Calling the tune? Some observations on Paying the Price: a consultation paper on prostitution

This article focuses on the shortcomings and dangers of the recent Home Office consultation paper on prostitution. First, what is certainly missing is an historical perspective by which one can judge what sort of contribution the proposals are attempting to make. The de-contextualization of the prop...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of forensic psychiatry & psychology 2004-12, Vol.15 (4), p.642-659
Main Authors: Soothill, Keith, Sanders, Teela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Child abuse
child prostitution
Medical sciences
Mental health
Prevention. Health policy. Planification
Proposals
Prostitution
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Public health
Regulation
Sexual health
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
trafficking
Violence
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Summary:This article focuses on the shortcomings and dangers of the recent Home Office consultation paper on prostitution. First, what is certainly missing is an historical perspective by which one can judge what sort of contribution the proposals are attempting to make. The de-contextualization of the proposals may be deliberate or unintentional but the danger is real. Second, we consider what is potential misinformation in the consultation document that risks perpetuating myths associated with prostitution. Here we note the complexity of the assertion that prostitution is dangerous and call for a more realistic understanding of the public health issues. Third, we focus on the potential mismanagement towards which a consultation document of this kind can perhaps unwittingly lead. We point out how models of regulation suggested as solutions in the consultation paper could reinforce measures to displace individuals rather than facilitate safe, consensual commercial sex. Finally, we suggest that the primary mission should in the first instance be the protection of minors rather than a diffuse attempt to tackle prostitution in all its forms.
ISSN:1478-9949
1478-9957
DOI:10.1080/14789940412331317959