Blunkett aims to break drug and prostitution link
The Home Secretary today published a consultation document on a shake up of the current prostitution laws.
Acknowledging that prostitution and the sex trade is a “difficult and sensitive issue”, David Blunkett said he welcomed representations from the public on the key consultation areas of: preventing young people being coerced into prostitution; helping those involved find a route out; bringing the exploiters to justice and tackling the effects of prostitution on local communities.
There are an estimated 80,000 women working as prostitutes in the UK. The vast majority of these have serious drug problems and some estimates state as many as 90 per cent are addicted to Class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine.
David Blunkett said: “There are important tasks ahead of us and there are no easy answers or one single solution. We need to ensure prevention, protection and support, and justice. Prevention is key to alleviate the circumstances that make young people vulnerable to coercion into prostitution.
“Protecting the vulnerable also requires the prosecution of child abusers, traffickers and exploiters. The new offences and tough penalties in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 must be rigorously enforced.”
“The realities of prostitution – both for those involved and for the wider community – are often brutal. It involves the abuse of children – as many as 70 per cent of women on the streets were coerced into prostitution as young people – and serious exploitation of adults.”
Mr Blunkett also said he was determined to crack down on the selling of sex services at premises licensed for other purposes- such as saunas, saying “prostitution must not be concealed behind the facade of legitimate business.”
On the vexed question of tolerance zones, such as the one which operated in the Leith area of Edinburgh for a number of years, Mr Blunkett was decidedly ambivalent. The Home Secretary said: “I am aware that some towns and cities are keen to introduce a managed area as a control measure. Managed areas are said to provide greater safety for those involved and to limit the impact on local communities. However there is an opposing view, equally forcefully expressed – that such areas are difficult to introduce and maintain and that they lead to degradation and squalor on our streets.
“We have included this issue in the consultation because we need a thorough public debate on the issue and we need strong reassurance on the practical issues before contemplating a move in that direction. And because there is a question as to whether we should leave this to local discretion.”
The consultation period will last for four months
