From 1 April 2010 it will be illegal to buy sex from a person who is exploited (1).

 

To mark this historic occasion and to raise awareness of the new law, the Demand Change! campaign held an awareness-raising stunt in central London today.

 

Campaigners from women’s and human rights organisations were joined by the Deputy London Mayor for Policing Kit Malthouse (quote below) to raise awareness of the new laws on prostitution to be implemented on 1 April.

 

Leaflets in the style of a Court Summons were handed out at various locations to warn potential punters that if they pay for sex from April 1st they risk a criminal record, a court summons, a letter through their door, a fine and/or their name in the paper.  

 

The stunt represented an ‘awareness raising tour’ highlighting that punters come from all walks of life and that this legislation is targeted at the buyer – shifting the criminal gaze away from those exploited in prostitution onto to those who pay for sex.  

 

Campaigners handed out leaflets at Oxford Street on the spot where a young woman was sold into the slave trade in broad day light, outside Tottenham Court Road tube station - the gateway to Soho where men go to buy women for sex, in the City to reach business men, and outside the Arsenal v Barcelona game to target football fans. They carried 6ft cardboard cut outs of figures of men, with the message of the law written across them, to draw attention to the empowered buyer who often remains in the shadows – despite his role in fuelling exploitation.

 

 

“Legislation to make it an offence to pay for sex with someone subject to force, who has been exploited, is a no-brainer. It should clearly be illegal. I am delighted to see the Policing and Crime Act come into law, on behalf of the women whom we support, who have a right to live without fear of force, violence or exploitation, and for whom this law is crucial.

 

“The vital next step in the process is for those exploited in prostitution to be fully decriminalised and provided with high quality support to exit the sex industry safely, and the Demand Change! campaign spearheaded by Eaves and OBJECT will continue to press for this.”

 

Comments from OBJECT’s Anna van Heeswijk, Demand Change! coordinator 

“Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act brings the buyer out of the shadows and puts the rights of vulnerable women, children and men to live free from exploitation above the right of punters to buy sex. 

 

“This new law is a major step forward for all those who have been exploited in the sex industry and it is also a victory for all those who have joined the campaign to end commercial sexual exploitation by tackling demand. We are delighted that Parliament listened to our cries to ‘vote for women, not pimps and punters!’ and that the new law will come into force tomorrow.” 

 

“After many years of lobbying, the government has finally responded by making it illegal to pay for sex with someone who has been forced into prostitution. Ignorance will no longer be a defence for any man blinkered enough to think that the vast majority of women who do this work either enjoy it or freely choose such a violent brutal life. 

 

“In London, through his violence against women strategy the Mayor is already taking a lead on trafficking ahead of the 2012 Olympics, ending the use of prostitute cards in telephone boxes and has called for local newspapers to refuse sex adverts.

 

“Today’s change in the law may not be perfect but it does have the potential to help the police tackle the demand for prostitution. But to really work we also have to start to look at our collective attitude to the sex trade in London which all too often is glamorised and made acceptable, benefiting only the ruthless criminal gangs who stand behind it”

“I want to thank all the organisations including Eaves Housing and OBJECT which came together to support the government in introducing this new strict liability offence.  The new offence is a key part of the government’s efforts to tackle the demand for prostitution.  It will be a deterrent to men who may consider paying for sex with someone who has been exploited and will punish those who do.  Crucially it will help to protect vulnerable people who have been exploited into prostitution.”

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

 

(1) Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act criminalises the purchase of sex acts from a person who has been coerced, threatened, deceived or subjected to force. It shifts criminal liability away from the person being exploited and places it firmly on the shoulders of the person contributing to the exploitation by choosing to pay for sex and thereby creating demand. This legislation aims to act as a chilling effect to those who buy sex, and it represents a crucial step towards ending the exploitation of women and men through prostitution by tackling the problem at its route - tackling the demand. 

 

Section 14 enjoys widespread support. 67 women’s and human rights organisations, many of whom work with victims of commercial sexual exploitation, signed a joint statement of support for Section 14. It is also supported by survivors of prostitution who continue to call for urgent action to be taken to counter the glamorisation of the sex trade and to tackle the demand for prostitution and sex trafficking by making the purchasers of sex take responsibility for their actions. 

 

(2) The Demand Change! campaign lobbied and campaigned for this legislation. The Demand Change! campaign calls for the Government to introduce a human rights based approach to prostitution by decriminalising the selling of sex and offering support to those currently in prostitution to help them exit, whilst at the same time criminalising the purchase of sex to tackle demand for commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. Section 14 is a crucial step in the right direction in terms of tackling the demand. 

 

(3) OBJECT is the leading human rights organisation which challenges the sexual objectification of women in the media and popular culture because of its links to discrimination and violence against women. www.object.org.uk

 

(4) Eaves provides high quality housing and support to vulnerable women including those who have been exploited through prostitution. It also carries out research, advocacy and campaigning to prevent all forms of violence against women. www.eaves4women.co.uk 

 

 

ENDS