EDITOR – The ANC’s George Lithgow recently stated that the CCPO’s priorities are vagrants and prostitution.
Vexing issues indeed but given that these problems usually arise from poor socio-economic circumstances, will not be easily resolved.
Reading up on the problem of prostitution, I came across a paper issued by the South African Law Commission, published in 2002. I quote:
“The Commission has already pointed out in its Discussion Paper 85 that it regards this aspect of the criminal prohibition of prostitution as a manifestation of the hypocrisy of a society which condemns and penalises the actions of prostitutes, while their customers, who are ultimately responsible for the prevalence of this phenomenon, have neither slur, nor stigma, nor prosecution to fear.”
Simply put, if it wasn’t for customers, there would be no prostitution. So, let’s not be hypocrites, deal with prostitution, but deal with the customers at the same time.
JEFF VAN BELKUM
