NCJ Number
129933
Date Published
1991
Length
84 pages
Annotation
This report reviews the criminal laws in Queensland, Australia that relate to prostitution with emphasis on offense definitions, enforcement, social and community welfare aspects of prostitution, the relationship between drug abuse and sex workers, health considerations, and areas for possible law reform.
Abstract
Queensland's law does not make the act of prostitution itself illegal; instead, it focuses on offenses such as soliciting in public or keeping a room for prostitution. The current laws have not eradicated the sale and purchase of sex in Queensland. Several studies have shown that most sex workers enter the field for economic reasons. Studies have also found that few sex workers enjoy their work, that sex workers often experience violence, that some prostitutes are addicted to drugs, and that sex workers face many health risks. Policy discussions generally disagree on the extent to which sexual behavior between two consenting adults should be regulated by criminal law and agree that sexual contact between adults and minors and forcing someone to become a sex worker should be prohibited. Possible approaches in law reform include criminalization, legalization, decriminalization, and decriminalization with controls. Footnotes, table, figure, and appended information from other jurisdictions and discussion of the Workplace Health and Safety Act of 1989