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Thanks to Butterworths.co.uk
Legalising brothels
Initiatives to stop the spread of prostitution and decriminalise the women
involved are being considered by two local councils. Francis Fitzgibbon, a
Doughty Street criminal barrister, tells Lucy Hickman why he believes only a
fundamental change in the law will tackle the real problems involved�
Stoke-on-Trent
councillors are considering measures in a report which, if approved, could make
it legal for sex services to be offered in licensed establishments in the city.
Commentators say if the scheme is successful, other cities could follow suit.
Other recommendations in the report include providing appropriate housing for
women involved in the sex industry and offering those women who want to leave
the profession improved support, education and job training.
Meanwhile Doncaster council is in talks with the Police and the Home Office
about the possibility of setting up an officially tolerated red light district
for prostitutes working in the town. The move comes after calls by local
residents to tackle the problems of prostitution close to residential areas in
the town centre. Doncaster Council has denied the zone, likely to be in an
industrial area, would make the town a magnet for the vice trade. South
Yorkshire Police say talks are still at an early stage and it is not possible to
say when, or how, the idea would clear prostitutes from the residential streets
or even if the plan would go ahead.
Doughty Street criminal barrister, Francis Fitzgibbon, points out that
prostitution per se is not illegal: "Strictly speaking it is not a crime to
charge money for sex, although it may be against some local by-laws. What is
illegal under the Sexual Offences Act is soliciting and pimping."There has
been talk on and off for ages about relaxing prostitution laws in Britain but
residents usually object because they don�t want sleazy blokes walking around
looking for sex."He says the problems and lawlessness associated with
prostitution are usually down to the pimps who often force women into drug
addiction and prostitution and keep them subjugated with drugs and violence.
"Almost all women on the streets are junkies � they were either recruited
by the pimps because they are into drugs or the pimps got them into the drugs to
allow them to control them.
"There are serious core issues to do with pimps abusing girls and the
situation is worsening with people trafficking on the up � girls being brought
in from Eastern Europe and Africa and run as prostitutes. I was involved in a
case recently where a man bought a girl in Rome, brought her to London, put her
to work and she was earning �800 a day - all of which he kept. He used to beat
her up and regularly rape her to keep her quiet. Hideous case. I�m not sure
how these [the councils�] measures would help tackle these sorts of problems.
I don�t think having some sort of licensed red light district is going to
help. What might help, as happens in some other countries, is if a system is set
up whereby the girls can work on their own. There would have to be a fundamental
change in the law to allow women to work as prostitutes without being controlled
by pimps."
He says Police are likely to welcome any law change which would allow them to
tackle pimps and people traffickers more effectively since these are their main
targets, not prostitutes and their punters.
(20/11/03)
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