By SHERRYLYN TOPPIN, From Nation News Barbados

A suggestion by a visiting academic to decriminalise prostitution has drawn the ire of online readers.

Professor Kamala Kempadoo of York University, Canada, made the recommendation while delivering this year’s Sir Arthur Lewis Distinguished Lecture recently.

She said not only would it slow the risk of human trafficking, but would make the sector safer in which to work, extortion would decrease and women would gain access to state protection and health care.

But online readers said she should suggest alternatives for women to support their families, especially since it was still illegal in Canada where she was based.

Bryan Joseph: Why not call on these lazy women to get jobs to contribute to building and sustaining the country?

Karenalisa: What I would say is that perhaps you can show us the facts where this has actually worked first over an extended period of time – or is the Caribbean to be guinea pigs? Making prostitution legal does not take away any stigma or anything from it. Prostitution is sex for money. I am sure the majority of females doing this don’t see it as any glamorous job (sleeping with or performing various sex acts with total strangers, with their lives and health at risk). Nothing else than earning an income, and not even all to keep for themselves.

Janelle Atwell: And these are supposed to be brilliant, educated people. The safest sex trade is no sex trade. Who will this preposterous suggestion make it safer for – clients, workers, society or traffickers? It’s as if to suggest that to reduce crime, just make something once illicit, now legal, and spend hard-earned taxpayers’ dollars to facilitate a choice lifestyle of easy money with its myriad associated vices. If people don’t conform to the laws, make the laws conform to them. Brilliant!

Larsen Parris: I am in shock after reading Professor Kamala Kempadoo’s advice to Caribbean countries. Prostitution is not legalised in Canada and Canada just this year has instituted more sweeping legislation to plug the existing loopholes allowing the facilitation of the sale of sex. How come this professor did not make these same recommendations to her own government and people?

Nigel D: There will always be prostitution, for men and women. However, it has been proven that sex workers who work for themselves or under a union umbrella in a decriminalised environment fare much better. A legal scenario helps to shut out the manipulators, pimps and other sleazy characters who prey on sex workers who have to hide from the law.

Sodi: Are you serious? You are asking a region that can’t even enforce basic environmental laws like no illegal dumping, to legislate and enforce the sex trade? Please be realistic. Why don’t you do this? Go get it legalised in Canada where you live, then you can come back to the Caribbean. After all, wouldn’t it be a great testimonial to your idea if you could tell the Caribbean how wonderfully it’s working in Canada?

For more on this story go to: http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/79976/talkback-readers-legalising-prostitution#sthash.wdeb8z6j.dpuf

See retaed iNews Cayman story published April 3 2016 “Caribbean governments advised to decriminalize prostitution” at: http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/79976/talkback-readers-legalising-prostitution