Sandra White (Glasgow) (Scottish National Party has laid a motion:

Challenging Man's Demand for Prostitution in Scotland:

That the Parliament welcomes the publication of the report, Challenging Man’s Demand for Prostitution in Scotland, a collaboration between the Women’s Support Project in Glasgow and US organisation, Prostitute Research and Education; notes with concern the evidence that men who use prostitutes regularly are more likely to regard other women as “objects” and the link between using prostitutes and sexual violence against women, and believes that the evidence presented in the report will serve to inform and shape the debate and future direction of prostitution in Scotland.

Supported by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, Joe FitzPatrick, Kenneth Gibson, Christina McKelvie, Jamie Hepburn, Bashir Ahmad, Stuart McMillan, Angela Constance, Elaine Smith, Brian Adam, Johann Lamont, Gil Paterson, Bill Kidd, Pauline McNeill

The motion was lodged on Thursday, May 01, 2008.

The mean minded motion refers to the report Challenging Men's Demand [pdf] by Melissa Farley.

A response to the Farley report drafted by some 20 academics and activists (including such familiar names as Michael Goodyear, Ronald Weitzer, and Petra Boynton) has also been submitted to the Scottish Parliament. See Farley Critique [doc file].

For the last few months, Luxemburg has been discussing a applying the Swedish model to the prohibition of prostitution.

In this model, prostitutes are generally viewed as victims of patriarchy and sexual exploitation. Their customer are criminalized via heavy fines or even a prison sentence.

In Luxembourg, a similar model is now planned, both CSV and LSAP (both government political parties) have proposed legislation. No fines but instead community work and/or compulsory education courses on human trafficking, especially women and children.

And a few more stories from Sweden where the fem-nazis have been allowed to run riot

Female pedestrians get road sign recognition

Gender equity hits below the belt for Swedish patients

No more hotel porn for Swedish government officials

Spy cameras are to be used to crack down on kerb crawlers as part of a new bid to repress street prostitution in the Capital.

The city council has received £200,000 from the Scottish Government and plans to spend some of it on the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

They will be placed discreetly in prostitution hot-spots and will log all the vehicles that visit them. The information gathered will alert officers to vehicles which are regularly in the area, and ultimately help them build up a case against kerb crawlers.

Officers have refused to reveal the locations being considered for the cameras and it is unclear exactly how the system will work, though they will have to ensure innocent residents are not wrongly targeted.

The initiative comes on the back of new laws brought in last year which made an offence out of "loitering" in a vehicle, with maximum fines of £1000. Persistent offenders can also have their cars confiscated.

Ruth Morgan-Thomas, project manager at Scotpep, a support group for prostitutes, said: We believe this will leave women more vulnerable by pushing them into more isolated areas. If they put these cameras up in one area it will just push the women to another one, because clients will not go there any more.

As anti-prostitution nutters try to thwart sex trade by going after customers, they said they have faced a big problem: researchers have only the crudest grasp of why men buy sex.

A group of 'researchers'—most of them young women—invited more than 100 Chicago-area men who frequently use prostitutes to talk about their attitudes and experiences.

While the survey, which is not peer-reviewed, is likely to draw justifiable criticism from some academics, the project offers a window into the attitudes of men who buy sex in Chicago.

The results show men are often deeply conflicted about their behavior, said Rachel Durchslag, director of the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, which conducted the survey in Chicago with the Evanston-based Justice Project Against Sexual Harm.

Though most of the men interviewed said they believe there is nothing wrong with prostitution, a large majority, 83%, view buying sex as a form of addiction, according to the study.

Most men said they believed women entered prostitution freely. About 40% of men said they are usually intoxicated when they buy sex.

According to one man who was quoted anonymously in the report, For a small second after I buy sex, I feel happy, and then it's over. It's so fleeting. There's frustration beforehand, and depression afterward [because] it's so quick. Those feelings are always there. They're associated with buying sex.

The survey was designed by anti-prostitution activist Melissa Farley, who is controversial because academics have accused her of tilting previous research to support a political agenda. The Chicago study is part of an international project that includes surveys in Scotland, India and Cambodia. Critics of the Scotland survey called Farley's methods unscientific.

Durchslag said the goal of the research is to push for harsher criminal punishment for men who buy sex from prostitutes, she said. Nearly 90% of the men said that they would stop if they felt there was a likely chance they would be caught and prosecuted.

A poster to supposedly get men to think twice about paying for sex with women who may have been trafficked has been launched.

The government pilot in Nottingham and the borough of Westminster tells men sleeping with a woman forced to work in the sex industry makes them a rapist.

The poster, which will be placed in gents' toilets in pubs and clubs, will be supported by an online advertising campaign.

It shows a brothel entrance with the caption: Walk in a punter. Walk out a rapist."

It also urges men who discover a woman they believe may have been trafficked: If you're man enough, call Crimestoppers.

'Internal Trafficking' Bollox

More propaganda designed to tag all prostitution as 'trafficking'.

Based on article from the BBC

The BBC has been invited to the set of a film sponsored by the Home Office and other organisations, including the UK Human Trafficking Centre and Streetreach - a support group for prostitutes.

When completed, the film will be shown in schools across Britain to warn youngsters about the recently identified problem of "internal trafficking" in which British schoolgirls are seduced by older teenage boys who then pass them on into prostitution.

Writer and director Virginia Heath says she threaded together real events into a fictional storyline: I did a lot or research. Much of the script comes out of stories told to me directly by some of the girls, or by those who have been looking after them. The whole process of enticement can be exciting for the girl - I wanted to depict that. She's excited because she's exploring new things.

Later, we move to a student house that has been taken over by the film crew. This, explains Virginia, is where the girl, Jade, realises things aren't what they seem with her pimp/boyfriend Raz: It's a crucial turning point in the film. Raz asks Jade to 'Do something nice to my friend.' Jade knows it isn't right but she goes along with it. What Jade doesn't know is that her boyfriend owes money for drugs, and she is his way of paying off his debt. As the camera tracks them, Raz leads Jade up the stairs of the dingy house. They pause and, as an older man waits in an adjacent bedroom, he tells the confused Jade what's expected.

UK Human Trafficking Centre head, Det Ch Supt Nick Kinsella said: This is happening. We're not saying it's happening on every street corner, but it is happening. We wanted to do something for both youngsters and their families so they'd know what's going on and could take reasonable precautions. 'Internal trafficking' prosecutions can be hard to bring to court because often the girls will not give evidence against their pimp boyfriends - either out of fear or misplaced loyalty.

The authorities admit they also do not have a complete idea of the scale of the problem.

When completed, the film will form part of an education pack to be used in schools nationwide and, it is hoped, to teach youngsters not just how to avoid being drawn in, but also what to do to assist those who have. [...And to convince the general population that there is a problem that needs to be solved by criminalising buyers of sex]

One month before Euro 2008 kicks off in Basel, the Swiss Aids Federation has launched "fairplay" guidelines for people who visit prostitutes.

Postcards have been handed out in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich and Chur – the first four being tournament host cities – urging politeness, respect and cleanliness when paying for sex.

They also call on men to keep their word when paying the agreed amount and remind them that alcohol reduces staying power as well as inhibitions.

Punters can also consult the Don Juan advice centre for information on forced prostitution.

According to the Swiss Aids Federation 230,000 men aged 17-45 pay for sex. Prostitution is legal in Switzerland but prostitutes have to register with city authorities and health authorities and get regular health checks.

Sweden has appointed a special investigator to evaluate the effects of a law that targets the buyers of sex instead of the prostitutes.

Justice Minister Beatrice Ask said the evaluation, to be completed by 2010, is warranted partly because of the growing international interest in the law, which was introduced in 1999.

There are many good reasons to prevent prostitution and the harm it can lead to for individuals as well as for society, Ask said in a statement. An investigation to thoroughly analyze these issues is both important and long-awaited.

Many countries considering a similar law are eager to find out whether it has reduced the sex trade in Sweden, or merely driven it underground.

Buying sex is punished by fines or up to six months in prison under the so-called "Sex Purchase Law." But selling sex is not a crime because prostitutes are viewed as victims.

In January, a high-level British delegation came to study the Swedish approach as Britain reviews its own prostitution laws, which prohibit soliciting and loitering for sex, but not buying sex. Norway's plans to introduce a Swedish-style prostitution law in 2009.

Swedish Supreme Court Justice Anna Skarhed will lead the investigation.

Nevada is the only state in the US that allows legal prostitution, but in its largest city, Las Vegas, prostitution is illegal. When the mayor suggested changing the law, it sparked a huge debate.

Mayor Oscar Goodman grabs the headlines whatever he says or does - and he relishes it. He is proud of Las Vegas' image as "Sin City" and happily calls it "an adult playground".

He boasts about his love of gin, cigars and pretty women and calls himself the happiest mayor in the universe.

But when he suggested legalising prostitution and creating a red-light district and a string of magnificent brothels in downtown Vegas, the mayor got his most dramatic headlines yet.

He had opened up a debate on a taboo subject: Las Vegas' illegal prostitution. Everybody knows it goes on, many businesses profit from it, but in-keeping with the city's slogan What happens here, stays here, it is rarely discussed.

It's disingenuous when people say they don't want to legalise it, says Goodman: Right now it's uncontrolled and unregulated. There's no check and balance as far as the women's health is concerned and legal brothels could be an important revenue-raising device for the city.

It is estimated that there are as many as 10,000 prostitutes operating illegally in Las Vegas, in an industry that may be worth as much as $6 billion a year.

Over 150 pages in the Las Vegas phone book advertise "escorts" and "massage", and leaflets promising to deliver hot babes direct to your room in 20 minutes are handed out to tourists openly on Las Vegas Boulevard.

There are women who get propositioned in the casinos, bars and hotels. There are women who do 'extras' out of strip clubs and who 'give pleasure' in massage parlours. Women who do what we term 'outcall'. There are women who work by print ads or on-line. And every casino host has a bevy of girls to call at a moment's notice to satisfy their high-rollers.

In fact, Nevada is the only state in the US to allow legal brothels, which stems from a 1970 state law allowing Nevada's individual counties to licence their brothels. But this only applies to counties with populations under 400,000, which excludes Las Vegas and Reno. There are nearly 30 state-sanctioned brothels in Nevada.

But some religious nutters, academics and campaigners say that all prostitution is wrong and legalising it does not stop sex trafficking or the abuse of women.

Kate Hausbeck, a sociology professor at the University of Las Vegas, has spent nearly 10 years researching both the legal and illegal sex trade in Nevada. She concludes that the best model for Nevada - and any country in the world - is the decriminalisation of prostitution.

Empower the women who do the work. Give them labour protection and the rights given other workers. Because it's a job and a choice for many women, she says.

But, when asked about Mr Goodman's idea of legal brothels for Las Vegas, she says she doesn't think prostitution will ever be legal here: There's too much money to be made from the illegal sex trade. The casinos and convention industry fear it would be a step too far.

The mean minded Norwegian government proposed on Friday to fine or jail clients of prostitutes for up to six months supposedly in a bid to stamp out human trafficking, and said the law would also apply to its citizens abroad.

Norway signalled in mid-2007 that it would make it a criminal offence to buy services from prostitutes, following the example of Scandinavian neighbour Sweden which introduced a similar ban in 1999.

The amendment will now be put to parliament for approval and if passed will take effect in January 2008, officials said.

Prostitution is currently allowed in Norway although procuring, or "pimping," is illegal. A rise in street prostitution in the capital, Oslo, in recent years has triggered calls for a ban.

Proponents of the measure say it makes sense to try to stop prostitution by punishing those who use the service rather than the women themselves, who are often poor, young immigrants.

Opponents of the ban say it will jeopardise women in the trade by driving prostitution underground where they will be even more vulnerable.

The justice ministry said the punishment could be fines on rising scale according to the offender's financial means or a jail term of up to six months, or both.

Jail sentences of a year could be imposed in aggravated cases involving adult prostitution and of up to three years where child prostitutes are involved, the ministry said.

The number of assaults on prostitutes in Edinburgh has soared in the past year. Attacks reported to support group Scotpep have almost doubled from 66 in 2006 to 126 last year, including eight reported rapes and 55 violent assaults.

Support workers say making kerb-crawling illegal has resulted in the trade becoming more dangerous as prostitutes are forced "underground".

While the figures cover the whole of last year, Scotpep says that it has become even more dangerous for vice girls since the new law came into force last October.

It comes as latest police figures reveal that a total of 24 suspected kerb-crawlers have been arrested and charged in Scotland's capital in the first six months since the legislation came into force.

Some prostitutes are said to have turned to handing out a mobile number to potential clients in order to set up meetings. Scotpep believes this new tactic has left women more vulnerable as they are meeting men in more isolated locations.

Ruth Morgan Thomas, Scotpep's co-ordinator, said: The need for cash to support drug habits has not gone away. Prostitution is being pushed further underground. Women are having to work longer hours and changing the times they work. It makes it harder for us to provide support.

Kerb-crawlers can now face a criminal record and a £1,000 fine.

High-profile police activity has been cited for driving away many men. But those most likely to be violent against prostitutes continue to use their services. Ms Morgan Thomas added: There's been a decrease in those on the street, but not the number selling sex in the city.

If British men persist in enjoying life... we're gonna cut off their bollocks

Most 'experts' in tackling prostitution in Suffolk have been invited to share their knowledge with the Government during an inquiry into the sex industry, it has emerged.

The Home Office has embarked on a six-month review looking at what more can be done to deal with the demand for prostitution in England and Wales.

The review will consider alternative approaches in other countries in a bid to identify possible new legislation.

The Home Office is planning to identify a pool of “external experts” from the police, academic institutions and voluntary organisations to act as advisors on the project - and has confirmed representatives from Suffolk will be invited to take part.

The review hopes to uncover information about the characteristics and demographics of those who buy sex, the context and settings for buying sex, the motivation for it, what deters those who procure sex -such as fear of prosecution, health-related issues and their families' finding out.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: At the moment, we have not decided who the external experts are going to be. Experts from the Ipswich and Suffolk area will be invited to ensure representation is made from across the UK.

A decision on the panel of experts which will assist the Home Office is expected to be announced next month.