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redqueen

(115,096 posts)
Tue Jul 17, 2012, 06:22 PM Jul 2012

French minister for women ‘lets down’ voters by focusing on that silly little prostitution issue

http://feministcurrent.com/5662/french-minister-for-women-lets-down-voters-by-focusing-on-that-silly-little-prostitution-issue/

Ugh. The Guardian and Jezebel both published manipulative stories within the past 24 hours about how the French minister for women supposedly ‘let down’ Muslim voters by focusing on ending prostitution. Because, you know, violence against women is such a marginal issue.

Both sites use this quote: “Criminalised clients means murdered prostitutes” as a way to manipulate readers into believing that criminalizing exploitative men is somehow detrimental to women. A more accurate way to represent the fact that prostituted women are subjected to violence on a daily basis would be to say that, in fact, it is pimps and johns (oh but ‘clients’ just sounds so much tidier, doesn’t it?) that murder (and abuse and beat and rape and exploit prostitutes). BUT WHY BOTHER WITH ALL THAT.

France has taken an abolitionist perspective with regard to prostitution and is therefore looking at adopting legislation similar to other progressive countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Iceland wherein johns are criminalized and prostituted women are decriminalized (sometimes referred to as the Nordic or Swedish model). And horror of horrors! The minister for women, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, is actually following through on that. What’s that? A minister for women who cares about women’s rights? I know, so crazy, right?

The Guardian calls her ‘naive’ and Jezebel frames the whole thing as a silly waste of time, writing that Vallaud-Belkacem should be focusing on more ‘meaningful reforms’. I don’t know what they think a minister for women should be focusing on instead of equality and women’s rights or why it’s necessary to pit the work to end prostitution and violence against women against lifting the burqa ban – it seems unnecessary, but anything to pit women and women’s issues against one another, I suppose. That’s the best way to keep women down. That and telling them that prostitution empowers them…

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French minister for women ‘lets down’ voters by focusing on that silly little prostitution issue (Original Post) redqueen Jul 2012 OP
good for the French minister for women seabeyond Jul 2012 #1
When they resolved to deal with prostitution by using the Nordic model redqueen Jul 2012 #2
 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
1. good for the French minister for women
Tue Jul 17, 2012, 08:57 PM
Jul 2012

a lot of people want to believe, even with given proof, that legalizing prostitution is the answer and everything is wrapped up in a "pretty woman" bow. not a reality. but, the reality to ignore reality is mighty strong.

redqueen

(115,096 posts)
2. When they resolved to deal with prostitution by using the Nordic model
Wed Jul 18, 2012, 10:21 AM
Jul 2012

I think a lot of people didn't take it seriously.

Obviously they were serious, and they aren't as susceptible to PR for the industry as some propagandists would like to think.

The portrayal of this effort as somehow preventing the administration from dealing with issues of secularism vs religious customs is laughable... and it makes this attempt to pit women against each other so transparent. Pitiful.

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