UK: Paying for sex could be "a criminal offence"; Johns may face rape charges

[mprex]

UK: Paying for sex could be "a criminal offence"; Johns may face rape charges

"Paying for sex with prostitutes who are controlled by pimps is set to become a criminal offence in England and Wales, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said."

"Anyone who knowingly pays illegally trafficked women for sex could face rape charges."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7735908.stm

While the intent is to deter traffickers, practically speaking the law could criminalize virtually all prostitution in the UK.

 

[landscaper]

this one looks like a solution looking for a problem. Their are laws on the books to deal with pimps they should enforce them

 

[willie]

It should be interesting to see how Canadian law makers react,especially with a conservative house majority , the law does tend to favour independant sex workers
=willie

 

[S.C. Joe]

Paying for sex is legal over there but not if a pimp is controlling the lady.

Seems like a good law to me, if a women is being forced to sell her services and the guy pays the pimp and then screws the lady against her free will, it is rape.

I just wounder how they will draw the line...what if the man doesn't know a pimp is forcing her to work, will the cops still claim its rape

 

[mprex]

The problem is terms like "controlled by a pimp" have very broad meanings. Any escort who works through an "agency" (incall or outcall) could be deemed "controlled by a pimp" (i.e., the agency's owner or management).

I.e., if you call an agency, and the agency sets up a "date" for you (tells her where to be, when to be there, and what the rate is) then the agency could be considered "controlling" the girl "for another person's gain".

And going with "independents" isn't without risk either. Just think of the situation in Toronto with many EEs and Asian "independents". They may be here on their own volition but chances are they also have "pimps", who might have arranged for their visas, flights, holding their passports, etc.

If caught in a sting, suppose the girl "claims" she was forced by her pimp (even if she wasn't) to avoid prosecution by becoming "the victim". Then you the John are looking not only at a prostitution charge, but also a RAPE charge!

You can't even claim that you didn't know. According to the article, "pleading ignorance of the circumstances under which a prostitute is working will not count as a defence."

The cops will simply say, "you should have known," and will throw the book at you.

So even with independents, how can you be 100% sure the girl doesn't "have a pimp" and wont "claim to be forced" if caught? You can't... and thus the risk becomes astronomical considering the possible criminal charges.

Even if you pay money to the college girl who lives next door, whom you've known for years, whom you thought 100% sure was doing this on her own... she might later claim her boyfriend made her do tricks for money, and you should have known she wouldn't have sex with you for money unless under severe duress.

Now suddenly you're looking at serious jail time.

Of course we wont know the real effects until such a law is passed. But while such a law appears to well intended, I'm afraid it will just drive prostitution solidly underground, and the girls who are most vulnerable will be even farther away from help.

 

[Aardvark154]

And on the other hand from The Times

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/article5192358.ece

[The] former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, thinks that the new proposals are ludicrous. “The police have so many other priorities, such as knife crime,” he says. “They don't want to hound prostitutes who obviously need the money, or their clients, unless they are causing serious problems. . .

It would be wise to take a hard look at Finland first. In June 2006 it became illegal for clients to purchase sex from a prostitute who was trafficked or being exploited.

There have been no official studies into the effectiveness of the new law but many of the country's experts do not support it. They point to the booming internet prostitution industry in Finland and the difficulties that the police face in proving that a client knew the prostitute was trafficked. Since the legislation came into effect, there has not been one single prosecution. . .


Another problem is that many prostitutes have argued vehemently against the measures that are supposed to be protecting them.

“This is an disaster for many working women,” says Virginia (not her real name), who works in a sex parlour in southeast England that is run by a middle-aged couple. “These measures will make our jobs far more dangerous. The couple I work for are not pimps, they check my clients and make sure I'm safe. The sex between my client and myself is a consensual act.”

Virginia, a teacher by training, became a prostitute six years ago when she was made redundant. “I had a large mortgage and I couldn't lose my home because I had two small daughters to care for,” she says. “I go to work and I perform a service. The pay is good and I can pick up my children from school - if I worked at Tesco I'd never see them. If I get a big gas bill I can do a few extra clients.. . . .”

Niki Adams, a spokeswoman for the English Collective of Prostitutes, is equally horrified by the proposals. “Prostitutes need to stick together in groups,” she says. “They benefit from having maids, who are usually older women who have been in the profession, looking after them, answering the phone, popping out to get them sandwiches and giving them advice. Most won't be able to find other jobs; they will be forced underground.”

She says that prostitutes are now terrified of ending up with the most unscrupulous pimps. “All this will do is hound the decent parlour owners. The Government is trying to take the moral high ground but it's a low blow for women who are struggling to make ends meet, whether they are from Croydon or Croatia.”

 

[jeffham29]

So...um, what about a complete quad like me, with no controlled movement from the neck down? I get charged with rape? How is this law going to be applied? Thoughts?

 

[S.C. Joe]

So...um, what about a complete quad like me, with no controlled movement from the neck down? I get charged with rape? How is this law going to be applied? Thoughts?

The police won't touch you, people like you could get their law thrown right out.

But I thought quad's could not "get it up"..well maybe there is a pump now, hun.

 

[shakenbake]

Just like the nazi stupid farking British politicians. The land of liberty and free speech et al has become a land of social engineers.

 

[jeffham29]

The police won't touch you, people like you could get their law thrown right out.

But I thought quad's could not "get it up"..well maybe there is a pump now, hun.

That's why this law will be very difficult to enforce. Most quads "get it up" with no problems and of course, there's a variety of new drugs to help things along, if needed.