Prostitution Law Review Committee Report
When the Prostitution Reform Act was passed in 2003, it included sections requiring the law to be reviewed within 5 years of passage. �In completing it's review, the Committee�focused on whether the Act was achieving its prescribed purpose, as outlined below.
The Prostitution Reform Act 2003 decriminalises prostitution while not endorsing or morally sanctioning it or its use. The purpose of the Act is to create a framework that:
- safeguards the human rights of sex workers and protects them from exploitation;
- promotes the welfare, occupational health and safety of sex workers;
- is conducive to public health;
- prohibits the use in prostitution of persons under 18; and
- implements certain other related reforms.
The review also included an assessment of:
- the operation of the Act since its commencement;
- the impact of the Act on the number of persons working as sex workers in New Zealand; and
- the nature and adequacy of the means available to assist persons to avoid or cease working as sex workers.
The Committee considered whether any amendments to this Act or any other law are necessary or whether any other review is required.
The Committee's report and supporting research is available below:
Prostitution Law Review Committee:
Report of the Prostitution Law Review Committee on the Operation of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003
Christchurch School of Medicine, Otago University:
The Impact of the Prostitution Reform Act on the Health and Safety Practices of Sex Workers
Crime and Justice research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington:
Key Informant Interviews Review of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003
International Approaches to Decriminalising or Legalising Prostitution
Exiting Prostitution: Models of Best Practice
Central Government Aims and Local Government Responses: The Prostitution Reform Act 2003
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