Sex Trafficking and Prostitution
How does sex trafficking relate to prostitution?
There is a clear link between sex trafficking and prostitution. The demand for paid sexual services creates:
- The need for a supply of trafficked women
- The opportunity for criminal gangs to make money from trafficking women to meet that need.
We therefore believe that you cannot end sex trafficking without addressing the demand for paid sexual services.
Would legalising prostitution give trafficked women more rights?
No. We believe that the legalisation of prostitution would increase the proliferation of sex trafficking, because it promotes the view of prostitution as a victimless crime and ‘normalises’ the purchase of sexual favours for money.
So would you criminalise men who buy sex from women?
Yes, we believe new legislation is needed to criminalise men who buy sex from women in the UK. In Britain, it is currently not unlawful to pay for sex and this creates a market for sex trafficking.
Criminalising the purchase of sexual acts, such as has been proven to work in the Nordic European states, will help tackle sex trafficking in a number of ways:
- It gives a clear message that the exploitation of women is unacceptable
- It destroys the market for sex trafficking
- It allows the prosecution service to use the testimony of punters to prosecute sex traffickers and so takes the burden of truth away from the sex trafficking survivor
- It makes those causing harm accountable for their actions.
- It decriminalises those who sell sex acts whilst offering support services to exit prostitution
Are people aware of the harm they cause by paying for sex?
Many men would not pay for sex if they knew the harm they were creating by fueling sex trafficking and that their acts are perpetuating rape, violence and slavery.
We need to ensure that people are aware of the realities of sex trafficking and its causes and consequences so that we can all make an informed choice.
But prostitution is the oldest profession in the world – you will never end it.
Just because something has been around for a long time does not mean it’s a good thing. Slavery was a legal trade for many years, but the international community took a stand against it. Sex trafficking is a modern day form of slavery that must also be stopped.
How will these women earn a living if these men stop paying for sex with them?
Trafficked women don’t receive the money that exchanges hands for their sexual services. This money goes directly to their traffickers and exploiters. The women themselves are kept as prisoners, their passports are confiscated and they are forced to sleep with as many as 50 men a day for nothing.
What about women who choose to work in prostitution?
We understand that some women will and do choose to work in prostitution and we respect their right to do this and to organise for better rights.
However, for the vast majority of women working in prostitution, and particularly trafficked women who are coerced or forced, they do not have a choice.
