Sloppy Seconds: Prostitution Is Now Rape in the U.K.?

re: Sloppy Seconds: Prostitution Is Now Rape in the U.K.?

solstice2005 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:41:47 GMT

Isn't the changing size of the Playmates the equivalent of adjusting your screen font size to compensate for failing eye sight with old age?

re: Sloppy Seconds: Prostitution Is Now Rape in the U.K.?

Peter — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:47:19 GMT

Actually, you’re wrong about the change in the law in the UK.

Although the stated intention is to help trafficked women, the law is framed such that any man who has sex with a woman who is being ‘controlled for gain’ might be charged with rape.

The phrase ‘controlled for gain’ has conveniently not been defined and the framers of this law have admitted that is could cover anybody who shares the money from their activity with a manager or premises owner or even a maid or bodyguard.

So in effect, they are creating a law wherein anybody who visits a sex worker cannot actually tell if they are breaking the law or not (and consequently if they are, in the eyes of the law, a rapist or not).

This is why there is a great deal of opposition to this law in the UK, not least from representatives of sex workers themselves.

re: Sloppy Seconds: Prostitution Is Now Rape in the U.K.?

JCF — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:37:29 GMT

Note that UK law also makes it a crime for guys to have sex with pimped or trafficked hookers, even if the guy didn't know she was pimped or trafficked. Good luck proving a negative!

re: Sloppy Seconds: Prostitution Is Now Rape in the U.K.?

Feminasty — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:05:27 GMT

"If you have sex with a prostitute who was human trafficked to the U.K., you could be charged with rape under a new law. Quite rightly: if a guy knows a hooker is being held against her will, he should do serious hard time. Didn't you guys ever see Lilya-4-Ever?"

While a guy _knowingly_ having sex with a trafficked prostitute is certainly worthy of receiving hard time--or worse--this law could be really, really bad overall for trafficked sex workers in the UK. After all, if in retrospect a guy suspects something is less-than-kosher about the pro that he visited, he would probably be less inclined to report it to the authorities for fears that he could be arrested for having sex with her at all. Even if he didn't realize it at the time. That's no good.

If only lawmakers everywhere would get their heads out of their asses and stop criminalizing sex work and start focusing their resources on stopping human trafficking, we'd all be better off.