3890 days ago
This article appeared in the weekend Tomograph but for those who are not registered ( why not?) I offer it to a wider audience.
I do not like prostitution and on balance regret that it exists. Some men and women (mainly women) who are prostitutes are empowered by it, regard it as a career and make a good living. Most make less than a good living and many are exploited by really very unpleasant criminals. The work is dangerous and comes with rather obvious health risks.
The answer according to our political class is to criminalise not the prostitute but the client. This our leaders claim will curb the oldest profession since “punters” will not risk a criminal conviction. As ever our leaders have just got it all wrong.
Some of those MPs who support these measures do so because they argue that all prostitution is exploitative. Oddly many of those who oppose this line most strongly are themselves prostitutes who just want to earn a living. Others simply regard this as a moral issue. They disapprove of paying for sex and want to shape society in their own mould.
To the latter
