In light of all the discussion about decriminalizing sex work in the European Union and the distribution of the image of Camille Cabral, sex worker and academic, wearing a sticker that says "sluts unite," we don't really know which way the EU will go on this issue.
As the E.U.'s twenty-five member nations struggle to fashion a cohesive identity, now could the moment for sex workers to achieve widespread legalization on that continent. But it could also be the beginning of a continental crackdown, where countries that have traditionally been tolerant of prostitution swing ideologically toward their neighbors with tougher laws. As it stands, European laws on prostitution vary from country to country, but the E.U. is looking to make a number of its laws consistent continent-wide.
Sex work is one of those issues that just makes us whee with comments , but the author brings up a good point about some of the differences in attitude between America and Europe in terms of sex work.
It's hard to imagine such a group making their way up the Capitol steps for a similar meeting with U.S. lawmakers to discuss the oldest profession. America has a fairly clear position on decriminalizing prostitution: No way. While liberals have their hands full shoring up such basic issues as evolution and sex ed, the right to purchase sex will remain confined to Nevada. But a conservative executive branch isn't all that defines the American public's view of the issue. Americans are far less inclined than Europeans to support the rights of sex workers by instinct.
Check out the piece via Nerve.com. and lets talk about it.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Sex workers unite in the E.U..
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/1606
Weekly Feministing Newsletter
Feministing RSS Feed
"the right to purchase sex will remain confined to Nevada"
Couple of questions. First, why is it that our high and mighty president and his rightous administration haven't ever gone after prostitution in Nevada when they so often go after gay marriagein Massachusettes, California, and elsewhere, or a woman's right to abortion anywhere? And second, If god smites New Orleans for its depravity, why hasn't he smited Las Vegas? In my mind Las Vegas is home to far worse crimes and more horrible things.
God doesn't care if you pay for sex as long as it's straight sex. Duh.
let's make that:
God doesn't care if you pay for sex as long as it's straight sex in Nevada.
by the way, y'all know that prostitution has been one of the most taxed professions in history, with many popes (from as far back as the 15th century if not before) profitting... so, God definitely doesn't care if you pay for sex as long as it's strait sex in Nevada and the state gets a hefty cut.
Prostitution should be legal. it would be much safer for all involved, particularly the women sex workers, who are now discriminated against and spit on by a hypocritical society.
Alright, when I mentioned more horrible things, I wasn't talking about prostitution, I was talking about gambling, urban sprawl, and the general cancer on the planet earth that Vegas is. Everyone known that gambling destroys far more lives every year than sex in any form does.
I wouldn't say that the federal government hasn't gone after prostitution in Nevada, only that their recourses are a bit more limited, and therefore the incentive isn't as strong. I haven't heard of the same massive campaigns against massage parlors as you see elsewhere, involving hundreds of FBI and ICE agents for each "operation." But the federal government gives large grants to cities that have proven to be aggressively combating prostitution, and Nevada has a high arrest rate for solicitation. In 2002 they had 3,633 prostitution related arrests and a total population of 1,605,700. Compare that to California's 11,936 prostitution related arrests and total population of 25,710,400
For the most part, each state gets to decide how it wants to deal with prostitution, and the feds have no say in whether it's legal or not. Where they do have the authority is in matters involving inter-state actions. Lately they've been using both the Mann Act and the Travel Act to combat the sex industry. The latter is often used on the upper tier sex workers whose service is limited to wealthy clients who pay for their travel, and can hardly be justified as saving them from exploitation.
Another card up the federal government's sleeve is the old "conspiracy to use facilities of interstate commerce in the aid of racketeering" charge. This makes it a federal crime to use a telephone or the internet to conduct illegal business. So in Nevada, they can take appointments by phone and use the internet to advertise, so long as it's a legal brothel. In Rhode Island prostitution is not illegal, as long as it's not on the streets or with someone under 18, so there too, it isn't a federal crime to use the phone or internet. But in California, they can and do press Federal charges for it.
The brothels in Nevada are really messed up, and law enforcement cracks down on independent sex workers pretty heavily. Brothel workers have to give half of their earnings to the house, plus they are independent contractors, so they get no benefits, they have to pay for their room and board and they have to pay self-employment taxes.