As parliament and the media continue to obsess about the expenses scandal and parliamentary reform, it's gone relatively unnoticed that prostitutes have persuaded MPs not to criminalise their clients, reports epidemiologist Elizabeth Pisani, author of "The Wisdom of Whores," in this month's Prospect.
About time too, says Pisani—Jacqui Smith's idea of punishing men who pay for sex would have made it harder for the police to track down trafficked women, since it's mainly punters who report when they suspect women have been coerced into prostitution. People may be squeamish about the sex trade, but the fact is that it exists, and criminalising it will just push it further underground. Much better, then, to let hookers have a say in the laws that govern them.
So is Pisani right, or has the government failed to protect vulnerable women—and lent tacit support to the sex trade? Weigh in with your thoughts and comments here.
Prostitutes lobby parliament
June 24, 2009
