This is the debate being discussed today on The Wright Stuff.
The first thing to note is that it is the oldest profession and the sale of sex will never stop, so any laws made need to take this into consideration.
The safety and respect of sex workers needs to be first and foremost. Pushing the sex trade further underground by punishing punters will only endanger sex workers further and make them more vulnerable. I believe that sex related crimes will also increase.
Why should people be punished for buying a service?
Everyone wants to paint prostitution as very black and white, however it’s not and never will be. There are many respectful guys who book prostitutes and escorts and do their bit to ensure that the girl isn’t trafficked and is comfortable and happy for the engagement, then there are those men that don’t respect sex workers who will abuse them and happily see a girl who is trafficked.
Visa versa there are sex workers that respect punters and those that don’t due to bad experiences and troubled lives. There are people in the sex trade who respect themselves and some that don’t and become victims.
As with all professions there are sex workers addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and there some that aren’t.
The current laws don’t help sex workers. The way to keep them safe is not to punish the punters, because that won’t deal with or address the problem. The issue is safety for sex workers and trafficking, none of which would be helped by a law punishing punters!