CELST

We demand that Leeds City Council ends its support for the managed zone where street prostitution is permitted. Instead they should provide effective long term services to help women exit prostitution and tackle demand.Leeds City Council with West Yorkshire Police have set up a so-called managed zone in Leeds where street prostitution is permitted. Pro prostitution groups see this as a proto type for other cities. The zone is not managed in the sense that it is safe for women, but safe for men as it ensures punters are not arrested. As would be expected men are being drawn into the zone from an ever widening geographical area as their access to women’s bodies is not being legally limited. Class A drugs are easy to obtain and pimps are not being arrested. So far there has been one murder and other serious crimes against prostituted women.By contrast in Ipswich, following the murder of 5 women, the Council and Police implemented a system to end street prostitution by all services working together to help women exit prostitution and arresting punters. This is the only way to keep women safe. Prostitution is violence against women. No local council has the right to support men to buy and sell women.