[LAF] FW: ECP CAMPAIGN FOR DECRIMINALISATION

[Joy Wood]

> Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 22:52:44 +0000> From: joy_helbin at hotmail.com> To: joy_helbin at hotmail.com> Subject: Fwd: RE: ECP CAMPAIGN FOR DECRIMINALISATION> >  jennifer  wrote:> > I am not going to engage in a lengthy and endless debate about women> supposedly being able to 'freely choose' to enter prostitution. But,> since you raise some interesting questions I will answer them. > > No human being ever died because they were unable to have partnered > sex.> Whether or not a man (and it is overwhelmingly because of male > demand a> constant supply of women and girls must always be made available) is> able to engage in partnered sexual activity is not a requirement of> human rights. There are innumerable ways in which a man can sexually> satisfy his needs without having a partner. Many women do not have> sexual partners but I have yet to hear calls for more prostituted men > to> be made available for women's sexual pleasure. Ideally, yes all women> and men should have the right of engaging in partnered sexual activity> whenever they wish, but at the same time women like men must have the> same rights of sexual autonomy and agency. This means that no one has> the right of overuling another human being's right of sexual autonomy> and ownership. To give an example, it was widely held that once a > woman> married she automatically became the sexual property of her husband. > The wife did not have the right of refusing to engage in sexual > activity> with her husband. Therefore no one and it is predominantly men who > are> fuelling the demand for a never ending constant supply of women and> girls, should be made available in order that an individual (primarily> men) can achieve sexual pleasure and satisfaction. This is sexual> slavery.> > Prostitution is an abuse of all women's and girls' human rights > because> it reduces women and girls to sexualised commodities. No woman was> placed on this earth in order to fulfil men's sexual needs, despite> claims to the contrary. Innumerable women and girls working as> prostituted women have stated over and over again they wish they could> escape this life of sexual slavery. Are women just three holes and > two> hands? The reason why some men marry is because they believe once> married, they will have unlimited sexual access to a woman's body. > But> it was only within the last ten years or so that marital rape was> criminalised, prior to that marriage for women entailed the husband's> right of unlimited sexual access to the woman's body and she was> effectively reduced to a commodity or his property. > > The fact many men engage in 'one-night stands and/or have sexual > affairs> outside of marriage are complex issues but it does not detract from > the> fact women and girls are human beings not the sexual property of men. > > I am totally opposed to the libertarian belief women should become> prostituted women because it is supposedly empowering; a job; or it is> pleasurable. Yes, a few women working in prostitution are able to > earn> large sums of money and yes they are able to control the type of johns> who use their bodies, but the vast majority of women and girls do not> want to work as prostituted women. This type of argument was often > used> to excuse slavery, wherein wealthy white men and women would claim the> black woman and man had a 'happier life' as a slave because all their> needs were taken care of by a supposedly philanthropic white male. In> reality of course, black women and men were slaves, they were not > free,> their lives were subordinated. So why then is it still as acceptable > in> certain circumstances for men to buy women's bodies in order to obtain> sexual release. One of the reasons is about power, the belief that > men> as a group should have the right to buy women's and girls' bodies. > > Prostitution is not only about men having sexual access to women, it > is> also about male power over women. > > Sweden took a very courageous stance in criminalising the male buyers > of> prostituted women. Finland, Norway and now Bulgaria too are looking > at> criminalising men who buy prostituted women. Yes, the trafficking of> women and girls into sexual slavery has been reduced in Sweden and yes> those male traffickers are now taking women to other countries. Yes,> the fact Sweden has criminalised men who buy prostituted women does > not> end the global issue of women sex slaves but it is a start. One could> easily argue when slavery was widespread that just one country> criminalising slavery would end slavery but a stand has to be made> somewhere and Sweden is to be applauded for making this stand and> recognising women and girls are human too. Should abolitionists then> have challenged the widespread belief that slavery was acceptable? > Should racism be challenged even though racism is still endemic? > Should> male violence against women be condemned even though it is rampant? > Why> should we concern ourselves about prostituted women, since apparently> nothing will change. But the same could be said about slavery and> racism - nothing will change. Instead what has happened - slowly very> slowly, attitudes have changed. Ingrained bias and the belief there> must always be women available for men to sexually abuse will be a > very> difficult issue to change because at the core is the belief men as a> group have the right of sexual access to any woman or girl. However,> standing by and doing nothing ensures the sexual slavery of women and> girls continues unchecked. Sweden did not become a 'bystander' > instead> it took a very courageous step and publicly stated prostitution is an> abuse of women's human rights. No ifs and no buts.> > Yes, the majority of Swedes do believe men should be criminalised for> buying women and rightly too. But claims that just because a majority> are in favour does not necessarily make it right can be used with> regards to murder, theft, deception, fraud etc. One needs to look> beyond this and ask why is murder, theft, deception, fraud and rape> wrong. Why are such acts criminalised. The answer is because human> beings rights are abused. Are not women and girls human too? The> reason why the fact the majority of Swedish people believe it is right> for men to be criminalised for buying women's bodies is because the> Swedes accept that women have rights too and one of them is the right > of> ownership and control of their sexualities. No man has the right in> Sweden to buy women's and girls' bodies in order to rape and sexually> abuse them. > > Much valuable research has been conducted by Melissa Farley and her> colleagues on the immense psychogical, and physical harm prostituted> women endure because of having to sexually service innumberable men. > Many prostituted women contract STI's, Aids, become infertile, suffer> severe medical problems and of course experience post traumatic > stress. > They also suffer an erosion of their identities as human beings. > Sexually servicing men daily, often for years, causes many prostituted> women to dissocate themselves and they come to accept they are simply> the 'whores, sluts, prostitutes' etc. which the men call them. They > are> no longer autonomous human beings but just sexualised commodities. > Similarily black women and men when they were enslaved were reduced to> dehumanised things. Is this what all women are then - just > dehumanised> beings - whose sole purpose in life is to provide sexual services to> men? I think not. Morality or religion does not enter into this -> prostitution is the global abuse of women's and girls' human rights > and> we must continue to challenge excuses, justification and claims that> women want or will be empowered if they become prostituted women. The> dvd Not for Sale provides extracts of women's experiences as > prostituted> women. Not one of these women said they would have liked to remain in> prostitution.> > There is innumerable evidence that prostituted women overwhelmingly > say> they want to exit and would if only they could access help and > support. > Sweden has not only criminalised male buyers it has also actively put> into effect support mechanisms and help for prostituted women. Such> action is not patronising to prostituted women, instead it seeks to > help> them and enable women to live lives free from male sexual violence,> helps them to perceive themselves as human beings with rights and most> importantly of all informs them they are not 'dirty sluts,' whose sole> purpose is to be receptacle of men's hatred and sexual violence.> > JENNIFER> >
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