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Prostitution law plea rejected by Scottish Parliament | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A plea to fast-track a law making it an offence to pay for sex has been rejected at Holyrood. | |
The proposal, by Labour MSP Rhoda Grant, must now go out to consultation, instead of taking a quicker route through the Scottish Parliament. | |
Ms Grant argued a previous attempt to pass such a law meant the issues had already been aired. | |
The Scottish Parliament's justice committee rejected the MSP's request, in a vote taken in private. | |
Ms Grant said that by criminalising those who use prostitutes through her proposed Purchase of Sex Bill, demand for prostitution would be reduced. | |
A similar proposal in 2010 was opposed by ministers, who feared it would push the sex trade underground. | A similar proposal in 2010 was opposed by ministers, who feared it would push the sex trade underground. |
Critics of such legislation believe that making workers in the sex trade less visible to the authorities would place them in greater danger. | Critics of such legislation believe that making workers in the sex trade less visible to the authorities would place them in greater danger. |
Current laws already aim to crack down on soliciting and loitering. | |
However Janine, who described herself has having formerly worked as a prostitute, said she supported moves to criminalise the men who paid women for sex. | |
She told BBC Scotland's Call Kaye programme: "I agree that men should be targeted because I worked in a sauna once where the police came in. | |
"The guys there all just got up an walked out while we all got charged." | |
Making the argument that her bill needed no public consultation, Ms Grant said: "If you have a consultation and you're influenced by the outcome of that consultation, and that then means you have to go to have a further consultation, you would actually never get anything done." | |
MSPs on the justice committee did not agree with the request, and the proposals will now have to undergo a period of consultation, as is normal with draft Holyrood legislation. |