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Campaign flags up penalties for kerb-crawlers |
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Monday, 14 January 2008 |
Kerb-crawlers now face arrest, a criminal record, a major fine and even the possibility of losing their right to drive, reiterated Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill today.
The Scottish Government has launched a publicity campaign to highlight
new laws that make it illegal to attempt to buy sex on Scottish streets
- 40 men have already been charged with soliciting for sex since the
law was changed.
The campaign, supported by an enhanced enforcement campaign, comprises
posters, mobile billboards and materials in pubs, and highlights the
legal and social costs of kerb crawling and prostitution.
A Scottish opinion poll commissioned for the campaign found that most
people were aware that kerb crawling is a crime - although one in eight
respondents either believed the practice was legal or didn't know the
law.
More than a third of respondents said the threat of being 'named and
shamed' was the most effective deterrent, while 14 per cent felt the
potential £1,000 fine, and 12 per cent being found out by friends and
family, was the main disincentive.
The Scottish Government is currently working with Westminster to ensure
that in future courts will have the power to disqualify offenders from
driving.
MacAskill said: "We are making it clear that prostitution damages the
individuals caught up in selling sex and the communities involved. And
that those whose demand fuels this relentlessly corrosive and abusive
'trade' now face the full force of the law.
"We must also protect the wider community. Women should be free to go
about their day-to-day business without being harassed by
kerb-crawlers, and children should be able to play freely without
stumbling across the detritus of prostitution.
"While ensuring the law now deals with both parties, clearly we must
support the women involved - most of whom struggle with substance
misuse and, or poverty, and many of whom are forced into prostitution
by pimps or abusive partners.
"So we are supporting local authorities and other agencies to work with
the women to help them take routes out - out of the sex 'trade', out of
poverty and substance misuse and into legal, safe employment, into a
new life of hope."
MacAskill added: "To those who have previously bought sex or who are
considering it, I say don't. Don't try to convince yourself that it
does not harm the women involved - it does.
"Don't try to convince yourself it does not harm the communities where
women are harassed and families refuse to let their children play in
the streets and parks.
"And don't fool yourself that your actions and their consequences will
not harm the very things closest to you - your family, friendships and
employment. It will."
Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson, who leads on prostitution for
the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, added:
"Clearly street prostitution won't be eradicated overnight but we're
very encouraged by the positive and immediate impact our efforts seem
to be yielding across Scotland. Some 40 men have been charged with
offences relating to loitering or soliciting within the first 12 weeks
of enforcement.
"Our front-line officers, partners and community groups are reporting a
fall in the number of sellers and purchasers, the streets are quieter
and there is no doubt that the enforcement activity is already having a
positive impact on communities."
No one has commented on this article.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 14 January 2008 )
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