The Econmist - USA (2021-10-30)

The Economist October 30th 2021 United States 55

Prostitution

Bringing sex work out of the shadows

L

ifeforwomenwhosellsexinManhat tanmaybea littleeasierthesedays.In Aprilthedistrictattorney’sofficesaidit wouldstopprosecutingthosewhooffered oragreedtoengageinasexactforpay ment.Buyersofsex,though,canstillbe chargedwith“patronisinga prostitutein thethirddegree”. Thelanguagesoundsarchaicbecause thelawis.Whereasmanyrichcountries havedecriminalisedthebuyingorselling ofsex(orboth),prostitutionremainsille galacrossAmerica,apartfrominafew counties in Nevada. But the change in Manhattan—andsimilar movesinother NewYorkboroughsandBaltimore—ispart of a growing movement to reform the criminaljustice system’s treatment of suchtransactions.A handfulofstateshave introducedbillsthatwouldpartiallyorful lylegalisethem. Thisreflectsa growingbeliefthatpros ecutingprostitutesiscruelandcounter productive.Criminalrecordscanmakeit hardtofindhousingandalternativeem ployment.The merethreatofthem can preventsomefromseekinghealthcare. Whatisthebestwaytoreform?There aretwo broadapproaches:allowing the sellingofsexbutretainingpenaltiesfor buyingit,inthehopethiswilllowerde mand(thisisknownastheNordicmodel, aftera lawpassedinSwedenin1999);and decriminalisingbothsidesofthetransac tion,inthehopethatit willresultinbetter workingconditions. InAmerica,wherepolarisationonma nysocialissuesisgrowing,divisionsbe tweentheproponentsofthesedifferent approachescanbestark.Thisisespecially apparentinNewYork,wheretwobillshave beenintroducedinthestatelegislature.In September Kathy Hochul, the governor, saidshe wasconsideringdecriminalisa tion.Shedidnotsaywhethershefavoured theStopViolenceintheSexTradesAct,a fulldecriminalisationbill,ortheSexTrade SurvivorsJusticeandEqualityAct,which wouldpunishonlybuyers. Proponents of full decriminalisation arguethatbringingsexworkintothelight makesit easierforprostitutestogetaccess tohealthservicesandreportviolenceto thepolice.Theyoftencitetheexampleof NewZealand,whichfullydecriminalised in2003.Fouryearslatera studyfoundthat mostprostitutesstilldidnotreportvio lence,buta majoritysaidpoliceattitudes

towards them had improved. Barbara Brents,a sociologyprofessorattheUniver sity of Nevada, says that although the state’stightlyregulatedbrothelstakea big sliceofsexworkers’earnings,somewom enchoosetoworkinthembecausethey feelsafer.(Evenso,mostprostitutesinNe vadaworkoutsidethelegalbrothels.) CeciliaGentili,a formersexworkerand trans womanwho helpedfound Decrim ny, whichwasinvolvedindrawingupthe StopViolencebill,sayssheneverconsi deredtellingpolicewhenshewasforcedto sell sex, for fear ofbeing arrested. Sex work, she believes, should be regarded much likeany otheremployment.Laws aimedatreducingdemandare“patronis ing”, she says, promoting the idea that “womenarenotabletomakedecisions”. Whethersuchactivistsspeakformost sex workers isimpossible to know, be causetherehavebeennolargescalesur veysofsexworkersinAmerica.Yetstrong anecdotalevidencesuggestssellingsexis differentfromotherformsofmanualla bour inimportantways.Drug addiction andhomelessnessoftenleadpeopleinto sexworkandkeeptheminit.Manyprosti tuteshavesoldsexsincetheywereminors; otherformsofemploymentarenotcon nectedwithabuseinthisway. Noraretheytypicallyconnectedwith trafficking.Somepeopleinorganisations thatworkwithprostitutessaythespectre ofsextrafficking—definedbythefederal governmentasa commercialsexact“in ducedbyforce,fraud,orcoercion”orin

which the seller is under 18—is a distrac tion from other problems. Reliable data are hard to come by, so no one really knows how prevalent trafficking is. But it is al most certainly underreported. Proponents of full decriminalisation sayit would make it easier to prosecute traffickers. But champions of the Nordic model say breaking the law acts as a deter rent to some wouldbe buyers, so full de criminalisation boosts demand, creating opportunities for exploitation on the sup plyside. Since most women with alterna tives choose not to sell sex, less fortunate ones fill the gap. Some will be trafficked. The New Zealand study found that the number of sex workers there had not in creased after decriminalisation. But an analysis of data from 150 countries in 2013 found that legalising prostitution led to its expansion and increased trafficking. Alexi Meyers, a former assistant district attorney inBrooklyn, says prosecutions against sex work “promoters” can lead to the prosecu tion of traffickers; full decriminalisation could prevent that happening.

Nordic or nothing? Instates that are mulling decriminalisa tion, decisions are likely to come down to practical factors such as this. Another con sideration is how changes in one state will play out in a country where sex work most ly remains illegal (and in conservative states any reform is a distant prospect). If New York became the ﬁrst to fully decrimi nalise, it could well attract sex tourists in large numbers. In June, when Maine’s governor vetoed abill decriminalising sex work, she ex pressed concerns about becoming the ﬁrst state to do so (she also worried, she said, thatit would push up demand). Though therejected legislation was for the Nordic style approach, this may emerge asthe most palatable and practical way for Amer icato begin to reform its sexwork laws. n

WASHINGTON, DC The debate over diﬀerent approaches to decriminalisation

Amodern message from the oldest profession

The Econmist - USA (2021-10-30)

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