No to sex work – Atherley

Leader of the Alliance Party for Progress (APP) Bishop Joseph Atherley will not support any move to decriminalise sex work in Barbados.

In fact, the religious leader said that instead of seeking to go that route, Barbados should, as a responsible and mature country, be finding ways to avoid people falling into despair and turning to prostitution in the first place.

“I believe in decent work. I have never considered prostitution to be decent work and if the best that this country can say to its young women or young men – because they are in prostitution as well – that we will legitimise this activity for you because we can do no better, then I think we have failed,” he said.

“Certainly, the church to which I belong will not support legitimising that and I am certain that other [organisations] in the evangelical community will not support it, but I can’t vouch for everybody,” added Bishop Atherley who contended that anyone who stands against slavery cannot honestly give their approval to legitimising prostitution.

Following the death of sex worker Guyanese national Caroline Baird, who was shot behind the Grand Stand of the Garrison Savannah in the area of Bush Hill, St Michael, on July 22, adult entertainment advocate Charles ‘Charlie Spice’ Lewis renewed his call for prostitution to be decriminalised and also urged authorities to develop a regulatory framework for the protection of workers that includes providing safe places for them to operate.

In response to the tragedy, Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey indicated that Government was moving towards the protection of sex workers.

However, Bishop Atherley insisted: “I don’t believe in legitimising these activities and I don’t support it. This is why I am saying that as a country we must do better to orient our economy and do better in terms of generating viable growth platforms in this country, diversifying the economy, tapping into all the resources that we have and finding markets whereby Barbados can earn both at home and abroad.

“Unless we are doing that, we are failing our people. We can’t say to people that things are hard so resort to prostitution. What parent wants to tell his or her daughter that, what son wants to tell his mother that? No government or no decent-minded person should be saying that to nobody.”

The APP leader added that while he understands why sex work is happening in society, he does not believe decriminalising it is the answer to preventing acts of violence against those involved in the illegal activity.

“And I don’t think you should be inflicting violence against anybody. Male violence on females is abhorrent, female violence on males certainly is not desirable, and I don’t think that we should be inflicting and perpetrating violence against people. I come from a school that teaches tolerance and respect, and dignity and worth of the other individual,” Bishop Atherley said.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb