Sexual Exploitation
Scotland – Scottish Government could make buying sex illegal
Community Safety Minister Ash Denham said prostitution was harming women and a cultural shift was needed so that men who buy sex will change to see it is no longer acceptable. Government is also looking for ways to support women and help them to exit prostitution, which may be their only real source of income. She said: “Prostitution has wide reaching impacts both on the individuals involved and across Scotland’s communities. “It is sometimes portrayed as glamorous or an easy way to make money, the reality is often very different”. Behind closed doors and hidden from public view, prostitution can be harmful. Campaigners are hoping the consultation is the first step in Scotland moving towards the criminalisation of sex, as seen in countries such as Sweden, Canada, Iceland and Ireland. Read more
India – Prostitutes in India find better ways to earn amid COVID-19
When India entered its first lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, hundreds of thousands of prostitutes across the country were cut off from their major source of income. Some of the higher-class-category prostitutes have been able to earn with the use of phone and internet sex. An NGO was able to organize grants for a few women to set up microbusinesses, such as stores for selling dry fish, onions and potatoes, or tea stalls. The women of DMSC (Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee) have been employed in making masks and sanitizers themselves. “In the coming days, we’re also going to start producing PPE kits. As we increase our production, we are planning to sell all these items in the future,” the DMSC adviser Jana said. Read more