Former Justice Minister, Christlyn Moore, is advocating for a repeal of the section of the Summary Offences Act, which deals specifically with the offence of “lewd and suggestive dancing”.
According to the former justice minister, that part of the law criminalises persons who may, in essence, be human trafficking victims.
Christlyn Moore was commenting on the recent police raid at a house at Chancellor Heights, where 22 women were held, 19 of them non-nationals and minors.
She noted that under the Sexual Offences Act, prostitution is not exactly illegal. It is covered slightly by the section in the Summary Offences Act.
“What you have is two pieces of legislation that don’t necessarily talk to each other,” she explained. “One is victim centred—the Sexual Offences Act. The other—the Summary Offences Act—criminalises behaviour without enquiring as to whether or not this person is a victim. That is something the legislators really ought to look at.”
The former justice minister observed there has been a reluctance to prosecute men who pay for sex, while the emphasis seems to be on the women providing the service.
She said the time has come for change.
“In a global village where sex trafficking is real—where a girl can go missing in Trinidad and you can find her organs all over the world—a different attitude must be taken. If we are really serious about human trafficking,” she argued, “I think it is time we spread a wider net with regard to the persons not only who live off the earnings of prostitution, but the persons who contribute money towards prostitution. That would squarely land in the laps of the men.”
Moore said it is not enough to go after the houses of ill-repute, but the clients of these exploited women must also feel the heavy hand of the law.
And she stressed that we cannot hide from the fact that sex trafficking, sex work, prostitution and human trafficking are lucrative industries globally, as well as here at home.
The former justice minister said that the government must toughen laws to deal with such harsh realities.
“If you look at the statistics, Trinidad and Tobago is a destination for sex work, sex workers and prostitution, as well as a transhipment point for drugs and human trafficking,” she pointed out. “We are in an interesting geographical position for all these things, and so our laws must have more teeth.”