MNHQ have commented on this thread. An Amnesty International document leaked this week argues for the legalisation of prostitution. It says that approaches like the Swedish Model β which criminalise buying sex, but legalise selling it β are guilty of "devaluing" prostituted women and "criminalising the contexts in which they live". In essence, the proposals say that most women who become prostitutes make a rational, informed choice β effectively , that they enter into a relationship of equals with the men who purchase their bodies.
I'm a long term supporter of the Swedish Model and, for me, the idea that we should simply accept prostitution as a fact of life is totally wrong. It is particularly irresponsible at a time when it's being reported that austerity is driving many women β and in particular single parents β into prostitution.
I believe Amnesty have got it wrong. Abuse and lack of alternatives are almost always a factor - many enter the sex trade young , and come from backgrounds fraught with suffering and abuse. Secondly, I disagree with the idea there can be any real equality between a woman who sells her body and a man who buys it. As Amnesty admits, the conditions of the sex trade are "imperfect" to say the least.
British 'prostitute review' sites like 'Punternet' β as well as the male-led 'Hands off my whore' campaign in France β show what so-called clients think of the women they buy sex from. A large proportion of prostitutes say they experience aggression while working , and nearly seven in ten suffer the symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Of course, there'll always be some who say that prostitution is "the oldest trade" and that there's not much we can do about it. Amnesty need to aim much higher. We can do better, surely, than just make the exploitation of women better regulated. The role of charities like Amnesty should be to lift standards up, not drive them down.
