Harriet Harman visits POPPY Project to raise awareness of sexual exploitation » Housing » 24dash.com

Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality, today visited the POPPY Project and met with women who have been trafficked into sexual exploitation.

POPPY provides accommodation and support to trafficked women.

The visit coincides with new survey findings which show that more than half of men and women (58%) support making it illegal to pay for sex if it will help reduce women and children trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation.

The research also finds divergent attitudes between women and men. Whereas a clear majority of women find either paying for sex or selling it unacceptable (61% and 65% respectively, men are much more equivocal with just 42% and 40% respectively finding it unacceptable.

Over half questioned (60%) would feel ashamed if they found out a family member was working as a prostitute.

Interestingly the majority of men are much more likely to find it unacceptable for a female relative to sell sex (61%), yet they are more relaxed about a male relative paying for sex (50%). This difference is most stark amongst men over 55, who are the most accepting of buying sex in general (50 %), but just 21% of whom believe it is acceptable for a female relative to sell sex (compared to 11% of women aged over 55).

Young people are less likely than older people to find paying for sex or selling sex acceptable, (64% and 69% respectively).

Ms Harman said: "Our survey suggests that there are double standards out there:  Even amongst people who thought selling sex was a reasonable choice to make, the overwhelming majority would then find it unacceptable if a family member was working as a prostitute.

"While the majority of men and women agree that paying for sex should be made illegal if it will help stop the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation, women and young people are much more likely to find the whole idea of paying for sex unacceptable.

"We know that paying for sex fuels the demand for trafficked women and children, but we can't talk about tackling demand without challenging cultural attitudes more widely."

The Home Office is conducting a wide ranging review looking at what more the Government can do to tackle demand for prostitution, exploring both the legislative and non-legislative options.

The review started in January this year and is due to report later this year. As part of this Ministers have visited Sweden and The Netherlands to look at how trafficking is being tackled internationally.

The Government has established a dedicated UK Human Trafficking centre and is on course to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the end of 2008. It has already invested £5.8 million into the POPPY project, which was set up in 2003 and provides accommodation and a package of support to women that have been trafficked into sexual exploitation.  It has 35 bed spaces in houses throughout London.