Report of the Prostitution Law Review Committee on the Operation of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003
Foreword | Acknowledgements | List of Tables | Executive Summary | 1. Introduction | 2. Estimation of the Numbers of Sex Workers in New Zealand | 3 The PRA and Human Rights | 4 Health, Safety and Well-being | 5 Avoiding or Exiting the Sex Industry | 6 The Brothel Operator Certification System | 7 The Use of Under Age People in Prostitution | 8 Street-Based Sex Workers | 9 Response of Territorial Authorities to the PRA | 10 Employment Conditions | 11 Common Misconceptions About Prostitution | 12 Invisibility of Clients | 13 Trafficking | 14 Conclusion and Future Review | References | Appendix 1 Prostitution Law Review Committee Members | Appendix 2 Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
The process of gathering information for and writing the Committee’s report has involved many people. The Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved throughout the last five years work. The Committee wishes to acknowledge the support provided by Ministry of Justice officials, in particular, Victoria Crawford, Jo Gascoigne, Carey Hibbert, Angela Lee, Lisette Nolan, Chelly Walton, Fiona Jackson, Rebecca Crowe, Carrie Gage, and Sue Easthope. Support was also provided by contractors Vivienne Morrell, Judith Spier, and Martin Lee.
This report would not have been possible without the work of researchers from Otago University’s Christchurch School of Medicine: Gillian Abel, Dr Lisa Fitzgerald, and Cheryl Brunton, and from Victoria University’s Crime and Justice Research Centre: Dr Elaine Mossman and Pat Mayhew.
The New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective also provided invaluable information for this review. The Committee wishes to thank Calum Bennachie for undertaking the advertisement audits. The Committee also wishes to thank Calum, Annah Pickering and Anna Reed for arranging for the Committee to view brothels, and the brothel operators who allowed the Committee to visit their businesses.
The Committee also wishes to acknowledge the input of government agencies. This report has benefited from information supplied by the Ministries of Justice, Health, Social Development, Youth Development, and Women’s Affairs, the Department of Labour, Inland Revenue, and the New Zealand Police. Local Government New Zealand provided invaluable assistance in canvassing the views of territorial authorities. The Committee wishes to thank all the territorial authorities who provided feedback on the impact of the PRA.
The Committee also received submissions from interested organisations and members of the public, including a petition presented via the Justice and Electoral Committee. The Committee considered all the points made by these submitters and would like to thank them for their input.