Would legalizing sex work make it safer? Amnesty International thinks so
The human rights organization聽Amnesty International has adopted聽a controversial policy that seeks to take the criminal aspect out of the global sex trade.
At the organization鈥檚 biennial meeting聽held in Dublin on Tuesday, delegates from around the world voted in favor of a resolution聽to protect the human rights of sex workers by decriminalizing the business while still combating exploitation.
鈥淪ex workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the world who in most instances face constant risk of discrimination, violence and abuse,鈥� Amnesty International鈥檚 Secretary General Salil Shetty 鈥淥ur global movement paved the way for adopting a policy for the protection of the human rights of sex workers which will help shape Amnesty International鈥檚 future work on this important issue.鈥�
Amnesty said sex workers are particularly vulnerable to violence, arbitrary arrest, human trafficking,聽forced medical interventions,聽and exclusion from social and legal protections like housing and health services. The essentially aims to de-stigmatize consensual sex work by urging governments聽to remove legal barriers, while redirecting prevention efforts toward these harmful practices.聽
Amnesty said its policy is based on what is known in public health policy as the harm reduction principle: the idea that you can鈥檛 stop people from taking part in a dangerous activity, but you can make it safer.
鈥淭he research and consultation carried out in the development of this policy in the past two years concluded that this was the best way to defend sex workers鈥� human rights and lessen the risk of abuse and violations they face,鈥� the Amnesty International statement said.
The World Health Organization of sex work on the grounds that prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS depends on reaching key populations at risk, such as prostitutes.聽
Harm reduction is controversial among conservative groups who say it encourages risky and immoral behavior. But Amnesty's position on sex workers has also stirred opposition from within its own ranks and the global human rights community. 聽
Human rights activists argue that聽the buyer-seller power imbalance in sex work makes it dangerous for workers regardless of efforts to curb abuse.聽Former president Jimmy Carter, whose human rights policy was a hallmark of his presidency, to Amnesty International in condemnation.
鈥淚t is not a human right of those with power and privilege to buy, for their own gratification, the bodies of those with financial, security, or emotional needs,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he practice is inherently harmful; protecting (or expanding) that action legitimizes the sexual exploitation of a shocking number of vulnerable people, the large majority of whom are women and children.鈥�
The Amnesty resolution recognizes that sex work can be聽a last resort for marginalized people, not desired profession. Amnesty聽calls on states to promote empowerment 鈥渟o that no person enters sex work against their will or is compelled to rely on it as their only means of survival, and to ensure that people are able to stop sex work if and when they choose.鈥�
Still, critics oppose the tolerant message the policy sends to clients, rather than to the workers themselves. Coalition Against Trafficking in Women executive director Taina Bien-Aime the law would turn pimps into 鈥渂usinesspeople,鈥� and Demand Abolition policy specialist Ian Kitterman that Amnesty International was valuing the 鈥渆xploiters over the exploited.鈥�
Mr. Kitterman added: 鈥淚 fully agree with their belief that more must be done to protect those sold in the sex trade, but it鈥檚 equally critical to hold accountable sex buyers, pimps, and traffickers who perpetuate this predatory industry.鈥澛�
