Prostitutes selling sex should be decriminalised but buying sex should be made illegal, according to 40 entities including the Church's Justice and Peace Commission.

In a joint submission to a public consultation on the proposed reform for the legalisation of prostitution and human trafficking, the entities said there were three goals that were complementary and could not be enacted separately. They were also essential for the human dignity of the victims to be safeguarded.

The position is endorsed by 40 different entities. 

Prostitutes should not be criminalised or victimised further for the abuse they endured, they said, as most sex workers were caught up in prostitution against their will and were the main victims of a broken system which enslaved them.

Buying sex was not like buying a service so it should be made a criminal offence. It was an exploitation of other human beings where the human person was reduced to an object to satisfy one's desires. This degrading transaction was a form of abuse in itself and participating in it often aided and abetted other forms of criminality such as human trafficking and slavery.   

Lastly, the church entities called for exit services, explaining that many of those caught up in this industry were not able to leave because of fear, and of the lack of opportunities for rehabilitation. 

“A comprehensive range of legal, health, financial, educational and social services needed to be offered to support those in prostitution, enable them to recover from their abuse and build a life outside it,” they said. 

They further said that changes needed to be accompanied with the recognition that prostitution was a form of violence and violence could never be regulated or legalised but could only be outlawed.

“The commission insists that this premise needs to light the whole process and that prostitution cannot be considered like any other lucrative industry.” 

The two Church entities urged the government to listen to their concerns and integrate the proposals in the new legislation being drafted. 

“It is of utmost importance that the state prioritises the human person, in particular those who find themselves in a vulnerable position prone to exploitation and abuse. This principle should come before any possible economic gain or the demands of particular industries,” they said.