Prostitution remains a hot debate on CUSJ list. Penny Kome describes why she believes we must support the Nordic Model in Canada and work to free women from sexual slavery, prostitution because of poverty, and on-going negative attitudes of men toward women, whether prostitutes or not. If our bodies are sacred and we have inherent worth and dignity, this is not compatible with selling sex.
Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice
A national faith-based organization that supports Unitarian values through action
Dear Frances,
Thank you for this very valuable summary of the discussion. I was away during most of it and unable to participate. I see now my participation would have been largely unnecessary, given the breadth and depth of the coverage. I am pleased to see Shaw’s “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” leading the resources.
Our last WILPF meeting in Vancouver featured a pair of speakers from an organization espousing the elimination of prostitution for many of the reasons outlined in your summary. One of the speakers was a former prostitute, who indicated that many women in that trade, herself included, have grappled with issues around self esteem and communication skills with members of the opposite sex. So such counseling might be useful on a voluntary basis for people wanting to exit that trade as well as for buyers.
I think that harm reduction here, as in drug addiction, is a band-aid for the short term. It is a valuable piece of the puzzle, but far more resources need to go into prevention and rehabilitation. On a societal basis this involves education, health, and the elimination of poverty. A tall order perhaps, but an idea whose time is overdue.
Thanks again for moderating and summarizing this discussion.
Barb Taylor