Date: 2003-01-29 TRAGEDY IN CAPE TOWN BROTHEL EMPHASISES PROSTITUTES’ CRY FOR HELP The recent incident in a Cape Town brothel accentuates Doctors For Life’s (DFL) evidence submitted to the Constitutional Court. In the submission DFL suggested that social structures be put in place for the rehabilitation of people involved in prostitution. The incident also demonstrates DFL’s opinion that prostitution and crime are inseparably connected - especially prostitution, drug abuse and protection rackets. Many prostitutes use drugs in order to help them cope with their occupation. Others are prostitutes in order to help finance their addiction. It is therefore not surprising that usually organisations advocating the decriminalisation of prostitution are behind the scenes driven by pimps and owners of escort agencies. Even if prostitutes would speak in public it is very often under pressure from these pimps who are ruthlessly exploiting them to make money. Whichever way it may be, real help is not to legalise this inherently harmful and abusive trade, but rather to help people get out of the business. Experience has shown that legalising/decriminalising prostitution gives people trafficking in drugs and human beings, a legal blanket under which to continue with this draconic practice. Wherever prostitution has been legalised in the world, it has lead to a two-tier system with a small group of legally practicing prostitutes and a large group functioning illegally. In areas in Australia where prostitution was legalised it was found that many pimps who had a license for a legal brothel in a demarcated red-light area, also ran a number of illegal brothels outside the restricted areas. Experience has also shown that the moment prostitution is legalised, pro-prostitution lobbies start pushing for the legalisation of child prostitution. Another recent example is Cambodia, which has had a legalised brothel area for a long time. Two weeks ago the government was forced to close it down because it was proven that instead of it being an area of protection for sex-workers it had perpetuated all manner of crime, which resulted in danger and harm for women and children. In whatever context it occurs, prostitution remains the hiring of humans to act like sexualised puppets. Scientific literature has clearly shown that prostitution in itself is extremely harmful to the prostitute him/herself, his/her client, the prostitute’s client’s family and the society as a whole. Also, a clear link has been demonstrated between sexual abuse in childhood and involvement in prostitution in later life. The psychological harm of the abuse has been shown to be only aggravated and deepened by prostitution. Our concern regarding prostitution should be similarly to that regarding slavery: we should not ask how we could improve it; but rather how we can eliminate this institution which so brutally damages human beings. We do not want the kind of society where the poor and under privileged will be encouraged to become prostitutes if they cannot find a job. (Increasingly tempting alternative among poor South Africans). DFL therefore calls upon the government to seriously consider other options before reverting to decriminalising prostitution, especially because legalising prostitution will send a very powerful message to the public and the youth of South Africa that prostitution is an acceptable profession to consider. DFL is an organisation of approximately 900 medical doctors, specialists and professors of medicine from South Africa and across the world. ### For more information: DFL office telephone: (031) 764-0443. |
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