[BRIEF NOTE] Finally, a good idea about prostitution

[rfmcdonald]

From The Guardian:

Men who have sex with trafficked prostitutes should be charged with rape, ministers believe - a move that could see thousands prosecuted.

Home Office minister Tony McNulty told The Observer: 'Whenever a man knowingly has sex with a woman against her will, that is rape,' he said. 'For example, if a trafficked woman told a man who had paid to have sex with her that she was engaged in prostitution under duress, then he could not reasonably believe that she was freely consenting. To go ahead regardless would be rape.'

Women, some as young as 15, are lured to Britain on the false promise of jobs as nannies or waitresses only to be raped, beaten and forced to work as so-called sex slaves.

[. . .]

The former Europe minister Denis MacShane, who has campaigned for a crackdown on trafficking, said: 'It's time for honest language. When a man has sex with a frightened, beaten and intimidated woman there is only word to describe it and that is rape. I am pleased that the Home Office now recognises that. We need to see charges against men who have sex with women who are living in fear after being trafficked.'

It's a pleasant change to discover a new anti-prostitution strategy that that focuses not on punishing the women and men working in the trade but their clients, all the more so to see prominent people recognize the tenuous situation of people forced into prostitution. It's not the best solution by any means, but it's a start.