There was a very interesting article in the Economist on 9 August under the headline “Prostitution: A Personal Choice”.
The first interesting thing is that such an august institution as the Economist does not support the UK government fetish of zero tolerance because the buying and selling of sex is dangerous, immoral etc. etc.
Instead the writer makes a number of points supported by recent research. First and foremost:
The internet is making the buying and selling of sex easier and safer. Governments should stop trying to ban it.
While they agree …
Some prostitutes do indeed suffer from trafficking, exploitation or violence; their abusers ought to end up in jail for their crimes. But for many, both male and female, sex work is just that: work.
This newspaper has never found it plausible that all prostitutes are victims … the commercial-sex trade [looks] more and more like a normal service industry.
They go on …
Moralisers will lament the shift online because it will cause the sex trade to grow strongly … But everyone else should cheer. Sex arranged online and sold from an apartment or hotel room is less bothersome for third parties than are brothels or red-light districts … the web will do more to make prostitution safer than any law has ever done. Pimps are less likely to be abusive if prostitutes have an alternative route to market. Specialist sites will enable buyers and sellers to assess risks more accurately. Apps and sites are springing up that will let them confirm each other’s identities and swap verified results from sexual-health tests. Schemes such as Britain’s Ugly Mugs allow prostitutes to circulate online details of clients to avoid.
Governments should seize the moment to rethink their policies. Prohibition, whether partial or total, has been a predictable dud. It has singularly failed to stamp out the sex trade.
Moreover …
The “Swedish model” [criminalising the purchase of sex instead of its sale] … is misguided, as a matter of both principle and practice. Banning the purchase of sex is as illiberal as banning its sale. Criminalisation of clients perpetuates the idea of all prostitutes as victims forced into the trade. Some certainly are — by violent partners, people-traffickers or drug addiction. But there are already harsh laws against assault and trafficking. Addicts need treatment, not a jail sentence …
Sweden’s avowed aim is to wipe out prostitution by eliminating demand. But the sex trade will always exist — and the new approach has done nothing to cut the harms associated with it.
And finally …
Prostitution is moving online whether governments like it or not. If they try to get in the way of the shift they will do harm … the unrealistic goal of ending the sex trade distracts the authorities from the genuine horrors of modern-day slavery … and child prostitution (better described as money changing hands to facilitate the rape of a child). Governments should focus on deterring and punishing such crimes — and leave consenting adults who wish to buy and sell sex to do so safely and privately online.
One day governments will start taking real notice of research findings and start understanding.