“The revelation that there are nearly 200 prostitutes under 18 years of age, 140 of whom are under 16, will be only the tip of the iceberg if politicians persist in their intentions to legalise prostitution,” Party Leader Graham Capill warned.

Mr Capill said, “That we have this number of young people involved when soliciting is illegal ought to be a concern to those supporting decriminalisation. It shows that clauses in the Bill aimed at making teenage prostitution illegal will be ineffective and are unlikely to improve the situation.

“It is time the government looked at the social reasons underpinning why these young people end up as prostitutes. Clearly broken and dysfunctional families are a root cause. Until we have a government willing to enact family-friendly legislation, the problem will continue to get worse. The problem certainly will not be addressed by decriminalisation,” Mr Capill predicted.

The police should target the pimps who are often the masterminds behind the whole sordid “industry” and the men who pay for such sexual abuse of underage girls, and also boys, to a lesser degree.

“If the Prostitution Reform Bill becomes law, New Zealand can expect more widespread prostitution at lower and lower ages. Instead of shedding crocodile tears about the latest statistics, politicians should be warned that decriminalisation will only compound the problem,” Mr Capill concluded.

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