United Nations recommends to de-criminalize prostitution worldwide to curb HIV-AIDS and other problems

What are your opinions on this issue? Why or why not?

I got this public statement from the leftist women's rights organization in the Philippines called Gabriela, they're opposing this U.N. recommendation.

(Note: photos below are not that of GABRIELA, because they oppose legalizing prostitution)

UN Report to Legalize Prostitution, "a Mockery to Women’s Rights" says GABRIELA

 “Legalizing prostitution will merely increase the profits of those living on the earnings of selling women’s bodies. No amount of legalization will erase the truth that this is the worse exploitation that can be done to women,” interjected GABRIELA, the National Alliance of Women in the Philippines in resistance to the United Nations recommendation for the de-criminalization of prostitution in Asia as a bid to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases particularly HIV-AIDS.

The UN said in its report entitled “Sex Work and the Law in Asia and the Pacific” explained that removing legal penalties for sex work assists HIV prevention and treatment programs to reach sex workers and their clients.

GABRIELA condemns the content of the report saying that the UN should know more about the casualties of legalizing prostitution.

“It is naive to think that making prostitution legal will guarantee access of those in prostitution to their basic rights when even factory workers in the Philippines are deprived of their rights under the Labor code. They remain underpaid, working in very bad conditions, without access to health care, and prevented in forming unions. ”

Gert Ranjo-Libang, Deputy Secretary General of GABRIELA opined. She added that prostitution is violence against women and once their services are paid for, their “client” can do anything to them and no amount of legislation can guarantee their protection.

Libang also said that the Philippine government’s negligence to provide its people proper health care services especially now that the 2013 budget for Health services had been trimmed down is one of the main reasons why there had been a spurt of HIV cases lately.

The organization GABRIELA said: "If the UN is to push its aims to eradicate HIV in the Asia-Pacific region, they should instead opt for mass education regarding HIV, not legalizing prostitution."

“Again it is the poor women who have been pushed into prostitution by crushing poverty who are being blamed for the negligence of government. For the main way to prevent the spread of any preventable disease, including sexually transmitted illnesses like HIV-AIDS is through mass education. For so long, the government had ignored the demand of women’s groups like GABRIELA for sex education in schools and even communities.”

As a conclusion, Ranjo- Libang stated that the UN which is supposed to be working for the protection of women’s rights should know better than to recommend the legalization of prostitution in Asia where high unemployment rate is found.

“Prostitution can never by any means become a profession for women for it is violation to their rights. With the present condition of our economy, this UN report is widening the door for women’s rights violation and GABRIELA promises to never allow that.”

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Video of Philippine actress Angel Locsin campaigning for the militant women's rights group GABRIELA party-list in the election of 2007, please click below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7QFsZyk850

(A photograph of Angel Locsin with the GABRIELA organization)