Amnesty Intl. votes in support of decriminalizing prostitution

Amnesty International at its International Council Meeting in Dublin, Ireland today Tuesday August 11th voted in support of policy calling for decriminalization of prostitution despite strong opposition from religious leaders and celebrities.

Amnesty International's secretary-general Salil Shetty in a statement said,

"This is a historic day for Amnesty International. It was not a decision that was reached easily or quickly and we thank all our members from around the world, as well as all the many groups we consulted, for their important contribution to this debate.

They have helped us reach an important decision that will shape this area of our human rights work going forward. Sex workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the world who in most instances face constant risk of discrimination, violence and abuse"

                                   Official Public Statement from Amnesty International

At its International Council Meeting in Dublin, Ireland, Amnesty International adopted a resolution outlining principles that will lead to a new global policy to protect and uphold the human rights of sex workers .

The principles seek to protect people of all genders who are involved in the sex trade - and who face deep marginalization and discrimination in countries around the world - from violence and other human rights abuses. The resolution directs Amnesty International's Board to adopt a policysupporting the full. decriminalization of consensual adult sex work, while continuing to advocate for full and effective enforcement of laws and policies to prevent and redress

violence, trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children.

These principles include the obligation of governments to protect the human rights of sex workers, including women’s rights, gender equality, LGBTI rights, children’s rights, the rights of

Indigenous peoples, non-discrimination, access to justice, health, security of the person, the right to a livelihood, and protection from exploitation. The resolution also obliges states to ensure that laws and policies do not contribute to further risk to sex workers by calling on states to "review and repeal laws that make sex workers vulnerable to human rights violations,

but also refrain from enacting such laws."

The principles also highlight that states have an obligation to ensure that the economic, social and cultural rights of all people are upheld so that no one is forced into sex work, or is unable to leave the sex trade, because of economic pressure. The resolution recognizes and respects the agency of sex workers to articulate their own experiences and define the most appropriate solutions to ensure their own welfare and safety.

Amnesty International has long expressed concern over the high levels of violence facing sex workers in Canada, especially the heightened risks faced by the disproportionate numbers of Indigenous people in the sex trade. We have called on government and law enforcement to ensure that their actions reduce, rather than increase, this risk. The issue of harm reduction was at the heart of the Supreme Court decision in the Bedford case which struck down Canada's previous prostitution laws. This is one of the issues that Amnesty International will review once a new global policy is adopted.