Posted on 06/25/2003 1:16:35 PM PDT by shaggy eel
26 June 2003
Parliament erupted in cheers last night, as a landmark law to decriminalise prostitution passed by a single vote.
Christchurch MP Tim Barnett's Prostitution Reform Act will become law next Monday and soliciting for sex and brothelkeeping will no longer be illegal in New Zealand from that day.
In one of the closest votes in Parliament's history, the Act passed 60-59, on the abstention of Labour's Muslim MP Ashraf Choudhary.
Had Mr Choudhary, who opposed the bill, not abstained the bill would have fallen because a 60-60 tie is counted as a defeat.
A packed public gallery screamed and cheered as the vote was read out after a tense 10-minute wait. Mr Barnett was mobbed by supporters both in and outside the chamber.
"I think right has won. We have created world-leading law. This is an historic moment. We have completed the unfinished business," a jubilant Mr Barnett told his supporters.
Mr Barnett said he knew the result when ACT MP Heather Roy, who had planned to vote against the bill, walked into the ayes lobby.
"She was the 60th vote."
Key movers included Mr Choudhary, Labour MP Winnie Laban, Ms Roy, and National MP Lockwood Smith.
Prostitutes Collective spokeswoman Catherine Healy thanked the sex workers who had supported a marathon effort to decriminalise prostitution after three years of scrutiny, 415 hours of debate and 222 public submissions.
"I hope there are sex workers out there celebrating tonight as I know they all can," Ms Healy said.
Family Planning Association head Gill Greer said the victory marked the beginning of a new era in prostitution in New Zealand.
"It's going to need a lot of work and a lot of support to change the lot of sex workers in New Zealand," she said.
In the greatest change to New Zealand's sex laws in 100 years, massage parlours will become brothels, and offering sex for money and living off the earnings of a prostitute will become lawful.
Under the new law, brothelkeepers will be subject to health and safety laws and will be required to offer sex workers employment contracts. They will be required to obtain certificates from local courts and may be banned if they hold serious criminal convictions.
Local councils have been handed sweeping new powers to decide where brothels may operate and to control their advertising and signage.
Mr Barnett's bill appeared to be heading for defeat earlier this week, following a sustained attack by opponents which led to the defection of five key National Party MPs.
Prime Minister Helen Clark, a key supporter of the law change who when Minister of Health approved funding for the Prostitutes Collective, made a personal plea to wavering Labour MPs to vote for Mr Barnett's bill.
In an emotionally charged and at times heated debate, reform opponents predicted a rise in organised crime and the degradation of small communities while supporters spoke of new protections for women in an industry characterised by coercion and oppression.
Emotional Labour MP Georgina Beyer, who admitted she burst into tears outside the chamber after her speech, told the House she might have been spared the five years she spent in the sex industry if the bill had been law when she was a teenager.
"I support this bill for all the prostitutes I have known who died before the age of 20 because of a society who in its hypocrisy would not allow them the chance to have their own protection," Ms Beyer said.
"I plead with you in this House who are wavering right up to the wire. This is our one chance in 20 years – please, I beg of you to consider the side I'm on. Please think of the people who may be spared some of the hideous way that society treats us."
In his own final plea before Parliament, Mr Barnett asked MPs to vote to remove "the last significant vestige of Victorian moral law from the New Zealand statute book."
Mr Barnett said the issue was the most significant morale debate in Parliament since homosexual law reform 17 years.
"Each member here has to live with their vote for the rest of their lives. Is disapproval of prostitution best expressed by sustaining bad law or do we make the law as good as we can get it?"
National MP Nick Smith said the law would mean more prostitutes and more harm. He said Mr Barnett was attempting to make sex just another commodity.
"Having sex, Mr Barnett, is not the same as buying a beer or a latte. Sex is special and it should not be for sale."
Dr Smith said ordinary New Zealanders rejected the "anti-family, politically-correct liberal agenda of the Government."
Prostitution was nothing more than paid rape, he said.
United Future MP Larry Baldock said Parliament was passing the cost and responsibility for regulating the sex industry on to local councils.
New Zealand First MP Brent Catchpole predicted a tide of organised crime and said many more women would enter the sex industry under the new law. His colleague, Pita Pareone, said he had seen enough young Maori women ruined by prostitution.
However, Green MP Sue Bradford said the bill aimed to end the very problems opponents were concerned about.
"I have grown entirely sick of the misinformation which has been deliberately circulated in our communities about this bill, making it sound as if the bill itself is causing all these inequities."
ACT MP Stephen Franks said those on both sides of the debate were simply posturing.
Sex law worries mayor
By ANNA WALLIS
Unemployed Palmerston North women may be forced to become prostitutes if Work and Income posts sex-industry vacancies, Mayor Mark Bell-Booth says.
But his claims have been disputed by Work and Income.
In a stinging criticism of the new legislation the mayor argued that women being forced into prostitution was a logical conclusion of the recent legislation.
The new law was discussed at a Palmerston North City Council planning committee meeting last night.
"Within days we saw owners of brothels asking Winz (Work and Income) why it wouldn't post job adverts on its job board," Mr Bell-Booth said.
"Can we expect women in our town to be required to take jobs in brothels in order to avoid losing their benefits?" He said brothels "could equally argue along with EziBuy that their jobs should be posted on Winz's bulletin board".
"I think this is something the legislators who passed this didn't think through."
But, Work and Income national commissioner Ray Smith said earlier this month that it would not be advertising or referring clients to vacancies in the sex industry.
"(We) have no legal requirement to advertise any vacancies - we advertise jobs as part of our efforts to help our clients into sustainable employment."
He said Work and Income had in the past declined to advertise vacancies in massage parlours, commission-only sales and network marketing jobs.
Legislation was not intended to normalise prostitution, but rather to protect current sex workers.
Mr Bell-Booth was critical of List MP Ashraf Choudhary for abstaining from the vote, which saw the law passed by 60 votes to 59.
"I think it is sad that it was a member of Parliament from our local community whose vote played an important part in bringing this into being."
Mr Bell-Booth said while the council had responsibility for signage, prostitution was not a business that required much in the way of signage.
"All you need is a light bulb coloured red."
Cr Lynne Pope was critical of the comments the mayor hade made about Dr Choudhary.
"All MPs voted on this issue. No one should be singled out for comment in that way."
She claims there were 36 brothels in Palmerston North.
"The police aren't sure, but I was told that by a policeman last week. It's only anecdotal."
16 November 2003
By SARAH LANG
State-funded bodies are hoping to get taxpayer money to train prostitutes to service disabled clients.
An inquiry into the idea by government departments has the support of Labour MP Georgina Beyer, a leading supporter of efforts to decriminalise prostitution.
Agencies caring for the disabled, including IHC and CCS, and the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective have set up a group called Touching Base to address the sexual issues of disabled people.
The group is considering seeking government support but is wary of attitudes towards disabled people and sex workers.
Claire Ryan, an IHC educator involved in Touching Base, said disabled people had previously visited prosititutes but the law change now meant the sex industry could openly discuss the needs of those customers.
She was developing guidelines for IHC on sexuality, including protocols for visits to sex workers, so staff knew the boundaries and would not attract criticism.
Training prostitutes interested in working with the disabled was important as they needed to be more aware of client needs.
"Agencies struggle," said Ryan. "They say they support the clients 100%, but with sexuality they hope it will just go away."
Sex workers felt more able to come forward and express their interest since the law change, said Ryan.
"One sex worker asked me, maybe some would like to have a bath? It's the whole sensuality aspect. Many disabled people hardly get touched at all."
Ryan said it was important disabled people had access to information on how to contact sex workers and what a visit involved.
Prostitution reform had meant a lot of disabled clients felt better about what they were doing, she said.
Before the law change, care workers risked being charged with brothel-keeping.
Saul, a Kiwi sex worker who lives in Australia, specialises in providing services to the disabled. He set up Touching Base in Australia and brought it to New Zealand.
Prostitutes working with the disabled needed to learn more skills in case they ran into problems, said Saul.
He said some sex workers "don't want to go there".
"But it can be an amazing experience," said Saul.
"You can be innovative, lateral thinking and more creative in your work. It's often more meaningful too. Sometimes someone's saved for months to come and visit you."
Sue Bradford, Green MP and spokeswoman for disability issues and prostitution reform, said disabled people felt the same urge for sex as other people.
"For some people it's the only way they'll have any physical closeness with another human being."
Beyer said she wanted to see details of the scheme but the proposal had merits that were worth exploring.
Philip Patston, a disabled Auckland man and disabled rights advocate, said the law change meant disabled people could arrange to see sex workers without risking their disgust.
He hoped care workers would now be more likely to arrange visits.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.