Legislation of Prostitution in the UK - Essay Example

Has current legislation in relation to Prostitution in the UK, paved the way for it to have a secure and legalized future? ofInstructor] [Name of Course] [Date] Has current legislation in relation to Prostitution in the UK, paved the way for it to have a secure and legalized future? Prostitution indicates of the proffering of sexual services for money. In the United Kingdom, prostitution is not against the law but there are numerous sins associated with it. For example it is a crime to embrace prostitute for money or run a brothel. Prostitution links with major public issues like crime, drugs, health and poverty. Two centuries of research on the empirical realities of selling sex in the UK has told a remarkably consistent tale. For the most part, it is women who sell sex and men who buy it. Now, just as when Mayhew (1861) did his survey of Victorian London, selling sex is a form of economic survialism in an environment where many women have fewer opportunities for independent financial and social security (Phoenix, 2009). So the main cause of prostitution is that women have fewer opportunities in society and for their livelihood they get into this trade, in whole Europe women’s pay is 15% lower than men and there is a dramatic decrease in women’s employment who probably with children. In England and Wales, new laws have carried underneath in the Policing and Crime Act 2009 by which, it is illegal to obtain or attempt to obtain sexual services from a pimp (Department of Justice, 2011). Dr Belinda Brooks-Gordon does research and wrote on the sex trade she is from the Department of Psychological Sciences, University of London. She said that the proposal of Scottish legislation wasn’t sustained by any facts that would aid sex workers (Phoenix, 2009). She also said this legislation would hurt the people who are offering help, the preeminent technique to protect sex workers is to take action against the violence on them, police should cooperate with prostitutes and make a good relationship and if prostitutes approached police for any complaint then their complaint would take seriously(Phoenix, 2009). Catherine Stephens is an activist of an international union of sex workers, she also associated with the sex trade for 11 years, and she said that illegal sex in term of money did not take in relation with the consent of those who are involved. Its not the concern of government to override women’s consent to sex. The proposed law has a dangerous effect as it would push sex workers to deal underground. So, the people who are involved in the sex trade should escort with full law support and equal treatment in society so they can work fearlessly and if the crime commits against them then they have the right to complain against it without fear (Kasprzak, 2012). But where there is an objection to this proposal there are support for this proposal as well, so many people on UK streets have said that they have been exploited by prostitution and there is a network of projects which seeks to help those people who want to leave this profession and wanted to start their new lives. Director on one project said that we welcome these proposals and we know the hidden harms of this profession. Countries where prostitution is by law faces enormous inflow of human trafficking, according to research prostitution is becoming the fastest growing criminal industries in the world as they legalized. Every year millions of people both men and women including children are transferred illegally across international boundaries. According to UN approximation, in 2008 there were around 2.5 million people who were trafficked from 127 countries (UNODC, 2010). Prostitution referred to the oldest profession as the sexual needs of a person is natural and it urges human to do it and they achieve their desires by this profession in terms of money. The legal directive of prostitution in the UK was getting started in the Sexual Offenses Act 1956, Wolfenden Committee investigate prostitution and homosexuality and this act reflected their findings that took place that time (Phoenix, 2009). Pay no attention to the conservative ideas Wolfenden committee suggested that homosexual behaviour among agreeable adult partner in private should be allowed and no longer took as a criminal offense. As of the end of 1954, about 1,069 men were in prison for homosexuality in England and Wales. According to psychiatric witness evidence it founds that homosexuality cannot be regarded as disease as the persons are in full mental health (Phoenix, 2009). The Wolfenden Committee deals with prostitution and suggests that its status in the law as an ethical issue and this was in the transcript of the Act. This guided to renowned argues between Lord Devlin and the philosopher Herbert Hart (Phoenix, 2009). According to Home Office report, in 2009 almost 80,000 people were involved in prostitution in the UK. A report published in 2008 initiate women and girls to be excessively sexualised transversely in the media and it is a main factor behind the main streaming of the sex trade industries like pornography and prostitution (WRC, 2010). The figure mentioned here is just estimation; according to some other researcher the real figure is much higher. So, now you can imagine how many women are being in this profession. Home Office declared in late 2003 that its intention to evaluate the laws on prostitution with the plan of renovated the dated regulations of the 1956 Act. Consequently alterations connecting to prostitution were created under the Sexual Offenses Act 2003 with a view to the offenses such as provocative of prostitutes for gain, underhanded prostitution for gain, there will be punishment for running a brothel used for prostitution and expansion of gender specific prostitution offenses(Phoenix, 2009). In 2006, the government allowed small brothels in England and Wales but end soon as there was a fear that such plans would bring pimps in residential areas and propagation of a drug dealer in a residential area and then they decided that prostitution should be considered seriously and not tolerated by making laws stricter (Phoenix, 2007). The tougher loom of government towards prostitution take place in 2008 as home secretary Jacqui Smith announced that if there is a pimp that control prostitute in term of sexual services then it is a criminal offense. By his office he published the findings of six month review that how the demand of prostitution could be reduced, in a preface of this review he stated that so far we paid very little attention to sex buyers that creates demand for prostitution market and now it’s time to change. According to the current law, prostitutes can work indoors, but a place where two or more prostitutes are working will be considered as a brothel and then the action will take place against them as it is offense (Phoenix, 2009). In recent years there is a debate on the legal situation of prostitution in the UK, currently, the government is in favour for strict “anti-prostitution” laws. There has been debate whether the UK should follow other European countries where prostitution is legal or they make strict laws against this and then this is illegal to pay for sexual services (Phoenix, 2009). Government creates a new law under policing and crime bill and transcript in the bill that it will be an offense to pay for sex to pimps that controlled prostitutes, even if the person is ignorant that the prostitute was controlled by pimps, they would still prosecute and if they found guilty then they get a criminal record and a fine up to 1,000 pounds (Politics.co.uk, 2013). As prostitutes have many partners then there is a more risk of sexually transmitted diseases and infections. This is a major drawback in society if these prostitutes were everywhere the more they demonstrate larger people will attract to them and then there is a more chance of sexually transmitted diseases, The previous Labour government said that they wanted a reduction in prostitution in the UK. While some argue that if government licensed the brothel then it would help sex worker safety, brothels keep them off from public places and streets, it helps them from preventing health problems, it brings revenue to the government treasury removal of exploitative pimps, however most of people discover this morally nauseating. The “Anti-sexualisation organization object” reported that if there is a demand for commercial sexual services then it will ignite the sex trade. They pleaded all governments to execute their several global and domestic compulsions to undertake the demands of prostitution, even as at the same time they provide support to those who desire to exit this sex trade industry securely and everlastingly. Their director said they have more focus to helping women out of this profession; they recently launched a report which in depth shows the obstacles to exit prostitution. The key finding of this report is that numerous women are capable to go away from prostitution after they received proper support to overcome these obstacles and reconstruct their lives (Topping, 2012). There are currently no policy to re-examine laws around prostitution in England and Wales, according to home office spokesperson they have a clear focus to tackle harm prostitution and protect individuals and communities from the side effects of this profession. And laws on sexual and fierce crime is unambiguous, it is not acceptable if anybody indulge in prostitution and must be punished if found guilty. The government is under immense pressure to review prostitution laws in England and Wales, and follow the trails of Sweden who make the buying of sex is illegal. Changes in laws in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland are highly supported by MPs, peers and women’s groups of England. This year parliamentarians will be effectively pushed forward for the laws regarding prostitution to be revised. As the current situation which is legal is failing women and it is failing the societies. List of References Department of Justice, 2011. Research paper investigating the issues for women in Northern Ireland involved in prostitution and exploring best practice elsewhere. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 9 March 2013]. Kasprzak, E., 2012. Sex trade legislation: How do you protect prostitutes?. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 9 March 2013]. Phoenix, J., 2007. Regulating prostitution: Different problems, different solutions, same old story. Safer Communities, 6(1), pp. 7-10. Phoenix, J., 2009. Regulating Sex for Sale: Prostitution Policy Reform in the UK. Bristol: The Policy Press. Politics.co.uk, 2013. Prostitution. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 9 March 2013]. Topping, A., 2012. Government underpressure to review prostitution laws in England and Wales. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 9 March 2013]. UNODC, 2010. Trafficking in Persons. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 9 March 2013]. WRC, 2010. Briefing: Statistics about women in the UK. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 9 March 2013]. Read More