and for my next vacation!
I had no idea that New Zealand had decriminalized prostitution. And it seems to be working well so far:
The number of sex workers in New Zealand does not appear to have increased since legislation decriminalising prostitution became law, according to a new report. . . .
The committee, chaired by former Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Fitzharris, said an accurate count of the number of sex workers was difficult.
However, a comparison between the number of sex workers in Christchurch in 1999, before decriminalisation, and 2006 - after the act was passed - showed the total had stayed about the same. . . .
The committee said a Christchurch School of Medicine survey found that more than 90 per cent felt they had legal rights under the act.
More than 60 per cent felt they were more able to refuse to provide commercial sexual services to a particular client since the enactment of the law.
Before the act, the illicit status of the industry meant workers were open to coercion and exploitation by managers, pimps and clients. Research indicated there had been "some improvement" in employment conditions "but this is by no means universal".
In other words, it's just like a lot of other jobs now. Exploitation and abuse can still occur, of course, but it will much harder to hide when the job itself is no longer forced into the shadows.
The number of sex workers in New Zealand does not appear to have increased since legislation decriminalising prostitution became law, according to a new report. . . .
The committee, chaired by former Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Fitzharris, said an accurate count of the number of sex workers was difficult.
However, a comparison between the number of sex workers in Christchurch in 1999, before decriminalisation, and 2006 - after the act was passed - showed the total had stayed about the same. . . .
The committee said a Christchurch School of Medicine survey found that more than 90 per cent felt they had legal rights under the act.
More than 60 per cent felt they were more able to refuse to provide commercial sexual services to a particular client since the enactment of the law.
Before the act, the illicit status of the industry meant workers were open to coercion and exploitation by managers, pimps and clients. Research indicated there had been "some improvement" in employment conditions "but this is by no means universal".
In other words, it's just like a lot of other jobs now. Exploitation and abuse can still occur, of course, but it will much harder to hide when the job itself is no longer forced into the shadows.