Sexual Offences Bill poll 3

[lovingboth]

The 'age of consent' will remain at 16 (17 in Northern Ireland for no very good reason), with the existing - and expanded - restriction that someone in a position of care over a 16 or 17 year old cannot be sexual with them. (This was introduced as a sop to the opponents of the equalisation of the gay age of consent.)

An additional clause will make it illegal to pay for sex with any 16 or 17 year old. It is not otherwise illegal to pay for legal sexual activity.

[Poll #119972]

Update: Sandy - any 16 or 17 year old, ie paying for sex with someone who's 16 or 17 will make otherwise legal sex illegal. (It will also be an offence to pay for illegal sex, eg U-16, or with someone U-18 who you have a duty of care for, but that's already illegal..)

Comments

Better than a lot of things

[pavlos.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't think it's a good idea to take up sex work very early because it's dangerous in various, straightforward and subtle, ways. But I don't think that masses of eager, miguided teens, who later regret their whoring years will be a big problem, or that the legislation would fix it if it is. In individual cases, whoring at 16 would probably be far preferable to starving, freezing, or whatever the compelling financial incentive is. Since no-one is prepared to care for random teenagers financially, it seems that sex work (any work) should be allowed.

Now, the problem is, of course, exploitation. Young sex slaves are both insanely valuable (to some people) and lacking ability to defend themselves, so they may be exploited by profiteers. It seems then that exploitation and slavery are what one should try to stop. I don't know how one goes about stopping these things, but I'd start at providing legal rights, housing, benefits, recourse to the law, social workers, general counseling, education opportunities, etc. As far as the profiteers are concerned, I'd start by applying a long list of labour standards (if you must employ sex workers you have to be above board and meet high ethics and safety standards). I'd even suggest that auditors, not the vice squad, should police this.

Pavlos