This week I watched incredulously as it emerged that the prostitution reform technical committee within the Equality Parliamentary Secretariat, which is in the process of finalising its report on decriminalising prostitution, is devoid of any experts in the field.

If there was ever any issue, which garnered wide support and brought together people from across the liberal, progressive and conservative divides, it was this subject, leading to the creation of a National Coalition on Human Trafficking and Prostitution last year. 

Embracing more than 45 organisations that work with and for women’s rights, together with experts in the field, this coalition presented evidence-based recommendations to the government on the way forward, and focused on providing victims with alternatives and care.

So, it was a huge surprise to discover that this technical committee was barren of any of the coalition’s experts and representatives from the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality. 

The issue of prostitution and trafficking is not simply a women’s issue — even though the majority of victims are women — but a human rights issue as it affects the very dignity of human beings. It is an issue that should concern all society.  

Do we want a society where people are empowered by money to do whatever they like with others’ dignity?

It was encouraging to hear the Prime Minister this week stress that this reform was not about enticing people to go into prostitution but geared to help them out of it safely.

Let us hope that this will guide the technical committee’s decisions because if this legislation is being driven by a libertarian ideology, then I am even more concerned.

Essentially, libertarianism is about minimal government intervention and society being driven by individual freedom. If this is the ideology behind decriminalising prostitution then we may face a number of other issues, which until now, the State has stood steadfast against.

Let me take an example. Nobody will overtly support or promote precarious employment, yet, we know there are many individuals who, because of the dire situation they find themselves in, have no option but to accept precarious work. 

In this context, a key question arises: should the State legislate to facilitate precarious work for those who choose to accept such conditions? Or, should the State legislate to make precarious work illegal and to provide statutory provisions and services to eradicate precarious work?

Applying this argument to prostitution, the logical conclusion should be clear to government.  

Individual government members have argued against the criminalisation of buying a woman’s (or a man’s) body for sexual services on the basis that the State should allow any individual to voluntarily sell their bodies for the sexual pleasure of anyone willing to pay for such a service.

The fundamental flaw with such thinking is that it only considers one side of the relationship. While arguing that individuals should be allowed to voluntarily sell their body for prostitution, it conveniently ignores the question of whether anyone should have the right to buy someone’s else body for their sexual pleasure because they have the power and the money to do so.

This is especially important to consider when most of those in prostitution are not there out of their own free will and their options are very limited. 

A society that allows a person to think that they have a right to buy or rent another person's body for their own sexual gratification is far from promoting human dignity. 

Do we want a society where people are empowered by money to do whatever they like with others’ dignity? Is this the thinking we want our children to grow up in? Is this the way we want to project our country to others?

Countries that have already gone down this path have realised that they have lost their moral compass and control over the situation and are trying to change course. If there are already other countries that can provide us with a tried and tested better model, why are we attempting to reinvent a dysfunctional wheel?

I make an appeal to our decision-makers to be rational and to rise above party politics. For once, let us have a civil discussion where we listen to one another — especially the experts on the ground — to ensure our society's best interests.
 
President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is a member of the National Coalition on Human Trafficking and Prostitution.