Media Release: Prostitute Law Reform

A community group calling itself the Ministry of Men’s Affairs has accused politicians of male-bashing as a select committee considers former Labour MP George Hawkins’ bill introduced to address problems caused by prostitutes.

Spokesman Kerry Bevin criticized the bill’s plan to allow prosecution of the prostitutes’ customers and random searches of suspected customers’ cars.

‘If a shop opened offering a legal product but in an unauthorized place, nobody would think it fair to blame and prosecute customers who venture into that shop, or to deprive people driving in the area of normal privacy rights against random search. But it seems our politicians think that’s ok for prostitution simply because the traders are mainly women and their customers mainly men. New Zealand men are sick and tired of being treated as second-class citizens.’

Kerry Bevin emphasized that the Ministry of Men’s Affairs supported prostitutes’ right to operate safely but believed that they should be subjected to more sensible rules and held accountable for any bad behaviour. ‘Every other profession, trade and business has a long list of rules and codes of ethics they are legally required to uphold in order to protect the public, and the same should apply to prostitutes. Industries trading in vice are further required to restrict their services according to age and to take special care to limit exploitation and harm for addicts, and we see no reason why prostitution should be treated differently.’

Kerry Bevin claimed that politicians’ thinking about prostitution has been muddled by male-blaming gender politics.

MMA
MINISTRY OF MEN’S AFFAIRS
MINITATANGA MO NGA TANE
A Community Group because successive governments have failed to protect the welfare of New Zealand men

PO Box 13130
Tauranga 3141
[email protected]

Contact: Hans Laven (07)5712435 or (0274)799745
or Kerry Bevin (09)4247762

22 February 2013