Page 4857 - Week 16 - Monday, 25 November 1991
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MR STEVENSON: The mere fact of having a condom will not make the difference. Mrs Nolan said, "We know that". Yet there is a suggestion to license prostitution and brothels, and thereby, as we have seen around the world over the last 100 years, encourage the process. It certainly will not discourage people from becoming prostitutes, or from setting up brothels.
Mrs Nolan: How are you going to get rid of them, Dennis?
MR STEVENSON: Mrs Nolan said, "How do you get rid of them, Dennis?". I thought I just spent about five minutes going through various ways that the law could be used, and the police forces could be used, to reduce the level of prostitution. But let me tell you how you do not get rid of them. You do not give it the imprimatur of government and say, "We think this is okay". You will never get rid of anything like that, be it brothels, X-rated videos or anything else. I have explained long and hard in this Assembly that we have seen around the world that, when one does clamp down on pornography, one reduces the level of violence against women and children. Who here would suggest that prostitution does not degrade women? In this day and age, with the concern for women's values, what could be more degrading than prostitution - unless it is pornography, or both of them together?
We hear the suggestion that women are voluntarily becoming prostitutes. That is one of the ways in which someone might become a prostitute. There are others. Some are driven to it, not only by greed or the desire for the high rewards that can be made, but because they come under dire financial stresses in recessions. This has been shown around the world. People then become prostitutes in order to make money to exist. Also, other people are coerced into the activity in one way or another; and no amount of denying that will refute the fact that history has shown us that.
Debate (on motion by Dr Kinloch) adjourned.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion (by Mr Berry) agreed to:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Assembly adjourned at 5.40 pm
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