Doctors For Life rejects decriminalisation of Prostitution in S.A.

Press Release
Doctors For Life International

20 October 2000

Doctors For Life (DFL) is shocked by the report that South Africa is once again considering the decriminalisation of prostitution. What concerns us even more, is the obvious lack of transparency in this process. The timing of this decision also appears extremely unfortunate, since South Africa is in the centre of the fastest growing AIDS epidemic in the world.

It has been shown that prostitution plays a disproportionally important role, world wide as well as in South Africa in promoting the spread of the HIV pandemic. Legalising prostitution does not significantly limit the spread of the pandemic, but only complicates matters and will send an official message to the citizens of our country that prostitution is an acceptable occupation and career option for our children to pursue.

The liberalisation of prostitution in other countries in the 1970's has shown that, the more permissive society became, the more men there would be who were ready to purchase sexual services. Thus there is the risk of the sex trade becoming normalised.

Based on research in Sweden and other countries which experimented with legalisation/decriminalisation DFL is convinced that prostitution will not benefit society. The general consensus amongst those with practical or theoretical knowledge of prostitution is that it is harmful, often profoundly harmful, to the women concerned, in a mental and physical sense.

In fact, the detrimental effect of prostitution on the psychology of the prostitute is in itself sufficient reason to make prostitution illegal. Almost without exception prostitutes develop mental disorders. The clients do not benefit from prostitution either. Contacts with prostitutes provide sexual release without any relationship, proximity or demands and can provide an escape from facing up to poor self-confidence and an inability to give oneself in human relationships. By allowing men to make use of prostitutes, their problems are not being addressed, but on the contrary, are often aggravated. Many of the men could probably benefit from treatment.

DFL believes that prostitution is not a private issue involving the prostitute and her client only.

This has clearly been proved to be incorrect. Studies have shown that male clients of prostitutes play a bridging role in the spread of STD's/AIDS between female sex workers and the general population of women.

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