buying
sex to stop Glasgow becoming the Bangkok of the north. [That's a bit rich, Bangkok is an awful lot more enjoyable than Glasgow will ever be].

But politicians and groups representing sex workers said the policy was doomed to failure and would put more women at risk.

Last year the law in Scotland was changed to outlaw kerb-crawling. Previously the law criminalised those selling sex on the streets. The change meant the scrapping of long-running tolerance zones in Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

But Glasgow, after reviewing its policy on prostitution, has decided to lobby the Scottish Government for another change to the law that would criminalise anyone buying sex. At the same time, council workers are trying to persuade sex workers to abandon their trade.

The mean minded deputy leader Jim Coleman said: We applaud and plan to emulate the Swedish approach. For the best of reasons, many residents believe that if you regulate prostitution you make women safe. But as soon as you discover the violence and exploitation endured by women every day, it cannot possibly be condoned.

Ann Wilson, the city's head of strategic management for community safety services, confirmed that the council's goal was the elimination of prostitution in Glasgow. Sexual exploitation is completely unacceptable, so we're doing what we can to address and tackle the demand.

No country or city has managed to get rid of the problem, but countries such as Sweden have begun to see an impact. They have seen no growth in prostitution and a significant reduction in trafficking.

Strathclyde Police acting assistant chief constable John Pollock confirmed the force would take an ultra-tough line on vice, asking: Do we really want to be known as the Bangkok of the northern hemisphere? What kind of values do we wish to promote in our society? We are committed to denying those who profit from this exploitation. [presumably he values a drear and funless life as advocated by the holier-than-thou British establishment]

However, Independent MSP Margo MacDonald was frustrated by the Glasgow authority's stance, which she believes will simply drive prostitution underground. She said: I get so angry when I hear people who really haven't properly researched the subject say blithely 'Let's follow the Swedish model'.

The people in Glasgow who are promoting this sort of approach really should have the humility to ask why it is in Edinburgh the number of people working as street prostitutes have dropped, in Aberdeen it's stable and in Dundee it's stable.

Glasgow, with its zero- tolerance stance, I'm afraid has the worst record of all in coping with the numbers of street prostitutes and they continue to rise.

The Lothians MSP felt that the idea of eliminating prostitution was unrealistic. It is likely to be ineffective from the point of view of the general public, from the point of view of the prostitutes and from the point of view of anyone affected by prostitution.

She claimed that there was much less chance of chance of tackling drug abuse and trafficking of women when the police did not know where sex workers were.

The Scottish Prostitutes Education Project (ScotPEP), a charity which gives support and advice to sex workers, claimed that zero-tolerance policies, like those espoused by Glasgow, would be counter productive and would actually put women at greater risk.

A spokeswoman said: Studies show that criminalisation and clampdowns on kerb-crawlers merely cause sex workers to work longer hours in greater isolation, leaving them more vulnerable to attack – as well as reducing their access to essential services. ScotPEP has released figures showing that the number of attacks on prostitutes has doubled since 2006.

Glasgow's approach is not shared by Edinburgh or Aberdeen, despite recent changes in the law. Both cities have taken a more pragmatic, harm-reduction approach to prostitution in recent years.

The capital currently has around 13 saunas, effectively legalised brothels, operating under licence from the city council. In Aberdeen, Quay Services, a Scottish Government-funded body, has been texting health and safety advice to sex workers who have been dispersed from the harbour area by the legal changes.

The body, which is supported by Aberdeen City Council, encourages women to work from flats in pairs rather than on the streets, where they are more vulnerable.

Pollock's remarks about Bangkok, meanwhile, have upset Thais in Scotland, who also pointed out their capital city is in the northern hemisphere. Vicky Khunapramot, who runs a business importing art from Bangkok to Scotland, said: Thai people will definitely be offended by the idea that the only thing people associate with Bangkok is prostitution. He should have chosen his words more carefully. You can make a point about problems in Glasgow without having to drag another country's reputation through the mud.

A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 3887, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2007, is worrying to both travellers and porn producers

Titled Sex tourism , Sec. 2423A provides, in subparagraph (a), that A person who travels in interstate commerce or travels into the United States, or a United States citizen or an alien admitted for permanent residence in the United States who travels in foreign commerce, for the purpose of engaging in any illicit sexual conduct with another person shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

In case you don't know what illicit sexual conduct is, the Act later defines it as, in part, a commercial sex act - and in case you don't know what that is, Sec. 1591 of Title 18 already defines it as any sex act, on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person. Hell, it doesn't even have to be money; treating the gal to a nice dinner, or paying for her flight or hotel room, could arguably fulfill the requirement!

But what many porn proucers may not realize is that there are few areas in the U.S. where courts have determined that it is legal to record adults engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The California Supreme Court's decision in People v. Freeman secures that right for anyone filming in California; a recent decision in New York City similarly distinguishes porn performances from prostitution, and it's unclear whether the areas of Nevada where prostitution is legal would also allow the filming of consensual commercial sex acts - but the legal right to make porn exists nowhere else in the U.S., and some jurisdictions specifically forbid it. Hence, any attempt to shoot foreign women engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the U.S. outside of the above-mentioned areas, either for magazines, DVDs or a Website, or if American women traveled abroad for similar shooting in countries that similarly forbid porn production, such performances would likely constitute illicit sexual conduct under H.R. 3887 and could trigger a decade's worth of imprisonment plus unspecified fines for the participants.

Worse, however, is subsection (c): Whoever, for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain, arranges, induces, procures, or facilitates the travel of a person knowing that such a person is traveling in interstate commerce or foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

Translation: Bring a foreign woman to the U.S. to shoot porn, or send an American woman overseas for the same purpose - or in any way assist that international travel - and that "facilitator" could find him/herself facing a 10-year sentence and possibly huge fines under this Act. And let's not forget (e): Whoever attempts or conspires to violate this section shall be punishable in the same manner as for the completed violation.

Sir, On the final day of a consultation on how lap-dancing clubs are licensed we call on the Government to enact urgent reforms and give local authorities greater regulatory powers.

Since the introduction of the Licensing Act 2003 the number of UK lap-dancing clubs has doubled — and local authorities have been powerless to stop the spread. Lap-dancing clubs are in contradiction to efforts to promote gender equality. Yet by boxing lap-dancing clubs into the same licensing category as caf้s, and concurrently requiring the promotion of gender equality, the hands of local authorities have been tied.

As venues offering thoroughly gendered entertainment similar in nature to sex cinemas or peep shows, lap-dancing clubs need to be recognised, regulated and licensed for what they are: part of the commercial sex industry, not the ordinary leisure industry. Tinkering with legislation primarily designed to regulate caf้s and karaoke bars is not the vehicle for this. Neither is relying on planning controls.

Instead, the only viable solution is to allow local authorities to licence lap-dancing clubs as sex encounter establishments — venues that provide visual sexual entertainment. This would give local authorities vital powers to regulate where, when and on what terms lap-dancing clubs may be established. It would also make it easier for licensing committees to listen to residents.

Alongside Object and the Fawcett Society we urge the Government to introduce a public Bill to this effect early in the new parliamentary term. It is time to give local authorities and local communities a voice.

Cllr Gill Mitchell
Leader of the Labour Group, Brighton & Hove Council

Cllr Barbara Weed
Warwick District Council

Cllr Bill Turner
London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Trafficking is always an emotive issue, as to question any aspect of it means you are automatically branded as someone who denies any abuse within the sex industry, or who does not care about anyone harmed within prostitution. Tragic stories from ex-sex workers, along with celebrity endorsement of well publicised anti-trafficking campaigns can often hide the fact that the data supporting the prevalence of trafficking is not always clear, and the agendas driving the anti trafficking campaigns may not always be agreed upon as beneficial to sex workers.

Unfortunately it is rare that the media ever questions stories about trafficking. Why would the press do so? It allows for salacious reporting, public revulsion, blaming of foreigners and shady gangland activity. No point in questioning anything that gives you such dramatic story angles.

Which is why it’s depressing but not surprising that with today’s excited headlines about thousands of trafficked children and women, no journalist appeared to ask questions that might have shown a different story.

It isn’t difficult; all you need to do is look at the data presented in the story and ask yourself if it makes any sense.

...Read full article

Western Australia's Opposition Leader Colin Barnett said hw would scrap laws legalising brothels. He said he would not allow brothels to spread across suburbs. He intended to regulate the industry by licensing brothels in designated areas.

If elected, a Liberal government will repeal the Prostitution Amendment Bill 2007, B arnett said: A Liberal government will not allow the spreading of brothels throughout the suburbs and towns of WA.'

Barnett and Opposition police spokesman Rob Johnson have been calling for changes to WA's new prostitution laws for months.

Johnson said only a few designated areas would be allowed in WA: W e can't afford mini-brothels operating in residential areas where you have men coming and going all the time to satisfy their sexual pleasures. Legalising brothels hasn't worked in the east. Since legalising brothels, there has been a proliferation of legal and illegal brothels.

The majority of Finns believes that the 2006 partial outlawing of the purchasing of sexual services hasn't put a damper on prostitution.

Some 60% of Finns deem that prostitution has not decreased since the enactment of a law in 2006 that criminalised the purchasing of sexual services in circumstances involving pimping or human trafficking, finds a poll by daily tabloid newspaper Iltalehti.

73% of men would not fully criminalise the procurement of sex, whereas about half of women would like to see a total ban on prostitution enforced, state poll results.

The majority of the people interviewed likened prostitution to exploitation. A third of women said buying sex is equivalent to inflicting abuse; however, only a tenth of the interviewed men held the same opinion.

Over 1,000 people were interviewed in the poll carried out by pollster Taloustutkimus and commissioned by Iltalehti.

Padua has become the second big Italian city to boost fines for clients who use street prostitutes.

Both Padua and Verona have now brought in fines of 500 euros for clients caught with streetwalkers enabled by greater powers given to city mayors by the government's emergency security decree.

'The security decree allows mayors to apply a range of fines from 50 to 500 euros, depending on the gravity of the behaviour of the person committing the crime,' explained Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi.

'In this case we have decided to apply the maximum sanction of 500 euros for the violation of our anti-prostitution order: a deterrent that's much stronger than the 36 euros for holding up traffic circulation that mayors had to make do with before the security decree,' Tosi said.

At the moment only the exploitation of prostitution - pimping - is illegal in Italy, but city mayors combat the phenomenon through the use of fines, often via road traffic or public decency laws.

Padua was the first city to introduce an experimental scheme last year harassing clients and introducing fines of 50 euros, which resulted in prostitutes demonstrating against the measure in the streets and offering anyone slapped with a fine a ''free service''.

' We fined around 500 people under the scheme, but we've always said it wasn't effective because the sum was too low. Now with a sanction ten times higher we hope to see street prostitution reduced to zero,' said Padua's city policing assessor Marco Carrai.

Although the centre-right government is mulling over plans to criminalise both soliciting and using prostitutes, these have yet to get out of the starting box. Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna and Interior Minister Roberto Maroni co-authored a new prostitution bill in July which has still not been brought before cabinet for approval.

Under the bill, prostitutes and clients could be fined up to 3,000 euros, while repeat offences would be punishable with 5-15 days in jail.

It also includes harsher penalties for pimps and those who have sex with minors, as well as ''assisted repatriation'' for minors without a legal guardian in Italy.

Right-wing politician Daniela Santanche' is meanwhile convinced that reopening brothels is the only way of getting prostitutes of the streets. In June she announced she would begin collecting the 500,000 signatures necessary for a referendum to overturn the 1958 Merlin law - named after bill sponsor and Socialist senator Angelina (Lina) Merlin - which closed down Italian brothels.

A survey for the Donna Moderna magazine in the same month showed that 85% of Italians are in favour of reopening brothels.

According to a recent study there are some 100,000 prostitutes in Italy, 65% of whom work on the streets and 35% in private residences or clubs.

The study also calculated that prostitutes in Italy charge an average of 30 euros per customer and generate a turnover in the neighborhood of some 90 million euros a month. Clients were said to number around nine million.

In future, men who visit brothels may have to pay a fine up to Rs. 50,000 in addition to imprisonment.

A proposal to this effect has been approved by the Group of Ministers headed by Home Minister Shivaraj Patil with a view to curb prostitution in the country.

An amendment to Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act (PITA) was in cold storage for the last two years. A meeting of Cabinet Ministers held in June has approved this amendment.

This amendment imposes a fine of Rs.50,000 along with imprisonment for all those who are caught in brothels.

Those caught for the first time will have to pay a fine of Rs. 20,000 and undergo imprisonment for three months. Those caught again will be punished with a jail term of six months plus a fine of Rs. 50,000.

The Department of Women and Children Welfare moved this amendment in the Parliament during 2006. With the approval of Group of Ministers, only an approval by the Union Cabinet is needed after which it can be implemented.

A measure that would make it more difficult to investigate and punish prostitution crimes in San Francisco has qualified for the November ballot, opening another passage in the city's long fight over decriminalizing the sex-trade industry.

Proponents of the measure were able to collect more than 12,000 signatures, including those from three members of the Board of Supervisors, to put it on the ballot, according to the Erotic Service Providers Union, the labor group backing the measure. The same group was unsuccessful in putting a similar measure on the ballot in 2006.

The measure would end San Francisco's First Offender Prostitution Program for men who have been arrested for soliciting a prostitute. Men who go to "john school," which was created in 1996, pay $1,000 and attend a class on prostitution in exchange for the district attorney's office dropping the misdemeanor charge against them.

Mean minded politicians such as Mayor Gavin Newsom this week said the measure would severely hamper the city's ability to investigate and prosecute sex-trafficking cases.

The main goal of decriminalization, proponents say, is the safety of prostitutes. Maxine Doogan, a founder of the Erotic Service Providers Union, wrote in an e-mail: We want the right to make reports of crimes against us without being retaliated against by the Police Department.

Vernon Coaker noted: Sweden is also reviewing their approach in this area to see how they can strengthen it, we will continue to talk to colleagues in Sweden on this issue to ensure the information feeds in to our decision making.

From Swedish government steps up battle against prostitution, plans to crackdown on sex buyers from The Local

The Swedish government has announced a raft of new proposals to fight the sex trade and organized crime.

Legislation will be reviewed and tightened up and over 200 million kronor ($33.5million) has been allocated for fighting crime and other measures to address the sex trade.

The government will invest over 210 million kronor in 36 different initiatives between 2008-2010, according to the new action plan against prostitution and human trafficking presented in Dagens Nyheter by public health minister Maria Larsson, gender equality minister Nyamko Sabuni and justice minister Beatrice Ask.

New laws give the possibility for secret bugging and more energetic confiscation of profits gained from crime. We shall also review the possibilities for the police to make use of entrapment, the three ministers write.

From Government gets tough on sex trade from the International Herald Tribune

Sweden is not a good place for (your) business, Justice Minister Beatrice Ask said in a warning to those who buy sex or are involved in trafficking. (There's) a very big risk of getting caught, and getting caught big time.

From Jail men who pay for sex from The Local

People convicted of paying for sex should be awarded prison sentences, according to the Social Democrats' new equality spokesman Claes Borgström.

It is already possible for people found to have paid for sexual services to be jailed for up to six months. But a Supreme Court ruling has set a precedent by which convictions in practice always result in fines.

But with Justice Minister Beatrice Ask preparing to review the law, Borgström has called for the crime to be punished by "at least one year" in jail.

From Sweden to evaluate effects of prostitution law from The Local

Paying for sex has been illegal in Sweden for nearly ten years, and now the government wants to evaluate the law's impact.

Not only are members of the Riksdag interested in learning more about the effects of the law, but international observers are also curious to know more about how the prohibition against paying for sexual services has affected the sex trade and human trafficking.

The government have now appointed Supreme Court Justice Anna Skarhed to lead an official inquiry into the matter.

The inquiry will examine how the law functions in practice and seek to determine what effects it has had on prostitution and human trafficking for sexual purposes in Sweden. The inquiry may also suggest changes to the law if so needed.

The inquiry is expected to deliver its findings no later than April 30th, 2010.

From Evaluation Made Useless by Narrow-Minded Framework from Aqurette by Christopher Aqurette

Paying for sex has been illegal in Sweden for nearly ten years, and now the government wants to evaluate the law's impact,

But as Isabella Lund points out in her excellent blog, the framework set for the enquiry prevents it from suggesting the law to be abolished. It is obvious the political elite does not want confirmation of what the sex workers have said all along: the law is the problem, not the sex trade itself.

The following comments says all about the review:

From Not An Unbiased Investigation from Jenny's Pennies

The Swedish government has decided to make an oversight of the Swedish law making it illegal to buy sexual services. That is needed, as there are a lot of scattered studies, speculations, and right out lies about the effects of the law. But there has been no general governmental analysis of the law and its effects.

But (not surprisingly) the government has given the person conducting the overview a limitation: she is not allowed to propose that the law should be repealed.

So even if the governmental investigator Anna Skarhed were to find that the law has had bad effects on the safety and health of sex workers, that is has not limited trafficking or lead to less violence against women or less child pornography (which it is said to be doing), Skarhed is not allowed to say that it would be a good idea to repeal the law.

Thousands of women gathered in Torquay to debate one of the most controversial items in the Townswomen's Guild history - prostitution.

The English Collective of Prostitutes representative Jennie Ren told delegates and guests she did not believe Sweden's system, which penalises the purchasers of sex rather than sellers, should be followed in the UK. She said it would lead to 'pimping' and driving prostitution further underground.

Jennie Ren described herself as a full time mother and part-time prostitute. She urged the Townswomen to lobby for the decriminalisation of prostitution, making it clear this does not mean the same thing as legalising it.

Speaking in favour of switching culpability was Sandrine Leveque from Object. She said her organisation wants to decriminalise people in prostitution, but criminalise the people who pay for sex or profit from it, specifically pimps

Around 2,000 people attended the conference and the debate resulted in all but one voting in favour of raising awareness of issues regarding prostitution in the UK, agreeing something needs to change to protect women working in prostitution and provide support for those wishing to leave.

Sorry, we can't find hardly any victims... But we're not going let this minor detail stop us from crucifying men who want to get laid

In the recent parliamentary debate about trafficking, Fiona MacTaggart said:

I make no apology for focusing on prostitution in this debate. Let me quote Sigma Huda, who is the UN special rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. She said:

For the most part, prostitution as actually practised in the world usually does satisfy the elements of trafficking...states parties with legalised prostitution industries have a heavy responsibility to ensure that their legalised prostitution regimes are not simply perpetuating widespread and systematic trafficking. As current conditions throughout the world attest, states parties that maintain legalised prostitution are far from satisfying their obligations.

Perhaps interesting to note that she failed to mention a few relevant details about Sigma Huda:

To date, however, the Special Procedure on trafficking has been profoundly disappointing and even detrimental to the situation of trafficked persons. For the past one year, the mandate-holder has been in prison on charges of corruption, leaving the mandate effectively inactive.

Furthermore, the thematic reports produced in the first two years of her mandate, when she was still in office, were criticized by human rights and anti-trafficking groups for not being based on the core human rights conventions or on a verifiable evidence base, and for being biased and ideologically driven in their approach to trafficking.

...Read full article Newly Appointed UN Special Rapporteur Brings Hope: Human Rights for Sex Workers and Migrants

Sorry, we can't find hardly any victims... But we're not going let this minor detail stop us from crucifying men who want to get laid

There was a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on 8th July re the subject of Human Trafficking.

All parties seem to be supporting the line that something has to be done about the problem of trafficking for sex. Nothing suggests that anybody is seriously considering any other option than to criminalise the purchase of sex.

The topic of why  so few of the 18,000 estimated victims have ever been found did arise. But there seemed to be a presumption that the authorities were failing to find the victims rather than to consider that estimates may be hyped up urban myths.

Vernon Coaker, the minister charged with examining the issue concluded:

On demand, we have not yet come to any conclusions, but we are considering what to do. We understand that demand for prostitution results in many people being trafficked into prostitution, so we need to do something about that. Even Holland, which is held up as the liberal alternative, is extremely concerned about the impact that its laws have on trafficking. That is why Holland is shutting some licensed premises and managed areas and even considering making it a criminal offence to purchase sex outside the licensed and regulated sector.

...Read parliamentary transcript

Before the Swedish 1999 law was introduced criminalising customers, some 2,500 vice girls prowled the streets of Stockholm or worked in brothels. Today there are around 150. The number of punters picked up has fallen 80%. In the nine years since the legislation changed, 1,650 men have been charged with paying for sex. None were jailed, but all faced hefty fines and huge humiliation. Several lost their jobs.

For the women who ply their wares, however, the law change has left them vulnerable, they say. Take Anja. At 44, she is a mother of two and worked Stockholm's streets for six years before the switch in the law. 'We could work in pairs or groups before 1999. 'Now I have to hide alone. OK, so I am not going to be prosecuted but the punter will, so who is going to openly stop?

Now she hangs around an isolated spot waiting for trade. A punter will pull up and mumble a meeting place, somewhere quiet where no one will see me getting into his car. Before, I would have my mates, it would be more open, we could assess the men. Now, it's a fleeting chat, just to arrange another pick-up point, there's no chance to check him out.

She has good reason to be wary. A fading bruise beneath her right eye and a scar above her eyebrow are still visible – the consequences of a violent customer. You don't want to know, is all she will say.

The approach, championed by women ministers such as Harriet Harman, has met with fierce resistance from the Home Office. While Diane Abbot has tabled an Early Day Motion, to date it has only 23 signatories. The question is would such a system work here?

...Read full article

Early Day Motion laid before Parliament

Diane Abbot's EDM : Criminalising Prostitution And Action Against Trafficking For Sexual Exploitation , 7th January 2008

That this House is concerned by recent comments made by Ministers and former Ministers regarding prostitution in the UK; notes that calls to ban prostitution in order to prevent trafficking for sexual exploitation appear to be ill thought-out; understands that Government raids on prostitution establishments as part of Operation Pentameter have not found a vast number of trafficked workers but rather that women working in such establishments are more likely to be made vulnerable by debts incurred during migration, or by poverty that drives them into sex work; further notes that women who are recognised as victims of trafficking are given few rights to protection or residency under current legislation; and calls on the Government to rethink its approach to prostitution by focusing on protecting women from exploitation and by offering suitable alternatives to prostitution for those who wish to leave it.

Comment: Operation Pentameter

Thanks to Donald

Astronomical estimated figures for trafficking but only a handful of victims found and only 2 traffickers prosecuted.

Incompetence?

Besides, how can they make an estimate if they can't find them?

This press release came the same day.

Border and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne: I have said repeatedly that there is no hiding place for those that come to Britain and break our rules, which is why already this year we've rid the country of over 2,400 foreign lawbreakers.

They are good at finding other criminals but not traffickers, what gives?

Are the figures purposely inflated to motivate forthcoming draconian legislation?

Comment: From Brown to Worse

Thanks to Donald. See full article from the Daily Mail

Here's a good reason for Scotland to declare independence:

Harriet Harman is campaigning to promote herself as a stand-in Prime Minister should Mr Brown be forced out.

It emerged last night that Labour MPs have been sounded out about her suitability if the PM leaves No10 by the end of the year.

With the Prime Minister's position looking precarious, manoeuvring to replace him is well under way.

The revelation that his own deputy fancies her chances will annoy Mr Brown, who is desperate to dampen speculation about his future.

Anti-ITPA volunteer organisations have been marching and protesting in Bangalore.

The Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (ITPA) criminalises most aspects of sex work by equating 'voluntary adult sex work' with trafficking. Trafficking -- the business of forcing children and adults against their will into various forms of work, including sex work, is totally unacceptable. Sex workers have been struggling against the unfairness in ITPA. Police make use of ITPA to harass, abuse and extort money from sex workers, most of whom are disadvantaged in many ways.

To make matters worse, the Central Government has proposed to amend the ITPA to punish the clients of sex workers. The logic behind the move is supposedly to prevent trafficking of people into sex work by reducing demand for sex work. There is enough evidence from numerous countries that criminalising clients of sex workers doesn't help in combating trafficking but only pushes sex work underground making sex workers more vulnerable to violence and HIV infection.

The Central Government is planning to go ahead with this in spite of protests from sex workers and human rights activists for the last few years. This process will deny sex workers basic rights for survival and livelihood. In a democracy, the government must duly consult all concerned and affected people before amending any law. But the Union government has been ignoring the voices of the sex workers in the ITPA amendment process. The role of the government should be to enable sex workers to access their social entitlements and rights.

Sex workers have broken their long silence. They have been forming their own organisations, strengthening their communities, engaging with the society at large and supporting governmental efforts in combating HIV-AIDS.

All the citizens must understand that the sex workers are also people like us and we all should join hands to demand that the government drops the ITPA amendment process immediately.

New Labour preside over failing numeracy standards at all levels

Up to 18,000 females, including girls as young as 14, are working in brothels across Britain after being smuggled into the country to meet the booming demand for prostitutes. Police, unveiling the results of the largest ever crackdown on people smuggling yesterday, revealed that nearly five times more women than previously thought are working under duress in massage parlours and suburban homes. [So presumably they'd only expected to find 35 victims of trafficking, ie a fifth of the 167 found. Not many of the 18,000 per year ,say 90,000 over the last 5 years]

Operation Pentameter 2, a six-month campaign by police forces across the country, resulted in the release of 154 women and 13 girls put to work as part of a lucrative trade.

The campaign saw the arrest of 528 suspected traffickers and the closure of 822 brothels and premises being used to sell sexual services. [528 traffickers for 167 victims! I suspect that when these cases come to court there will just be a handful done for trafficking]

The campaign also revealed an increasing use of young British women, who are 'trafficked' within the UK after being groomed by older men who lure them to towns away from their homes. The Home Office highlighted one recent case in Sheffield where 33 victims had been recruited by men in public places and taken away for sexual exploitation. [Talk of redefining the English language to fit the propaganda]

Most victims are foreign [As one would expect from the crime of trafficking!] , with least 85 per cent of the women working as prostitutes coming from countries including Brazil, China, Lithuania and Thailand. Many victims are lured to Britain with false promises of work in bars or nightclubs only to be sold for up to £5,000, often at airports or service stations, to pimps and brothel-keepers. The women are then set quotas of the number of men they must have sex with each week, working for little or nothing under threat of violence against their families.

Tim Brain, the Chief Constable of Gloucestershire, whose force co-ordinated Pentameter 2, said that police forces were becoming more effective in tracing prostitution networks and seizing their assets, but admitted that they remained a significant problem. The first phase of Pentameter in 2006 rescued 88 victims and made 232 arrests.

The Government insisted that the success of the campaign, which has resulted in 24 convictions [Doesn't sound many to me!] , was evidence of its determination to hinder the work of the gangs behind sex trafficking. Of the 167 women and teenagers released, all but five were being used as prostitutes. The rest, of whom three were children, had been sold as domestic slaves.

Comment: Independent Interpretation

Thanks to Donald, 4th July 2008

See the original press release . It doesn't say that the brothels were closed, that is the independents own conclusion

There was no need to waste British taxpayer's money with reviewing the Swedish and the Netherlands approach to prostitution. There was already an excellent review/comparison prepared by the Norwegians

The report also identifies a little publicised nasty side effect of criminalising the purchase of sex:

In addition to the law's intention of convicting clients, the law also had unintentional impacts. It has created a new form of crime: Girls who behave like prostitutes rob the client, who in turn does not dare report the robbery for fear of being indicted for purchase of sexual services.

It also happens that prostitutes threaten to report the client for sex purchase fter the service has been provided. In this way they press the client for even more money. The client does not dare report it, partly for fear of being prosecuted himself, partly out of a need for secrecy in relation to his family.