The Matter is Settled, But the Debate Rages On

As we can see from the ongoing debate in the United Kingdom, particularly following the well-publicized Ipswitch case, decriminalization by itself is not the end of the discussion. Here are two examples: a story about the difficulty that prostitutes have in getting help from the police when they become crime victims; and a CBS News ‘Letter from London’ telling of the inconsistent, if not contradictory, approach towards prostitution by the British authorities.

From CBS:

In December, the plight of the streetwalker was brought into sharp focus when five were killed in the city of Ipswich over the course of ten days. All were drug addicts who felt forced to turn a trick to get the next hit. While the killer was on the lose, there was much soul searching about how so many young women were abandoned by society and left to ply their trade on the streets — and look what happens to them when they do: they’re killed.

When the Ipswich Ripper was at large, the police even paid the women to stay safe and take a break. But then there was an arrest, the killing stopped and that was the end of the intellectual and political discussion. All the chest-beating and introspection, discarded like yesterday’s fish and chips wrapping. And the prostitutes went back to work, just as before.

Clearly, common sense and respect for human rights have the upper hand in the U.K. But long-standing social stigmas are not eliminated overnight, nor can they be legislated out of existence.

In Moscow, a Marketing Bonanza!

Geezus Christ on a crutch! Talk about your security leaks!

Ladies, tell me… what would you be willing to pay for a CD-ROM with the names and telephone numbers of 90,000 potential clients? I would say that a measly $55 for that kind of information is a steal!

In December, street stalls with pirated CDs started selling a digital database of addresses, telephones, and personal details of high-ranking clients of Moscow prostitutes, along with police materials of high-profile criminal cases and tapped telephone conversations. The database contains details of some 90,000 individuals and has a price tag of 1,500 rubles ($55). At least 1,000 CDs with the database are said to have been released. Yet some experts have questioned the fact that the Moscow police may be the source of the leak. Many believe this might be a mere publicity stunt by pirates seeking to rev up sales of other databases containing private information of Russian citizens.

The Universal Language

Some things are pretty much the same no matter where in the world you go. Here’s an example: an account of truckers and lot lizards in, of all places, Uganda.