We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to reject proposals to drive prostitution further underground by prosecuting clients of prostitutes; to endorse the policy suggested by the Royal College of Nursing, the National Association of Probation Officers and others by decriminalising prostitution; and to observe Council of Europe Resolution 1579 of October 2007.”
Details of Petition:
“Criminalising clients means: Street prostitutes revert to darker less safe areas * don’t carry condoms (as used in evidence) * they have little time to appraise clients and weigh up risk * dispersal breaks up informal networks, needed for protection, and inhibits health services’ ability * trafficking victims are less likely to be helped * prices have fallen so they have to work longer with more clients, and accept clients + acts they would have rejected . We call upon Government to decriminalise + to comply with Council of Europe Resolution 1579 (Oct 2007), specifically: “…avoid double standards + policies which force prostitutes underground or under the influence of pimps..; instead…seek to empower them..by..refraining from criminalising…prostitutes + developing programmes to assist (them) leave the profession should they wish to..;…ensuring prostitutes have access to safe sexual practices…respect the right of prostitutes who freely choose (prostitution) to have a say in.. policies..;..ending the abuse of power by the police + other public authorities towards prostitutes.”
· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response
The Government has a Coordinated Prostitution Strategy. Offences exist to deal with anyone buying or attempting to buy sex from someone on the street; and in terms of off-street prostitution, our Strategy is clear that the demand for commercial sex from under-18s or individuals trafficked to this country is totally unacceptable. We have specific offences that cover paying for the sexual services of a child, and rape remains the appropriate offence with which to prosecute those who pay for sex with an individual who does not consent.
We will also do all we can to prevent individuals from falling into work in prostitution, and are committed to ensuring that services are in place to allow women already involved to develop routes out.
However, we recognise also that there is significant support for more to be done to tackle the demand for prostitution. Recently, the Home Secretary announced a number of proposals which have arisen from a major review into tackling the demand for prostitution. These include our intention 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. We also announced a crackdown on kerb-crawlers, as well as new powers to close premises associated with prostitution.
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