BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Prostitute users face clampdown


Prostitute users face clampdown

Jacqui Smith says she is concerned about vulnerable women
Paying for sex with prostitutes who are controlled by pimps is set to become a criminal offence in England and Wales, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said.

Anyone who knowingly pays illegally trafficked women for sex could face rape charges, while kerb crawlers could face prosecution for a first offence.

There will also be more "naming and shaming" of kerb crawlers and new police powers to close brothels.

Buying or selling sex is legal but soliciting and pimping are not.

The changes bring the law in England and Wales more into line with Scotland, where anyone looking to pick up a prostitute faces a fine of up to £1,000.

Ms Smith said the government had considered banning paying for sex altogether but had ruled this out as there was no public support for such a move.

Instead, she said the government's efforts would be focused on reducing demand for trafficked women, who were "effectively held as slaves", and there would be a marketing campaign aimed at men who used prostitutes.

We want to send a clear message to force men to think twice before sex


She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "My proposal is that men should think twice about paying for sex. The reason they should do that is actually the majority of women don't want to be involved in prostitution."

She added: "Trafficked women don't have a choice, men do."

Ms Smith said up to 70% of prostitutes were controlled by pimps or had been trafficked into the country and the government was working closely with the police on plans to enforce the new laws.

But Nikki Adams, of the English Collective of Prostitutes, said the government had "made up" the number of women being trafficked into the UK and most prostitution was "consenting sex".

Brothel powers

Under the plan, the Home Office is planning to criminalise paying for sex with a woman "controlled for another person's gain".

Those convicted would get a fine and a criminal record.

Pleading ignorance of the circumstances under which a prostitute is working will not count as a defence.

Under the plans, people who pay a prostitute for sex knowing they have been trafficked against their will could be charged with rape.

Ms Smith will promise that kerb-crawling will be punishable the first time a person is caught doing it, rather than just persistent offenders.

The Home Office said police would get powers to close brothels