Item 14: Green light for red light?
Resolution submitted by the RCN Cambridgeshire Branch
That this meeting of RCN Congress makes appropriate recommendations to the UK government to enable local councils to license brothels
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Carol Watts from Cambridge branch who proposed the item began by stating the debate was not about the rights and wrongs of prostitution but about the protection of workers, their safety and access to health care. She went on to say that prostitutes are "somebody's sister, mother or daughter…..just like you and me".
Sarane O'Connor, Suffolk branch who seconded the resolution said we should provide non-judgmental health care to all members of society.
David Dawes, RCN Nurses in Executive and Strategic Roles Forum, raised a procedural card asking for a change in the resolution wording. Following a show of hands vote, Congress agreed that the wording should be that RCN Congress make recommendations to UK government 'to allow up to four sex workers to work together legally before requiring a license'.
Nykoma Hamilton told Congress it was a public health and safety issue and we should protect people within the industry, giving examples of offering free condoms and STI screening. Sue Haworth raised the point of Class A drug addiction being a reason why women become prostitutes and said that we need systems in place to get women out of prostitution, not just support that 'choice'.
Catriona Forsyth, UK Safety Committee said that we are ostracising and disenfranchising people who may be vulnerable and that we need safe places for women to work, regardless of what they do. Andrea Spyropoulos, RCN Council member stated the RCN was the first union to support this issue and that the general public also feels it is appropriate to act.
FOR 384 93.43%
AGAINST 27 6.57%
ABSTAIN 10
Background
Following the murder of five prostitutes in Ipswich in December 2006, the Hampshire Women's Institute called for new legislation to legalise brothels in the UK. Currently, the act of prostitution is legal, but many of the acts and behaviours connected to it are not. These include soliciting, pimping and kerb crawling. The Safety First Coalition — which includes members of the church, residents from red light areas, probation officers, nurses, doctors, drug reformers, sex workers, and many others — was formed in the aftermath of Ipswich to bring a number of issues to the fore. These included the risk that the criminalisation of consenting sex would push prostitution underground, making sex workers more vulnerable and less willing to report personal, violent attacks. Furthermore, disclosure of a conviction for this offence can act as a barrier to future employment.
The RCN welcomed the UK government's decision to drop key amendments to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 which would have led to the criminalisation of sex workers, urging the government to focus on improving the health care and wellbeing of sex workers — some of the most vulnerable, stigmatised and marginalised people in society — and the provision of pathways out for these men and women.
The term 'brothel' often conjures up images of people being exploited within seedy premises, yet the legal definition of brothel is broad; two women who offer themselves for consensual sex without coercion are working in a brothel. In reality, many sex workers elect to work in a brothel because this represents a far safer working environment than the street.
In Scotland, keeping a brothel is a criminal offence under the Criminal Law Consolidation (Scotland) Act 1995. In practice the law is not always strictly enforced, with recent police interventions being focused on brothels run from private flats where it was alleged that illegally trafficked women were being forced to work against their will. Two recent attempts to pass laws that would enforce prostitution tolerance zones in Scotland (but not legalised brothels) have both failed.
The issue of trafficking often arises in relation to any discussion of prostitution. However, the issues of poverty, immigration and asylum are more relevant; many women are driven into sex work by poverty and this is particularly the case for immigrants and asylum seekers, many of whom are without support or have incurred debt to fund their migration.
Three years ago RCN Congress debated the issue of prostitution and voted in favour of the decriminalisation of prostitution. Currently, the RCN is closely monitoring the process of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill and has responded to the UK government's recent consultation on prostitution.
The RCN has also drawn attention to young people at risk, advancing the need for interventions to promote emotional wellbeing and self esteem among young girls. Participation in the personal social and health (PSHE) curriculum gives school nurses the opportunity to empower young people to develop life skills such as negotiation, conflict resolution and assertiveness.
References and further reading
Department of Health (2004) Choosing health: making health choices easier, London: DH.
Department of Health (2004) The Chief Nursing Officer's review of the nursing, midwifery and health visiting contribution to vulnerable children and young people, London: DH.
Early Day Motion (2008) Criminalising prostitution and action against trafficking for sexual exploitation, EDM (633), submitted by Diane Abbot MP (07.01.2008). Available from the Early Day Motion website.