British effort to crack down on forced prostitution

By: Associated Press | Alabama's13.com
Published: November 19, 2008

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LONDON (AP) - The British government wants to make it illegal to pay for sex with women who are forced into prostitution.

It would be a "strict liability offense." In other words, men would be held accountable even if they didn't know a woman had been trafficked or was working for a pimp. Violators could face criminal charges and a $1,500 fine.

A spokeswoman for the English Collective of Prostitutes calls the effort "a very dangerous moral crusade" with no benefit for women. She says it would drive the sex trade further underground, and put the focus on criminalizing clients that, for the most part, women aren't complaining about.

The effort is part of the British Home Office's "name and shame" campaign against prostitution. The sex trade is already heavily restricted in Britain, unlike in many of its European neighbors.