I’ve done a lot of reading recently to educate myself about
the arguments for and against Amnesty’s decision to decriminalise both selling and buying sex. I'm not comfortable with the phrases 'selling sex' or 'buying sex' because I'm not sure you can. Many people have written about whether you can make free choices in a patriarchal society; I'm not about to attempt to address that here but rather to focus on a parallel that Amnesty has a very clear stance on.
It suddenly occurred to me
that a valid comparison can be made between the sex industry and the arms
trade. For the sake of ease, let’s say
all weapons are guns. Putting in caveats
about ‘responsible gun ownership’ doesn’t stop people being murdered, moreover,
it normalises something that is damaging to society. Men like to own guns, it makes them feel powerful.
Unpicking that is difficult, and the gun lobby are awfully pushy.
People, including poor people in poor countries, make money from manufacturing guns. Should we deny them a livelihood? I wonder if Amnesty will now declare their support for the arms industry?
People, including poor people in poor countries, make money from manufacturing guns. Should we deny them a livelihood? I wonder if Amnesty will now declare their support for the arms industry?
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