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he Victorian Government is planning to decriminalise sex work, as New South Wales has already done. Victoria’s current laws provide for legal brothels, but the licensing regulations and some brothel owners’ drive for profits have resulted in a two tier system where there are more illegal brothels than legal ones, and many sex workers choose to work alone. As a result sex workers are put at risk in numerous ways.
Fiona Patten MP has conducted a targeted review of the existing legislation in an effort to find the best way to improve occupational health and safety for sex workers. It’s a welcome move after over a century of punitive measures, but it will not remove discrimination unless community attitudes change along with the law…
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In conducting the review Ms Patten has consulted with key stakeholders, paying particular attention to sex workers themselves.
‘If you do not listen to the views and the ideas of people who are the heart of any industry, you are wasting your time,’ she said.
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Read the full article on the Women’s Agenda website.
