It is time for a woman to lead the Home Affairs Select Committee’s report into prostitution for a fair conclusion, the Women’s Equality Party (WE) has stressed.
Keith Vaz recently stepped down as Chairman of Committee after claims surfaced of his involvement with two male prostitutes in London.
WE claim that Vaz’s inquiry into prostitution, published in July, ignored the inequalities of the sex trade and are calling for a chairwoman to lead the next stage. According to the party the report failed to recognise the harms of the sex trade and the ways in which demand for commercial sex fuels exploitation.
“It’s now clear that while leading the inquiry Keith Vaz had personal interest in maintaining the status quo,” said Sophie Walker, Leader of the Women’s Equality Party.
“Consequently, individuals and organisations that submitted evidence to the inquiry cannot trust that their evidence was viewed free from bias.”
Walker added: “Representation matters: this report was driven by a committee comprised of eight men and three women. The reality is that the vast majority of sex buyers are men, and the majority of those exploited by the sex trade are women.”
WE is calling for the inquiry’s final recommendations to reflect the gendered experiences of the sex trade and their impact on structural inequalities that exist between men and women across society.
“WE are the only party in the UK calling for legislation that fully decriminalises those who sell sex but also targets demand by criminalising those who buy sex,” said Walker.
“The Home Affairs Committee’s interim report made some welcome suggestions, such as quashing previous convictions and cautions for prostitution from the record of women who have sold sex. But it also failed to recognise the decrease in trafficking and exploitation in countries that have adopted the Nordic Model. Rather, the report dismissed the Nordic approach as being ‘based on the premise that prostitution is morally wrong’. And now we know why.”
The WE are calling for:
• WE will change the law with immediate effect so that women never risk being prosecuted for selling sex
• WE will ensure that those seeking to exit the sex industry are guaranteed regular health checks, a named contact in local policing and access to support and exit services.
• WE want to see funded support for victims of the sex industry – including a legal right for trafficked women to remain in the UK.
• WE will provide safe alternatives for all those currently reliant on selling sex for their livelihood, including the small percentage who work in the sex trade voluntarily and independently of pimps and drug abuse.
• WE will adopt and implement all international treaties focused on eliminating violence against women and girls, including the Istanbul Convention
