New laws to protect trafficked women

NEW laws making it illegal to pay for sex with a woman who is controlled by a pimp or trafficked were announced today.

Any man using a prostitute will be vulnerable to prosecution if it emerges later that the woman was being forced to give her earnings away or was having to sell her body to pay off drug or other debts.

A "strict liability" clause in the legislation means that it will not be a defence for a client to claim that he did not know of the woman's circumstances - effectively making it impossible for a man to know that he is not committing an offence when using a prostitute. The crackdown, which is modelled on similar policy in Sweden, was announced today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who hopes that it will act as a severe deterrent to men who are considering paying for sex.

It will mean that anyone using a prostitute "controlled for another person's gain" will be guilty of an offence, punishable by fines and a criminal record. The change will be welcomed by some women's groups, which have campaigned for firmer action against the sex trade, although the English Collective of Prostitutes has criticised the plans.

It warns that the measure will place sex workers in more danger by driving the trade further underground and lead to more violence against prostitutes.

There will also be questions about how easy it will be for prosecutors to prove that a woman was controlled by a pimp or paying off debts to some other controlling person, such as a drug dealer, because some prostitutes might be unwilling to testify.

Ms Smith will, however, insists that the change will be a vital step forward in combating prostitution and abuse of women. One official said: "We want to do everything we can to protect vulnerable women."

Separate measures will also introduce stricter rules to combat kerb crawling and lap dancing clubs - which will in future be licensed in the same way as sex shops or porn cinemas rather than as pubs or bars.