Criminalizing prostitution is useless

Editor, It’s good to know that the officials of the National Commission for the Fight against AIDS (CNLS) are living in the real world, unlike their colleagues in the Parliament. The laws that make prostitution illegal are untenable. They are untenable because they cannot ever be enforced. Prostitution is called the ‘oldest profession known to man’ for a reason; it has survived despite societies attempt to do away with it. Making this practice a crime is counterproductive. It makes criminals of the unfortunate women who are forced to sell their bodies for money and the policemen, who are forced to arrest them, could have been taking thieves, rapists and murderers off our streets. All this I’m saying isn’t factoring in the threat of HIV/AIDS. The CNLS official reiterated that criminalizing and denying the existence of sex workers is a threat to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. How can you expect to fight HIV/AIDS if you are criminalizing prostitution? How shall you reach out to them if they are seen as ‘criminals’? And if the sex workers aren’t educated and taught how to protect themselves and their clients, then the HIV rate will not continue decreasing. Kenneth GastonNyamirambo

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Criminalizing prostitution is useless