Rise in prostitution must force re-think of law

MEDIA RELEASE
MAXIM INSTITUTE

WEDNESDAY 20 APRIL 2005

Rise in prostitution must force re-think of law

“A recent survey showing a rise in prostitution must force our law-makers to reconsider the flawed Prostitution Reform Act 2003,” says Maxim Institute Managing Director, Greg Fleming.

The Prostitution Law Review Committee has released figures which show that ten months after the Prostitution Reform Act was passed there were an estimated 6000 ‘sex workers’ operating in New Zealand - an increase of almost 40 percent from the numbers identified in a police survey in 2001.

“We should not be surprised that the number of women and children involved in prostitution has increased. By decriminalising prostitution, the law has made it easier for vulnerable women and children to enter into an industry characterised by violence and abuse,” says Greg Fleming.

“A better solution would be law which prosecutes the buyer, as well as those who live off the earnings of prostitutes, as part of a total community approach which must include helping women out of prostitution through financial assistance, education/job training, housing and healthcare,” says Greg Fleming.

“If the survey which records a rise in prostitution is an indication of the impact of a decriminalised model, surely law-makers concerned with minimising harm for women should seriously consider amending the Prostitution Reform Act,” says Greg Fleming.

ENDS