h/t to Pizza Diavola.
This November there is an issue on the ballot in San Francisco called Proposition K (PDF). It is pushing to decriminalize prostitution in a effort to make life safer for sex workers, and allowing the Police to focus on other crime, such as sex trafficking, child pornography, rape and other violent crimes. Pizza has a pretty good summary at her place. BTW, child pornography, sex trafficking and such crimes would still be illegal, in fact, K would free up time to actually go after and prosecute these crimes. It would also encourage sex workers to come forward and report and testify about these crimes w/o fear of retribution.
Thanks, Pizza, for the info. And anyone else w/ info on K, feel free to drop links and discuss in comments.
Also, if you are in Hawai’i, check out this site about Prostitution law reform in Hawai’i.
Thanks for talking about K!
Also,
child pornography, sex trafficking and such crimes would still be illegal,
YESYESYESYES! Absolutely! Some people are hung up on the whole ‘omg child prostitution will be legal!’ thing, which is absolutely not true. Decriminalization doesn’t legalize prostitution and it doesn’t affect the prosecution of child prostitution at all, which by the way is still illegal because it’s statutory rape. Ugh.
Hey, I know something that makes sense when it is pointed out to me on the ‘tubes.
I think the whole child prostitution thing is a big “duh” to me, but I guess some people still need it spelled out for them.
Thanks for bringing to everyone’s attention.
I am super uncomfortable when it comes to the discussion of legal prostitution. And I can’t even articulate why that is… but I’m fairly sick of police going after pros not johns and wasting so much time on that… and if they had more time and support to stop child prostitution and other sex crimes, rather than what consenting adults do… that sounds about right to me.
Hey I know this is coming really late, but I just came across this blog.
Child prostitution should NOT be a crime. That does not mean I support children doing prostitution. The point is that children should not be criminalized. Not only do the authorities put children in jail sometimes, but there have even been cases of children being charged with pimping and pandering because they helped their friend engage in prostitution or something.
The problem is prostitution laws, not other laws, like laws against assault, rape, statutory rape (although I believe the age of consent should be lowered), etc.