How Europe Has Dealt With Prostitution

With Britain on the verge of creating tougher offences for prostitute users, the government can look at how other countries have tackled this social issue.

Sweden

In 1999 Sweden criminalised men who pay for sex, with sentences of up to six months in jail. Under Swedish law there are no offences of loitering or soliciting, but paying for sex on or off the street is a crime.

Laws look to improve the safety of women in the sex trade

Positives
The number of women involved in street prostitution has declined. Sweden has funded schemes to get women off the street completely, through an 'out-reach' programme.

Negatives

The English Collective of Prostitutes claim Sweden’s approach has had a detrimental effect. Prostitution has been forced further underground, undermining women’s safety, driving women into the hands of pimps and making it harder for the police to prosecute violent men and traffickers.

It is the Swedish model - where the men are punished, not the prostitute - that the British government seem to be following.

The Netherlands

Holland has official red light districts where prostitutes are concentrated together. In Britain, authorities in Doncaster and Liverpool have said they had previously wanted to try this model.

Positives
The concentration of sex workers makes it easier for the police to target the criminals and kerb crawlers while social services target the women. Supporters say it reduces crime in residential areas and reduces the stigma of prostitution.


Negatives
When police stopped drug dealing within a zone, the prostitutes left to work in other areas. If police turn a blind eye, it defeats the purpose of trying to tackle drug abuse in the first place.

Legalising prostitution has not solved

the girls' drug problems

Creating monitored red light areas is complex. There must be a balance between creating somewhere safe for prostitutes and minimising the risk to residents.

Prostitution is still seen as a problem not a profession by many members of the Dutch population. People find it difficult to accept the creation managed zones.

Many brothels appear to be in the hands of the same criminals who would otherwise control street prostitutes. There is little evidence that illegal street prostitution has decreased in these countries.

Different approaches....

The legalisation of the prostitution in the Netherlands and the hard-line approach of Sweden both appear to have pros and cons. Britain has favoured tougher offences for kerb-crawlers. The government must consider, though, whether this will tackle the root problems that force women into this trade.

Government Proposes Tougher Offences for Prostitute Users

The government has announced plans to introduce tougher measures to punish those who purchase sex in England and Wales.

Sex workers may be in more danger if they
are forced off the streets.

The new offences will include:

• A new criminal offence of paying for sex with a person controlled for gain. Men who knowingly pay for sex with trafficked women may face rape charges.

• A new civil order to enable police to close brothels.

• Amendments to the Sexual Offences Act 1985, to remove the requirements of persistence, annoyance and nuisance from the offence of kerb-crawling. Even first time offender can be publicly named.

The changes will bring the laws in England and Wales in line with Scotland, where kerb crawlers face a fine of up to £1000.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told Radio Four's Today programme: ''My proposal is that men should think twice before paying for sex. The reason that they should do is that the majority of women don't want to be involved in prostitution.''

Opposition

The English Collective of Prostitutes opposes all of the government’s proposals. A statement from the organisation said:

‘‘We see no reason why sex between consenting adults should be criminalised just because one party pays the other for her or his services.’’

They claim that closing brothels will ''endanger further the safety of mothers and other women struggling to support their families through sex work.'' Women in the sex trade are up to ten times safer working indoors than on the street.

There are worries that the new laws will force prostitution further underground. Since similar laws were introduced in Scotland last October, the number of assaults on sex workers has have almost doubled from 66 in 2006 to 126 last year.

St George's Residents Face Prostitution Problem

Residents in St George's fear the area is becoming a red light hotspot for prostitutes and kerb crawlers.

Greater police attention on Fletcher Road in Deepdale, where historically prostitutes have looked for trade, has caused the women to move into more residential areas in St George’s.

Many of the prostitutes have

drug and alcohol problems

Anti-Social Behaviour

Street sex workers have been seeking business on Meadow Street and the East View area. The women have upset many residents by drinking on the streets and swearing at passers-by.

St George’s Councillor James Hull has heard many complaints from residents. He said:

''The girls are shouting and bawling at 5am and then fighting in the streets. There have also been cases where women have been mistaken for prostitutes by kerb crawlers.’’

The affected streets in St George's. Click on the pins for more detailed information.

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Police Measures

Lancashire police have implemented measures such as Operation Disperse to crack down on street sex workers in the area. There has also been a scheme to record the car registrations of kerb crawlers in an attempt to find the culprits.

The police are working with the NHS and Add Action, who deal with the girls' drug and alcohol problems.

Kerb Crawlers

The area has attracted many kerb crawlers from outside of Preston.

A resident of St George’s said: ‘‘People are coming from places like Chorley and Burnley looking for prostitutes. It's due to the wide publicity in the papers.’’

PC Tony Cobban, community beat manager for St George’s, believes the news coverage has exaggerated the issue.

‘‘The problem seems to be a little blown out of proportion to what’s actually happening on the street. But that’s not to say it’s not impacting on people’s lives.’’

PC Cobban did concede that the low number of reports to police may represent a lack of faith in police action.

He said: ‘‘The last 12 months we’ve only had 31 complaints. In comparison to the complaints we get at our monthly PACT (Police and Community Together) meeting, it’s not proportionate. Obviously people are seeing what’s happening but don’t have the confidence in the police to report that.''

Welcome

Hello, welcome to my blog! I will have news on the St George's area of Preston and any information on community affairs in the city.

This is all part of a project for my Postgraduate Diploma in Newspaper Journalism at University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

www.lep.co.uk