Legalising prostitution

South Africa is presently toying with the idea of legalising adult
prostitution. The discussion document is available on the South African Law Reform Commission website (SALRC), for those who are interested.

The discussion document presents four options for the law concerning prostitution:

1. Prostitution is completely illegal (as it is presently)
2. Prostitution is partially illegal (where it will be a criminal act for men to use prostitutes and running brothels will be criminal, pimping women will be criminal, but the prostitutes themselves will not be criminals)
3. Prostitution is completely legal
4. Prostitution will be regulated by government

I am not legally trained so I am probably not getting as much out of the document as I could be. And perhaps readers of this will have insight I don't have.

But for me, the thought of legalising prostitution is completely alarming. For moral reasons, including the fact that prostitution is primarily the brazen exploitation of poor women. People sometimes try to sell this as being about freedom of choice for women, being able to choose how to use their bodies. I might take that seriously if prostitutes were middle class women who decided to have a go at prostitution because it allows them to make some extra money to spoil themselves with, and still be at home with their children during the day. But thats a ludicrous thought, isn't it? Because women don't WANT to be prostitutes. No little girl grows up wanting to be a prostitute (unless she has watched Pretty Women, and then she actually wants to be a prostitute so that Richard Gere will come and save her from prostitution.)

Prostitutes end up being prostitutes primarily because they don't see any other options for providing for themselves or their families.

A friend of mine grew up in what I suppose is a semi-red-light district in my home town. She says that she was befriended by the son of a nearby brothel owner. Looking back at it now, she says she suspects it was a strategic move on the part of the brother owner, trying to draw her in. Thankfully she moved out of that neibourhood when she was still quite young. Now she is doing a postgraduate degree at university, loving what she is doing, and is one of my heros. Is very involved in education, she works with learner representative councils in township schools. It wouldn't suprise me at all if she ends up being the next minister of education :)

But she could have ended up as a prostitute, had things turned out differently. Isn't that a horrible thought? But if we make prostitution legal, we are saying that it is a legitimate choice. Imagine career counselors in poor schools recommending girls become prostitutes? Imagine them recommending *your* little girl becomes a prostitute? "Well, academics isn't your strong point and you aren't really gifted with people either. You don't have obvious leadership qualities... you aren't gifted with your hands. You aren't sporty. Have you considered prostitution?"
No no no!!!

One argument for legalising prostitution is that because prostitution is illegal, prostitutes are vulnerable to abuse and brutality by policeman. But that is a red herring, to my mind. Corruption in the police force should definitely be dealt with, but that is an issue on its own.

And this issue of legalising prostitution before 2010 - are we inviting foreign men to take advantage of poor South African women?

My first preference would be for the second option above (partially illegal), followed by the first option of prostitution remaining fully illegal.

But the more I read about it, the more angry I get. That we are seriously considering decriminalising prostitution entirely. Even setting up government bodies to regulate prostitution - it is like something out of Terry Pratchett.

I could write more, but let me just leave you with some choice quotes from the discussion document.

The SALRC is inviting comments on the discussion document, closing 30 June. So I encourage you to send in comments. There is an interesting article entitled "Myths and Facts about Decriminalization of Prostitution" on the Family Policy Institute website (here) if you want more information.

Quotes from the Discussion Document:

"Research shows that irrespective of the legal option [options 1,2,3 or 4 above] followed, women and girls in prostitution have a mortality rate 40 times higher than the national average."

"The latter study also found that it is not a job that the prostitutes like doing, or would choose to do should their range of options have been wider."

"Many are school drop-outs from abusive families, often bearing children from
adolescent relationships. Many have kids and grandparents to take care of. They face real financial pressures. But given their backgrounds, their options are limited. They can work as check-out girls at supermarkets; hang up clothing at retail stores; work as domestics; do waitressing; dress hair; sit at home; etc. or they can sell sex."

"The female prostitute has been the social outcast, the male patron has been accepted or ignored. She is visible and denounced, her existence tainted by her activity. He is faceless, a mere ingredient in her offence rather than a criminal in his own right, who returns to respectability after the encounter. In terms of the sexual double standards prevalent in our society, he has often been regarded either as having given in to temptation, or as having done the sort of thing that men do."

"According to this research, men [believe that they] have the absolute right to have their sexual needs met whenever and wherever they want."

"Some responded that all women would have to function as prostitutes in order to stop the institution of prostitution."

"Prostitutes do not view prostitution as a long-term career choice and at some point most prostitutes wish to leave prostitution."

And a quote that made me very sad:
"Nearly 40% of all black prostitutes interviewed had migrated to the major cities from the Eastern Cape."

Hope - a question

A question for anyone who reads this:

I'm pretty optimistic about the future of our country, I think we've done pretty well recently. So I'm hopeful about the future. And I like being a South African. Sure we have problems, but on this earth there will always be problems. And I rather like being alive in the problem-fixing stage :)

So bottom line: I am hopeful.

But from reading friend's facebook notes and listening to people speak about SA, it seems that there are also lots of people who have almost lost hope entirely. People who are angry and afraid and feel they have no stake in the future of the country.

Which I sortof battle to get. I know Joburg is a scary world to live in, so sometimes people from there are perpetually freaked out. Which obviously takes its toll.

But outside of that?

Are you hopeful? Or not?
Any thoughts on the matter?

Heathrow

I was in Heathrow airport in London for the first time last week. Severely sleep deprived and lugging about a back pack with a laptop, two external hard drives, all the electronic bits and pieces that go with a laptop and two external hard drives, various adaptor plugs, a change of clothes and some other bits of pieces.

I had about a nine hour wait in Heathrow, and I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I was nervous to sleep in a public place, especially with my laptop and other works stuff on me. It just felt too vulnerable.

Anyway, eventually I really just couldn't keep awake. And I saw so many people sprawled flat on airport chairs, suitcases next to them, fast asleep. So I just bundled all my stuff into my backpack and slept on it.

But the reason I am telling you about Heathrow is actually that I wanted to tell you a funny story that happened there...

Before I passed out on my backpack, I went to the bathroom.

And it was pretty gross.

Not unlike the kind of bathroom you'd find at a petrol station on a road trip. And actually, on the scaffy side of that even. Water all over the basins. Toilets without proper seats. Toilet paper gunk on the basins. Generally it all looked like it really needed to be cleaned.

And in my sleep deprived state I smiled to myself and thought "how shocking, this is supposed to be a first world country!! And I am scared of touching anything in the bathroom!!"

I was walking out of the bathroom thinking this, and as I walked I overheard a conversation between two ladies in front of me, with what sounded like Nigerian accents. They were also complaining about the state of the bathrooms.

One of the ladies obviously heard me mentally agreeing with her, because she turned to me and the three of us commiserated about the dirty British airport bathrooms!

:)



(The picture at the top is of the luggage trolleys at the Chicago airport - you have to pay $3 to use them! As if! Although I eventually crumbled and payed the money, after ages spent wandering looking for my bus)

Youth Day

It is exam time at my university at the moment. A couple of years ago the university started using new exam scheduling software, and exams were inadvertently scheduled for Youth Day. Which I didn't notice at all actually - I'm a postgrad, I don't write exams, so I don't bother looking at the timetable.

I first heard about it when SASCO started making noise about it. And the university were digging their heels in an refusing to do anything about it.

I don't get very angry often But on this occasion I did, and before I knew it I had sent an angry email to the Dean of Students. Which the Dean of Students then forwarded on to the Registrar. And I spent a few days being afraid I would be expelled. (Silly of me!)

Anyway, to to commemorate Youth Day 2009, here is the email:


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear ...

When I first heard that exams were being written on Youth Day, I was shocked. Tven then I assumed it must have been a mistake in the timetable planning, but nonetheless I was shocked that there was no announcement that it would be changed, no apparent remorse on the part of the university. Just an announcement from the SRC that if people writing exams on that day had a problem with it, they should contact them.

To me, this was shocking. I found it completely disrespectful, belittling our country's history. This is not just an issue of a few people who happen to be writing that day, its an issue for all of us. And a fundamental issue, to my mind, is that the university seems not to care at all.

Then the timetable changed, so we heard, because SASCO made their voice heard? And I was glad. And now I hear again that people are writing exams on Youth Day.

Now I understand that the reason exams were initially scheduled for that day was a mistake. I understand that now some of the students whose exams were scheduled for that day might prefer for them to be on that day, because if they are changed at this stage they will have awful timetables.

I understand this. I sympathize with the universities mistake - an easy oversight, new scheduling software, I heard? I sympathize with the students who now would prefer to write on Youth Day - better write then than suffer with a terrible timetable.

But I am horrified that it came to this. I am horrified at Rhodes silence, when the least we could expect is an apology. I am horrified that people had to make a fuss not to write exams on Youth Day. And I'm very disappointed
that Rhodes seems not to care.

To quote someone from the Rhodes forums:

"im dissappointed, infact ashamed, possibly angry

at the SRC and the student body as a whole We have really taken student
apathy to a whole new level....
Whether you write on that day or not that is not the point; the point is
atleast 1/4 of us our here because of the youth who died this day that we
are greatly disregarding"

I too am disappointed, in fact ashamed, possibly angry.

I know there is probably nothing that can be done to change things at this point, but I just wanted to express my disappointment in the university.

Regards,
...

After Tears

I love books, but they are expensive. So I only usually buy books when I am travelling long distance, bussing or flying. My hanging-around-in-the-airport treat to myself is a new book.

I've been going through an African and South African book phase for the past few of years. I bought How Can Man Die Better: The Life of Robert Sobukwe by Benjamin Pogrund in the Joburg airport CNA - that was a good read, I learned a lot (although I confess I never finished it! It just dragged a bit towards the end). The next time I was in JHB airport I decided to try some local fiction. But everything I found just looked so depressing. What did I end up getting? I don't remember... possibly nothing.

Since then I've remained on my quest for South African fiction. But what I really wanted is something light and fun. I'm up for biographies and tragedies and satire and what not. But I'm also curious about the stories we are writing...

So the last time I flew I scoured Exclusive Books in JHB International for some fun, current, South African fiction. They have a great South African and African books selection, by the way, if you are ever hanging about there.

What I eventually came away with was After Tears by Niq Mhlongo. The story about Bafana, a law student at UCT who failed his final year. He then returns home to his family in Soweto who have already nicknamed him "advo" (advocate) and are expecting him to make something great of himself. I thought it sounded like the makings of a great story. And the reviews on the back all praised the book and author, with accolades like "the writer of the kwaito generation"! So I thought I would take a dive into the "fast, hip and happening" (ref. dust jacket) and bought the book.

Well, I'd give it maybe a 2 out of 5. Or perhaps a 2/5 overall, with a 4/5 for characters.

I'd actually like to know what other people thought of the book, but I really wasn't very taken with it.

I think the book was going for the whole "this is the reality of township life" angle. Which could be a great thing, reading is a great way to get some insight into how people live. So seeing as that isn't my world, "this is the reality of township life" could have been great. And he did do a good job at painting that picture. With great characters especially. His characters were fantastic. Often with great dialogue.

But I thought there were two problems with the book:

The first problem is mine really: I am pretty prudish. So I found it quite shocking. I came away from the book resolving never to speak to any strange men ever again. I've noticed this in other current South African literature actually. It is actually the reason I won't read Fred Khumalo's books (and I really would rather like to). I suppose it is people trying to be gritty and real what not. But I'm sceptical about this. Good books aren't about impressing people with how crass you can be... they are about great stories and great characters and great insight and great humour. Or perhaps I just live in a bubble.

However, the second problem was actually the main one. If a book is good enough you can almost overlook it's crassness. But After Tears has almost no plot. I'm serious. Nothing ever seems to happen. Maybe there is some existential deepness going on there, but for me the reader, I just go bored. You can tell if I find a book really riveting: I read too fast because I want to see what happens next. But in this book, nothing happened. Well, a few things happened. But they all seemed a bit disjointed. Like a primary school essay: I did this. And then I did this other thing. And then she... and then he... and then and then and then.

He kept on introducing interesting characters, or interesting thing would happen that seemed like a plot starting. and then... nothing. His Zimbabwean friend wants to marry him to stay in the country... then nothing happened. Some old guy claims their family stole what was his house way back in the 70's... interesting? Very. But then nothing happened with it. Weird relationship with his mom's best friend... kinda gross? Yup. But interesting? For about two pages. Then nothing happened. Getting false degree papers then opening a business - that's interesting, right? Nothing happened. Uncle in jail for defending the family honour... interesting character! The beginning of a plot? Nope! No plot to be found!

Which was such a pity. Especially because some of his characters were so great - I wanted to see more of them. I wanted the ball to start rolling. For the story to start.

I read an interview with his were he said "I want my writing to provide my readers with everything they need to imagine the world around them... I want my characters in my novels to find many friends in many places around the planet, and give them the survival skills while facing challenges in this multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-creed and multi-lingual society of ours" (here).
That he certainly does!

His spotlight insights into different characters actually remined me a bit of the book Tsotsi (not the movie, the book, there is a lot more to the book!)

What photograph is to movie, this book is to books. And it is a really good photograph. Just not much good as a movie.

But I would be interested to hear what other people have to say. (Fred Khumalo seems to have loved it.)