Small-scale brothels to be legalised in Britain

THE British Government is changing the law to allow up to three prostitutes to work legally in brothels.

Currently, only one prostitute can offer paid sex without breaking the law.

Minister Fiona Mactaggart said the current position meant that women were forced to work in unsafe conditions.

The British government is also creating a new penalty specifically for prostitutes so the courts can divert them towards help for drug or alcohol abuse.

The new penalty will be for people convicted of loitering or soliciting for prostitution, which is presently dealt with by a fine in most cases. The government said this did not deal with the underlying reasons why women went on the game.

The strategy document, which applies to England and Wales, said: “At present, only one person may work as a prostitute - more than that... and the premises are classed in case law as a brothel. This runs counter to advice that women should not work alone in the interest of safety.

“The government will make proposals for an amendment to the definition of a brothel so that two or three individuals may work together.”

Ministers have already ruled out a previous proposal to create licensed “red light” zones to deal with street prostitution.

Yesterday’s document also called for kerb crawlers to be “prosecuted rigorously” to protect communities from problems associated with street prostitution.

Ms Mactaggart said the three working together could include a “maid”, or receptionist.

“My understanding is that it should be two women working as a prostitute but they might have a receptionist. I’m not encouraging the commercial sale of women’s bodies. I don’t think that is something the law should do.

“However, I think the evidence that women working on their own are putting themselves in danger is powerful, and recognise that this is not something that is going to be solved instantly.”