A Woman in our network writes
Let's get it right with the law on prostitution Mary Riddell used the interview with me to press for punters to be criminalised, which I don't support, exactly for the reason she dismisses as a 'paradox', that it will put women like me more at risk of violence ('Men: prostitution's driving force', Comment, last week). Ms Riddell also dismissed what I said about police clean-ups driving us underground and putting us at greater risk of attacks and even murder. When the conviction rate for rapes in Suffolk is an abysmal 1.6 per cent, surely it is the refusal of the police to protect all women, including prostitute women, that needs to be urgently addressed. Ms Riddell mistakenly claims the English Collective
of Prostitutes is calling for legalisation. They don't
because it would create a two-tier system and make the
state the pimp. Decriminalisation of prostitution is
what we want. This has been shown to reduce the stigma
working girls face and makes it more possible for us to
report violence. Professionals should take more care not
to think they know better than women like me what we
need to keep us safe. |