General Chat

Around 80,000 women in Britain work as prostitutes, and half of those are under 25, Thats what the Home Office estimates. Please read below (this has been updated especially for Jacqui ;-)))

Hope my daughter is never one of them says every bloke who has a daughter yet that same bloke could be a kerb crawler tonight or in the early hours :-( 'Zero tolerance' of men who buy sex, with more support for prostitutes, are among plans set to be published in a government strategy on prostitution. In the plans for England and Wales, more kerb crawlers could lose their driving licences, while prostitutes would get help over drugs and housing. Way to go always thought legislation was the wrong way round and we don't just need it to be legal for men to do what they want :-( We need protection for the women who are in the front line. Watching this in the news as it's very important for the used hope they win against the users for a change. Pat x

Yes Pat, It is something like 90 odd % of prostitutes are so to fuel their drug habit, so helping them come off the drugs and setting them back on the right path seems the logical thing to do.

Yes Donna I agree with you BUT in Holland (where it is legal) not long ago they found so many smuggled illegal bought women in the legal industry they are stuck and don't know what to do !!! These Women were bought into slavery all thought they could and would get better lives here in the prosperous West, none realised it would be at such a heavy price. :-( Pat x

Sorry Em yes i agree I think it is so important that girls young women DO NOT see the only way out of their problems is this way :-( I find it depressing. Pat x

Some years ago when I was living in Leeds I was pleased that when it was noticed that there was a growing problem with under-age prostitution, the authorities began to prosecute the kerb-crawlers under the 'child-abuse' laws. 'I thought she was over 16' was held to be no excuse when it was found that some of the girls were concerned were as young as 12. I've long thought it grossly unfair that, given that prostitution is seen as 'the oldest profession' and 'inevitable', that it's usually the girls and women who are punished but the men who create the industry get off scot free.

Hi Pat I think brothels should be legalised. It gets the girls off the streets and makes it a bit safer for them. It also gets them out of residential areas too. It's a good thing that men/kerbcrawlers are to be made more responsible. Mind you what's the betting that the laws that held women/girls responsible were invented by men. Juliexx

Hi Pat, I feel really sorry for all those poor girls from poor countries abroad who are kidnapped or tricked into coming here (or to other places) on the promise of good jobs, only to find themselves forced into prostitution with no way out. It's heartrending to read the stories of some of these girls in the press. This is where I think our immigration system has a lot to answer for. I don't care about 'personal liberty' being held as paramount - that is just a good excuse for criminals to operate unchecked in this way (and others). It's about time EVERYBODY who comes into this country was checked and registered, so the authorities know who is here and why. These girls are extremely vulnerable and are exploited in the cruellest way. They need and deserve help, and those who exploit them need to be caught and given stiff jail sentences or, if not of British nationality, deported and refused entry ever again. We don't need more people like that here - we already have more than enough of their sort. As for teenage (or underage) British girls taking to the streets, all I can say is 'Where are their parents or guardians?' . They are the ones who should be prosecuted - for not taking proper care of their children, not the girls, who need guidance and encouragement to lead better lives. CB >|< X

My car broke down once, in a local Tollerence area, scared me half to death! it was quite plain who was pushing these girls around and they they were not in control of things going on ( not to say they were blameless) after what then occured There we were, a friend and I (average age 50 something....) gets out of the car and start to walk down the street , and the men were out of the wood work like flies, -very intimidating!! I rather Naively thought they had sufaced to protect their girls from strangers..... until one of them hissed ''this is our patch.......'' Alice

I'm sure that you don't mean it like that but the way I read the first line of your first post Pat is that every man who has a daughter is a kerb crawler. Perhaps you might like to clear that up for us. I can't help thinking that a big part of the whole problem is the blinkered and biased approach of this government plan ( and of so many before them ). Why is it that the prostitutes need the help and not those who seek their services. Have they done a study of why _some_ men seek out these women ? Perhaps they need help in some way also. And who is going to pay for all this help? Will N.I. have to go up yet again to pay for the extra medical treatment, social support costs, housing and, no doubt, for some money in their pockets. Is it too much to hope for that this wondrous government plan will ensure that those who are responsible for the problems actually bear the cost of it ? I hear what others say about the deplorable manipulation of women by pimps who force them into it and live off their earnings. That is a different issue and requires different laws. Perhaps something on the lines of what CB suggested would go a long way towards it. I have not seen this government plan yet so I can say no more.......... but I shall read it with interest. ( I wonder whose idea it was ? ). I am away for the rest of the day now, but will look in again when I can. Be good everyone, Keith

Firstly I shall clear up and apologise to Keith & anyone else who read my first line & wondered but it just goes to show what a difference one or two words can make especially when they are left out :-( I must have been more tired than I thought Keith as I had to change the word kerb (from curb lol) as well. I certainly and would never suggest ALL men far from it. Felicity I agree it was always the women that were convicted, this now will change & the underage factor? this definitely needs addressing, but it must be the most difficult thing to control even legalising Brothels will not stop this. Yes Julie those Laws were Man made but these days we now have legislation brought in by both sexes. Pat x

i know one woman who is one. She isnt a drug addict although her partner is, he actually drives her to 'clients' houses!!! xx

CB Surely no one could disagree with what you are saying the Governments of ALL European Countries need to tackle this it is a very big problem over here as well as everywhere else in the EEC as I said Holland have had a terrible bad press because these underage slave girls were found in the legal brothels :-( Action is needed and its needed straight away. Alice hopefully some of the new legislation will help but I don't somehow see places like that will totally disappear. There has been more added to the news on the BBC website about this. At least the Government is doing something to try & tackle the situation, not before time either. Thanks again. Pat x

I am not against Prostitution if the woman has choosen it as her profession, Im against the people who drive young girls into it, the pimps are the ones they should go after not the women who most of the time do it out of desperation or are forced into it by some low life. Its about time this problem was addressed properly, there should be legalised Brothels, therefore taking away alot of the problems on the streets. Roxanne x Prostitution is the oldest profession, its never going to go away but it can be made safer in every way.

Hi Pat, I have just read on the BBC website: New law to permit small brothels About 80,000 women in Britain work as prostitutes The law could be changed to allow two prostitutes and a receptionist or maid to work together legally in brothels, the government has confirmed. Currently only lone prostitutes can offer sex from flats or other premises without breaking the law. It sounds all well and good, and maybe it will be controlled, in the sense that medicals have to be taken on a regular basis and no drugs on the premises, BUT I still wouldnt want to live next door to one!!! This is the goverments way of clearing the streets but you can bet your bottom dollar they wont be living next door to them - as they are not talking about setting up red light areas. Debs x

For years a retired nurse ran a 'massage parlour' here. It sat between other normal shops, and never caused a problem, everyone knew exactly what it was and it was ignored. It closed last year, I don't know why, maybe the lady in charge took retirement for real. But it appeared to be a well run establishment that the police turned a blind eye too, and because it was quiet, and trouble free ran like any other establishment. Apart from anything else it was good entertainment for me when OH went to the Chinese for a carry out, I used to watch to see if I spotted anyone going in. :-) Prostitution wont stop, the need for prostitutes wont end, so I would like it all to be a bit more like our proffesionally run parlour. That way the streets are clean, and safer, and maybe the girls would be healthier and not bullied by pimps.

The two main problems seem to be pimps and drugs. There used to be an offence of 'Living off immoral earnings' which could be used against the girls and the pimps, but seemed rarely to target the men. If that law is still on the statute book and was used exclusively against pimps then that would disrupt their activities. The other prong is that the criminalisation of drugs puts the distribution and profits into the hands of the ungodly and prostitutes are often working to fund either their own habit or that of a pimp or partner.

Brian I read a lot of sense there, now it is drugs being the worst part. I despise drugs but think if they must be taken, the only way to take the power away from criminals is to make them more above board, so many crimes are commited because of the people on drugs being in debt to the big fellas. It will be the same suppliers living high on drug money as prostitution, and coersing girls on to the streets to fund their habits. I would love a magic wand to stop it all, but none of us can, so power must be taken away from the big boys.

Hi Steph What does that say about him? I wonder would she be doing this if he wasn't a drug addict? I agree Roxanne it isn't going to go away but it should be more controlled and yes legalised and the heaviest penalties dished out to the people who buy and sell women and the young underage. Hi Debs I thought that was a very conservative figure 80,000 is a lot but sometimes it seems there are more than that. I was reading a case on the BBC website about young girls from the Baltics being sold by gangs who had houses all over London. Luckily these have been caught & have been given very heavy sentences and the girl whose parents search for her led to the gang have been reunited. I think they will find it very difficult to prevent this sort of thing continuing all the pimps have to do is spread the girls out more and hide behind what looks legitimate :-( Pat x

Hi Pat Re my last sentence on my earlier post. You're right of course, just me being cynical. I actually read an article in a magazine once about a woman been recruited into the prostitution racket by another woman. This was in Eastern Europe but doubtless happens anywhere. Juliexx