Abolishing Prostitution: A Feminist Human Rights Treaty

[ismnotwasm]

The author, long active in global human rights, argues that the time is ripe for a UN treaty to bolster ongoing efforts to end prostitution.

Recently, catching up on email after a few days of hiking in the wilderness, my heart leapt at a headline “French minister seeks abolition of prostitution in France and Europe.” She is Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, France's minister of women's rights. The new French campaign to abolish prostitution will have its naysayers: “Impossible!” “too idealistic," "so utopian it will never happen!" And, of course, those who promote the sex industries will insist that "sex is work and women's choice." I heard those refrains in 1991 when, as executive director and co-founder of the UN Human Rights NGO, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, I began to launch a global campaign to criminalize prostitution customers, otherwise known as johns or punters.

France and every country in the process of changing their laws to abolish prostitution has solid ground for its campaign. Feminist activism in Sweden resulted in a law, taking force in 1999, that prohibits the purchase of sexual services, which, as part of the Swedish Violence Against Women Act, recognizes the harm of prostitution to women. According to Gunilla Eckberg, Swedish lawyer and chief advocate of new law, "The offense comprises all forms of sexual services, whether they are purchased on the street, in brothels, in so-called massage parlors, from escort services, or in other similar circumstances."

Criminalizing customers only works if women in prostitution are provided shelter, support services, and job training. By 2008, prostitution had been halved in Sweden and 71 percent of Swedes favor the law and more prostituted women are seeking support services. The same year, in November, 2008, Norway criminalized sex purchasing, as did Iceland in April, 2009. In 2012 the law has come before the Knesset in Israel, and in several more countries campaigns to abolish prostitution are under way.

http://www.womensmediacenter.com/feature/entry/abolishing-prostitution-a-feminist-human-rights-treaty

[redqueen]

1. It is long past time for this, really. The feminist movement was derailed in the 80's but

we finally seem to be getting back on track.

It has been slow going and a few loud detractors disagree, but the results speak for themselves.

[intaglio]

2. Although the target will be the customer

The problem is that it is likely the victims who will be victimised, the victims are the women and girls who become prostitutes; that is troubling.

[ismnotwasm]

3. This is true

Any approach to eradicating prostitution will not succeed with stringent and well funded protections in place. It starts with decriminalization--stop blaming the victim-- Given the rate of sex trafficking, it will be hard to provide protection to the most vulnerable. It's an ambitious idea, a colossal undertaking.

The successes they have had are encouraging, however.

[seabeyond]

5. stop blaming the victim

with the rise of trafficking and all areas it is infiltrating. something has to be done. we have to start somewhere. this idea that we are a people that see a hopelessness to do anything about the sex slave trafficking just is not good enough

[seabeyond]

4. i use to be for legalization before i was educated on it and became opposed to legalization.

In 1992, Normal Hotaling, a victim of prostitution, developed a unique, feminist approach to U.S. laws that treat the victims of prostitutions as criminals. She founded SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation) in San Francisco, which helped step up the arrests of customers by offering a program for them for a first time offense. They have the choice of taking the criminal sentence or attending a School for Johns directed and taught by prostitution survivors. A second offense reinstates the fine and sentencing of the first offense Over the 12 years that the program has been operating, only 4 to 5 percent of customers are rearrested. The women arrested are referred to SAGE for supportive services. If they go back to prostitution, they can return to SAGE at anytime.

[ismnotwasm]

6. I'm just sick of prostitutes going to jail

Also, I remember reading about a group of young women in a third world country who were caught up in a six trafficking ring, 'rescued'-- with no support or alternatives offered. Most of them voluntarily returned to sex work because they had no income alternative or cultural support.

Decriminalizing the prostitute while making it very illegal to purchase a human being for sex makes the most sense to me. SAGE probably does have the best approach, educating everyone, and offering support to victims.