There was a time when drugs ran rampant in Portugal. In a daring move that was frowned upon by many, Portugal decriminalized all drugs... with certain regulated conditions.
Mic.com... 'In 2001, the Portuguese government did something that the United States would find entirely alien. After many years of waging a fierce war on drugs, it decided to flip its strategy entirely: It decriminalized them all...
If someone is found in the possession of less than a 10-day supply of anything from marijuana to heroin, he or she is sent to a three-person Commission for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction, typically made up of a lawyer, a doctor and a social worker. The commission recommends treatment or a minor fine; otherwise, the person is sent off without any penalty. A vast majority of the time, there is no penalty.
Fourteen years after decriminalization, Portugal has not been run into the ground by a nation of drug addicts. In fact, by many measures, it's doing far better than it was before.'
There is now a need to try something outrageous again. In doing so, millions of lives around the world would be affected, and saved!
Amnesty International has been working for years trying to come to grips with the fate of millions of unfortunate women globally who are abused in one way or another as a direct result of the sex worker trade. They have seen women mistreated, raped and even killed in this trade and they are trying to initiate policies which will globally impact this assault on women.
They will have to tiptoe through the legislatures of all countries regarding what is allowed or not. This is made even more difficult when you throw differing cultural norms into the mix... like rapists being allowed to marry their underage victims and getting off scott free!
After extensive work done in four countries involving numerous agencies, Amnesty International has now cleared a huge bar and has voted to take up the issue in a definitive way... work toward the Decriminalization of sex workers.
Indian sex workers hold placards as they take part in a rally in New Delhi, 08 March 2006 to mark the International Women’s Day. The protestors demanded social rights and the Immoral Traffic Prevention (ITP) Act to be scrapped. (Photo credit: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images)
Amnesty International...'A crucial vote to protect the human rights of sex workers was passed today in Dublin at Amnesty International’s decision-making forum, the International Council Meeting (ICM). Delegates from around the world authorized the organization’s International Board to develop and adopt a policy on the issue.
This is a divisive, sensitive and complex issue and our priority has been and remains an approach that best protects the rights of some of the most marginalized people in the world. That is why we have been working for over two years to develop a policy to protect the human rights of sex workers based on research and global consultation with hundreds of organizations, our international membership and many more individuals worldwide.
Amnesty International now stands alongside leading human rights and health groups around the world, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, the World Health Organization, the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, Human Rights Watch and Open Society Foundation. among others. Just this week, the world’s longest-running medical journal, The Lancet, endorsed the proposal.
Human rights belong to everyone inherently by virtue of being human — and that includes sex workers. Sex workers are particularly at risk of human rights violations, including physical and sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, extortion and harassment, medical interventions, and exclusions from health care, housing and other social and legal benefits.'
Huffington Post...“This is a historic day for Amnesty International,” Salil Shetty, secretary general of Amnesty International, said in a news release.
He added, “Sex workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the world who in most instances face constant risk of discrimination, violence and abuse." The group believes that removing criminal law surrounding sex work will lessen the abuse and stigma faced by sex workers.
The resolution, which passed at the human rights group's International Council Meeting in Dublin, recommends decriminalization of both buying and selling sex by adults. Tuesday’s vote does not mean that a specific policy has been adopted. Rather, the group’s International Board is now authorized to develop and finalize a policy...
Amnesty has been developing a draft policy for the past two years. From the release:
The policy has drawn from an extensive evidence base from sources including UN agencies, such as the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, UN Women and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. We have also conducted research in four countries.The consultation included sex worker groups, groups representing survivors of prostitution, abolitionist organizations, feminist and other women's rights representatives, LGBTI activists, anti- trafficking agencies and HIV/AIDS organizations.
The draft policy drew widespread support from sex workers and advocacy groups worldwide, but sharp criticism from some anti-trafficking groups who fear decriminalization will increase exploitation and abuse.'
This project is purely an uphill battle as it will not be done on a 'small' scale... like decriminalizing drugs in Portugal. This is rather a global attempt and it is assured to draw the ire of the likes of those who see rape as an acceptable thing in one way or another, for example in many African and Middle Eastern nations.... even the rape of underage victims.
Update, this is an interview by the author of the article on Isis' systematic rape culture in the New York Times.... on WNYC with Brian Lehrer.
Update, this is an interview by the author of the article on Isis' systematic rape culture in the New York Times.... on WNYC with Brian Lehrer.
No comments:
Post a Comment