New Zealand was the first country in the world to decriminalise all sectors of sex work. Previous criminal or civil laws governing sex work and related offences were revoked in 2003 and sex workers became subject to the same controls and regulations as any other occupational group. This book provides an in-depth look at New Zealand's experience of decriminalisation. It provides first hand views and experience on this policy from the point of view of those involved in the sex industry, as well as people involved in developing, implementing, researching and reviewing the policies. Valuable comparisons pre- and post-decriminalisation are made, based on research in the sex industry prior to decriminalisation. Presenting an example of radical legal reform in an area of current policy debate this book will be of interest to academics, researchers and postgraduates in criminal justice, political science, sociology, gender studies and social policy as well as policy makers and activists.
Author(s): Lisa Fitzgerald, Catherine Healy, Gillian Abel
Year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 280
TAKING THE CRIME OUT OF SEX WORK......Page 2
Contents......Page 4
List of tables and figures......Page 5
Notes on contributors......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 9
1. Introduction......Page 10
Regulation of sex work......Page 11
A segmented industry......Page 18
Outline of the book......Page 20
Part One: Lead-up to the passing of the 2003 Prostitution Reform Act......Page 32
Introduction......Page 34
Explorers, whalers and early colonisation......Page 35
Gold diggers and soiled doves......Page 37
Concern about the ‘social evil’......Page 39
Control and regulation......Page 41
Feminist campaigns and women’s rights......Page 43
The sex industry in the 20th century......Page 45
Why the PRA? Why here? Why now?......Page 48
Background......Page 54
Becoming a government-funded organisation......Page 55
Expansion......Page 58
The media......Page 59
The push for law reform......Page 60
Conclusion......Page 63
Introduction......Page 66
Creating awareness and building support for law reform......Page 68
Conceptualising a model of law reform......Page 69
Campaign building......Page 71
Facing an increasingly obsessive and effective opposition......Page 72
Explaining the proposed law......Page 73
The parliamentary process......Page 74
Reflection on the campaign and its outcome – Tim Barnett......Page 75
Reflection on the campaign and its outcome – NZPC......Page 78
Regulation of sex work in New Zealand prior to 2003......Page 84
Purpose of the PRA......Page 85
Health and safety requirements......Page 86
Protections for sex workers......Page 88
Powers of entry......Page 89
Operator certificates......Page 90
Conclusion......Page 91
Introduction......Page 94
Arguing against the legislation......Page 97
Arguing for reform......Page 101
Conclusion......Page 107
Part Two: Implementation and impact of the 2003 Prostitution Reform Act: the first five years......Page 112
Background......Page 114
Prostitution Law Review Committee......Page 117
Task one: assessing the numbers of sex workers in 2003......Page 119
Task two: reviewing the operation of the Act......Page 120
Summary of findings of the Review Committee......Page 122
Conclusion......Page 124
8. Brothel operators’ and support agencies’ experiences of decriminalisation......Page 128
Methodology......Page 129
Brothel operators and small owner-operated brothels......Page 130
Content of interviews......Page 131
Level of support for the PRA......Page 132
Welfare, health and safety......Page 134
Conditions of employment......Page 138
System of certification......Page 140
Leaving the sex industry......Page 141
Persons under 18 years......Page 142
Monitoring and enforcement......Page 145
Conclusion......Page 147
The continuing role for local regulation of brothels and the business of prostitution......Page 150
Regulation of the location of brothels......Page 151
Regulation of signage......Page 158
Land use regulation under the 1991 Resource Management Act......Page 160
Generic law-making powers and approval processes......Page 164
Conclusion......Page 165
Introduction......Page 168
Community-based participatory research......Page 169
Study design......Page 171
Media analysis......Page 178
Introduction......Page 182
Public health authorities and their role in the PRA......Page 183
Initial public health responses to the PRA......Page 186
Interviews with regulatory officers......Page 188
Local bylaws under the PRA and public health......Page 197
Public health submissions on local bylaws......Page 199
Conclusion......Page 202
Introduction......Page 206
Background......Page 207
Analysis of print media stories surrounding the implementation of the PRA, 2003-06......Page 209
Sex workers’ experiences of the media reporting of the PRA......Page 213
Discussion......Page 218
Conclusion......Page 220
Introduction......Page 226
Risk to sexual health......Page 227
Risk of violence and exploitation......Page 230
Risks to emotional health......Page 239
Conclusion......Page 243
14. Decriminalisation and stigma......Page 248
Felt stigma......Page 250
Courtesy stigma......Page 253
Enacted stigma......Page 256
Sex work as performance......Page 257
Conclusion......Page 264
15. Conclusion......Page 268
Index......Page 274
