Sex with trafficked women is “paying for rape”
Several countries are striving to make the act of paying for sex a crime to eliminate the demand of human trafficking.
The rise of international sex trafficking is causing many countries to rethink their laws on prostitution and re-examine legal frameworks that for decades have treated the purchase of sex as a social nuisance or “victimless crime”.
Norway’s government proposed last week to fine or jail clients of prostitutes for up to six months in a bid to stamp out human trafficking, saying the rule would apply to its citizens in Norway and abroad.
British government research shows that during 2003 there were an estimated 4,000 victims of trafficking for prostitution in Britain. The figures have risen at least threefold since 1998, according to Home Office figures.
One advocate in Britain states that paying for sex with a human trafficking victim is basically rape.
Fiona MacTaggart, a former government minister and member of parliament from the ruling Labour party, wants to change this.
“Men who pay for sex with a woman who has been trafficked are basically paying for rape,” said MacTaggart.
She is among a group of Labour MPs who would like to replace criminal penalties for street prostitutes with counseling programmes to get them out of the trade, and criminalize paying for sex.
Human Trafficking is a $32 billion market worldwide.
Earlier, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote about the criminalization of purchasing sex.