Prostitutes deserve justice and hope

REPORTS that people working in the sex trade in Wales are “habitually” raped should force the nation to confront the depth of suffering experienced by some of our most vulnerable citizens.

It is right that Matt Jukes, the new Chief Constable of South Wales, has set out his determination to ensure that those working in prostitution are not denied justice.

The strength of a justice system – and a democracy – is that anyone who is a victim of crime and cruelty will receive help and redress.

We have just marked the centenary of women gaining the right to vote. This has spurred a renewed commitment to ensure that women are no longer the victims of prejudice or discrimination.

There is a long way to go before justice and equality are secured across society, but a priority should be helping those women who are in profound physical danger.

It is scandalous that our cities are home to men who feel they can prey on prostitutes. These individuals deserve no place in our society and should be behind bars.

If Mr Jukes’ leadership leads to the arrest and conviction of such predators – and ensures that others do not take their place – then he will have performed a valuable service to Wales.

It is disturbing to contemplate the chain of events which leads to someone, male or female, selling access to their body to strangers. As the chief constable noted, sex workers are often victims of sexual violence and may have substance misuse issues.

At a time when we want to see our daughters and our sons inspired and empowered to chase ambitions previous generations would have thought unthinkable it is deeply sad to see individuals pushed into positions of extreme risk. Mr Jukes described it as a “tragedy” that women have felt they “had to make that choice”.

The criminal justice system cannot provide all the help that these individuals need by itself. Traumatised individuals require counselling, support, access to the best healthcare and safe housing, and every effort must be made to offer opportunities to gain new skills.

We should not only seek to ensure that those who have committed outrages are brought to justice, we must ensure that those who suffered brutality know that real help is there, if they want it, as they write the next chapter in their lives.

Prostitution has been part of society for centuries and will endure in Wales in different forms. But we should do our utmost to ensure that people do not feel coerced into this way of life – and that those who are in the sex trade know that they have just as great a claim to justice as any of us.

Mr Jukes described the need to “provide an environment where these woman are as safe as possible and the wider community aren’t impacted by that trade”, noting that work needs to be done to address the issue of “discarded condoms and needles”. This is a tough challenge but justice and renewal are values which should unlock creativity and compassion.