New poster to tackle prostitution
Perhaps not the most direct or effective method but the British government has launched it’s new campaign to inform men using women engaged in prostitution that they may be breaking the law.
So there we have it.
The poster, which will be placed in gents’ toilets in pubs and clubs, will be supported by an online advertising campaign. It shows a brothel entrance with the caption: “Walk in a punter. Walk out a rapist.” It also urges men who discover a woman they believe may have been trafficked: “If you’re man enough, call Crimestoppers.”
From BBC News
Seems they might have forgotten this research which found men often were aware women were not fully consenting or had been trafficked and still proceeded to have sex (i.e. rape) them.
Posted by Louise Livesey on 6 May 2008, at 10:22 AM | Comments (7)
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Jennifer-Ruth said:
At least they are actually calling it what it is for once - rape.
You hardly ever see rape in conjunction with prostitution (a lot of people don't even believe a prostitute can be raped). So, maybe the poster will have a wider effect than just on the men who use prostitutes. Maybe it will make people think and challenge their assumptions about prostitution.
(I know that is terribly "glass is half-full and all clouds have a silver-lining" but I can't help but try to be positive)
Posted on 06 May 2008 at 10:59 AM
Jane P said:
I'm quite heartened by this campaign. It may make men who persist in seeing prostitution as a simple business transaction, think twice. Or maybe I'm being naive. But I'm glad the government are targetting the men who use prostitutes instead of going after the women.
Posted on 06 May 2008 at 11:09 AM
Anne Onne said:
At least it's a start. A small one, but this is a long fight after all. Let's turn this around to focus on the men doing the raping, rather than the ones beign raped, for a change.
Posted on 06 May 2008 at 11:26 AM
JENNIFER DREW said:
Is the male John invisible then? Because I can't see which gender this poster is aimed at. Oh I've forgotten we mustn't place accountability or responsibility for rape and sexual violence against women with men must we. That explains why a male image is not in poster. I similarily hope that any posters advising women not to drink to excess and putting themselves at risk of being raped by a male also invisibilise women - otherwise this would be blatant gender discrimination.
Posted on 06 May 2008 at 8:07 PM
Lorna Gregory said:
I have to say I think this poster is a wonderful first step.
Maybe they'll start prosecuting men who sleep with trafficked women or even better all men who use prostitutes.
Posted on 06 May 2008 at 8:58 PM
Shea said:
Can I be ungenerous and say I don't think this will change anything. The type of man looking for prostitutes isn't interested in consensual sex, or he would be going to a bar or club and face rejection. Here he believes his money negates any opinion on the part of the prostitutes.
I doubt any man using his position of power and priviledge to subdue a woman would be genuinely interested in her welfare after he is finished. Maybe I'm just too cynical.
We need to criminalise those soliciting the services of prostitutes whilst making prostitution itself legal. Lets shift the balance of power in favour of the most vulnerable.
Posted on 06 May 2008 at 9:24 PM
Anne Onne said:
Shea, I agree. Maybe we can hope that giving more visibility to this might change the general populace's mind, as opposed to frequent jonhs. By which I mean any kind of discussion about an issue so ignored is a step in the right direction. It probably won't stop johns doing anything, but hopefully it might help change how other people see men who use prostitutes. Because at the moment, it's practically seen as a normal, consensual thing. *sigh*
Posted on 07 May 2008 at 11:18 AM