Memorandum by Laura Kane (PC 19)

 

 

 

I am e-mailing in response to the Policing and crime bill regarding the committee discussions on thursday. I have worked in the sex industry for 35 years and have experienced the different areas of the profession. In my view these proposals will drive the business underground into the hands of traffickers who already have the infrastucture in place just waiting for the go ahead that this law will give them. As for brothel closures this new proposed law will put a good majority of girls in danger as they will see it that punters will feel safer visiting a individual working alone thus putting them in danger of rape, robbery, even murder. I have a small parlour business, I pay my tax and so do the girls, if we are forced to close this would mean the government would be putting 8 people out of work in one place alone and I know a good few places that, like me, would be affected. Surely in this time of a recession this is not going to help. Yes the trafficking issue needs to be addressed but this is not the way. We have regular visits from the local police and give them willingly any information we have on trafficked women, under age girls and drugs being used in the local parlours. We would not do this if we were threatened with closure a day later. Also the parlours in the city are easily found thus giving the police easy access. Surely the way forward is to licence parlours or even the women themselves, then criminalise men who visit the unlicensed. If I had to pay for a license then I would make sure I passed on information of any place that is working unlicensed or underground to the local police. It seems like the home secretary has no intention of even talking to a sex worker or has no interest in how parlours work, which I find very ignorant. Parlour gossip can only help this problem of trafficking in the profession but without us the traffickers will easily take over. Please take the time to look into what this proposal would really do instead of making it a morale crusade. I would be happy to talk to anyone openly about the above.

 

February 2009