An Open Letter to Lord Mandelson, Business Secretary
Dear Lord Mandelson
CLAUSES ON PROSTITUTION IN THE POLICING AND CRIME BILL
I strongly oppose clauses on prostitution in the Policing and Crime Bill 2009 which would: make it easier for the police to arrest women for “loitering and soliciting”; extend “closure orders” against sex workers’ premises; introduce compulsory “rehabilitation” of sex workers under threat of imprisonment; arrest presumed kerb-crawlers on a first offence; introduce a strict liability offence of “paying for sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force” (i.e. no need to show knowledge or recklessness); extend powers to search, seize and retain property under Proceeds of Crime legislation.
If these proposals become law, they will increase criminalisation and imprisonment, particularly of women, and push prostitution further underground, putting sex workers more at risk of violence. These measures should be withdrawn. I urge you to speak and vote against them when they come to the Lords.
Having laws that would be allow for the existence of superbrothels such as Pascha - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascha_(brothel) - would be a nice little earner and assist in addressing Britain's debt problems.
Your etc
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/stopnordicmodel/ is where you should go now to sign the petition to stop the Nordic model which criminalises the punters.
CLAUSES ON PROSTITUTION IN THE POLICING AND CRIME BILL
I strongly oppose clauses on prostitution in the Policing and Crime Bill 2009 which would: make it easier for the police to arrest women for “loitering and soliciting”; extend “closure orders” against sex workers’ premises; introduce compulsory “rehabilitation” of sex workers under threat of imprisonment; arrest presumed kerb-crawlers on a first offence; introduce a strict liability offence of “paying for sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force” (i.e. no need to show knowledge or recklessness); extend powers to search, seize and retain property under Proceeds of Crime legislation.
If these proposals become law, they will increase criminalisation and imprisonment, particularly of women, and push prostitution further underground, putting sex workers more at risk of violence. These measures should be withdrawn. I urge you to speak and vote against them when they come to the Lords.
Having laws that would be allow for the existence of superbrothels such as Pascha - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascha_(brothel) - would be a nice little earner and assist in addressing Britain's debt problems.
Your etc
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/stopnordicmodel/ is where you should go now to sign the petition to stop the Nordic model which criminalises the punters.
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