Blunkett confronts prostitution taboo
Prostitution must be dealt with more effectively for the sake of women involved in the sex industry and for the rest of society, the Home Secretary stated today.
Mr. Blunkett called for an open debate on the issue, noting that issues surrounding prostitution were often regarded as taboo and were therefore not discussed often enough.
Speaking at a conference hosted by the Coalition for the Removal of Pimping, he said: “Victims of prostitution are often trapped in a violent circle that is tied up with organised crime, domestic violence, drug abuse, exploitation and infection.”
The Government has already put forward the Sexual Offences Bill, which includes new offences to cover the commercial exploitation of children and adults, and domestic trafficking for prostitution.
“But we also need a cultural change that is not just focused on legislation but on service provision, ” Mr. Blunkett said.
To that end, he noted that the Home Office had already announced a £107m package of measures to steer vulnerable young people away from drugs and crime, and was supporting organisations such as CROP to work at the local level with the families of prostitutes.
“We must now focus our efforts on working with agencies and voluntary organisations with practical experience of what works so that we can
reach out and protect those trapped in prostitution and offer them exit routes,” he stated.
There are an estimated 80,000 adult prostitutes working in the UK, and although there are no figures for child prostitution, the charity Barnardo’s claims that it alone has dealt with over 2,000 children in the last three years.
The Home Secretary’s discussion paper on the issue, due to be published soon, is likely to re-ignite the debate over the legalisation of prostitution and related activities, with supporters claiming that such a move would get women off the streets and out of the hands of the pimps.
