Talks on prostitution needs time

By REBECCA KUKU
DEPARTMENT for Community Development & Religion will take some time, research and consult before there can be talks about legalising prostitution in the country.
Secretary Anna Solomon told The National that the department would have to engage the Institute of National Research Centre to do a proper research and also hold consultations with their various partners before they could start talking about the probability of legalising prostitution in the country.
Solomon’s comments follows the story of a prostitute in The National’s Weekender, talking about how circumstances forced young woman into the sex trade.
Solomon said the department’s plan for this year was focused more on gender-based violence and woman empowerment.
“But for prostitution, we will look into it but again as I said proper planning, research and consultations will have to be done first,” she said.
“We will have to see the pros and cons of what it will mean if we work towards legalising it in the country.
“But for the moment, the country isn’t really ready for it.”
A woman in the sex business, who acts as a middle person for prostitutes and their clients told The National she believed prostitution should be legalised not to encourage it but to protect prostitutes.
“These prostitutes are also Papua New Guineans and many of them were forced by their circumstances to become sex workers.
“Many were just children, they were let down by their family, by the government and social workers.
“They did what they had to do to survive and take care of their loved ones,” she said.
The woman also called for government to fund the Social Welfare office to help protect young woman.
“Most times, it breaks my heart when little girls come to me, sometimes I turn them away if I am not able to help them, like if they say they have no food and want to sell themselves, I give them food and some cash and send them back.
“But often I hear their stories and I am not able to help them by turning them away because they really do need the fast money that the sex trade provides.”