Bulgaria to Ban Prostitution

[Frodo]

Joining Trend, Bulgaria Won’t Allow Prostitution

By NICHOLAS KULISH
Published: October 6, 2007

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Oct. 5 — The Bulgarian government, which had been planning to legalize prostitution, abruptly reversed itself on Friday, part of a broad trend in Europe to impose bans as a way to combat sexual trafficking.

“We should be very definite in saying that selling flesh is a crime,” Rumen Petkov, the interior minister, said at a forum on human trafficking on Friday, also attended by the president, the minister of justice and the United States ambassador to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is only the latest European country to shift its approach to prostitution. Finland last year made it illegal to buy sex from women brought in by traffickers, and Norway is on the verge of imposing an outright ban on purchasing sex.

Even in Amsterdam, the city government has proposed shutting down more than a quarter of the famed storefront brothels in the red-light district. And in the Czech Republic and the three Baltic republics, attempts at legalization similar to the Bulgarian one have been turned back.

Prostitution now exists in a legal gray area in Bulgaria, a small but important country for the European sex trade. Women are sent abroad by the thousands each year to work as prostitutes, often against their will, and many others are forced into prostitution within the country’s borders.

Opponents of legal prostitution argue that illegal operations flourish in environments where paying for sex is permitted, and that human trafficking follows the demand. The goal of prohibiting sex-for-money is to reduce the demand, and thus curtail trafficking if not stamp it out entirely.

“It has turned around,” said Gunilla Ekberg, formerly a special adviser to the Swedish government on the subject and now a co-executive director of the nonprofit Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-International. “There’s a recognition, both politically and in civil society, that Bulgaria is not going to be a haven for prostitution.”

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Why do the Bulgarians hate freedom?

[opebo]

Why do the Bulgarians hate freedom?

Most people everywhere hate freedom, Straha.

[minionofmidas]

So they'll just go here to be prostitutes.

[opebo]

So they'll just go here to be prostitutes.

You don't think Germany will join the social control bandwagon any time soon?

[minionofmidas]

No. Mostly because the police have understood that they can keep prostitutes in the place and pimp gangs in power even under the current setup. Although they probably couldn't if they didn't have the pretext of illegal immigration.

[John Dibble]

Frankly I don't have a problem with prostitution in and of itself if the deal is completely consensual. What the government should concentrate on is cracking down on those who force women to be prostitutes.

[GMantis]

Frankly I don't have a problem with prostitution in and of itself if the deal is completely consensual. What the government should concentrate on is cracking down on those who force women to be prostitutes.

You're completely right on this. The only kind of prostitution that can be tolerated is the one where prostitution is permitted, but pimping is forbidden. The recent backers for legalisation of prostitution in Bulgaria were business interests in the tourist who hoped to cash in on Bulgaria's cheapness - exactly the kind of prostitution that shouldn't be tolerated.
And prostitution was never legal, so the title is wrong.

[opebo]

Frankly I don't have a problem with prostitution in and of itself if the deal is completely consensual. What the government should concentrate on is cracking down on those who force women to be prostitutes.

You're completely right on this. The only kind of prostitution that can be tolerated is the one where prostitution is permitted, but pimping is forbidden. The recent backers for legalisation of prostitution in Bulgaria were business interests in the tourist who hoped to cash in on Bulgaria's cheapness - exactly the kind of prostitution that shouldn't be tolerated.

Why the hell shouldn't cheapness be tolerated?  You mean in a 'minimum wage' sense?  I think it is safe to assume this profession pays more than the minimum wage in most countries.

As for 'pimping', outright coercion and violence by unauthorized individuals is forbidden in all societies and contexts, so why the special focus here?  The only reason prostitution is prone to pimping is that it is an illegal and socially unaccepted activity.

[GMantis]

Frankly I don't have a problem with prostitution in and of itself if the deal is completely consensual. What the government should concentrate on is cracking down on those who force women to be prostitutes.

You're completely right on this. The only kind of prostitution that can be tolerated is the one where prostitution is permitted, but pimping is forbidden. The recent backers for legalisation of prostitution in Bulgaria were business interests in the tourist who hoped to cash in on Bulgaria's cheapness - exactly the kind of prostitution that shouldn't be tolerated.

Why the hell shouldn't cheapness be tolerated?  You mean in a 'minimum wage' sense?  I think it is safe to assume this profession pays more than the minimum wage in most countries.

As for 'pimping', outright coercion and violence by unauthorized individuals is forbidden in all societies and contexts, so why the special focus here?  The only reason prostitution is prone to pimping is that it is an illegal and socially unaccepted activity.

What I meant is that these business interests - mostly in the tourist industry - know that Bulgaria is a very cheap tourist country and hope to exploit on this by mvoing the prostitutes from the sidewalks to the hotels.
About the pimping, legalising prostitution will increase demand, which will most likely increase the women forced or trafficked into prostitution. I'm not under the  illusion that the government will be able to enforce any laws aimed to prevent this.
You are quite right that prostitution pays far more than the pathetic minimum wage (about 130$ a month), but prostitution is a very harmfull activity and shouldn't be encouraged by the state.

[opebo]

About the pimping, legalising prostitution will increase demand, which will most likely increase the women forced or trafficked into prostitution.[/quite]

Isn't it just possible that women simply want to make money, GMantis?

Don't get me wrong, I understand that all employment is coerced in a capitalist society, but why do you focus on prostitution in this way?  Do you imagine that sex is uniquely bad as a form of toil?

[GMantis]

About the pimping, legalising prostitution will increase demand, which will most likely increase the women forced or trafficked into prostitution.[/quite]

Isn't it just possible that women simply want to make money, GMantis?

Don't get me wrong, I understand that all employment is coerced in a capitalist society, but why do you focus on prostitution in this way?  Do you imagine that sex is uniquely bad as a form of toil?

I'm actually against other kinds of work which as are harmfull as prostitution. I don't think I made my comments clear enough. I would tolerate prostitution which is tightly regulated and the workers are protected from abuse. But this isn't possible in my country at the present and in many other countries (including Thailand).
I would approve if it was in a developed country like Germany or the US.