Holy See calls on governments to combat prostitution
June 28, 2024
» Continue to this story on Holy See Mission
CWN Editor's Note: Deploring prostitution as an egregious violation of human dignity, the Holy See delegation at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council called on governments “not only to pass laws which effectively combat this offense to women’s dignity,” but also “to provide practical support for victims of prostitution and to address the underlying causes of such violence.”
“Prostitution reduces people, typically women and girls, to mere objects to be sexually violated, and it normalizes the commodification of human persons,” the delegation stated. “Those who take advantage of such victims, such as crime syndicates, human traffickers and others, tragically treat these women merely as an inexhaustible source of illegal and shameful profit.”
“Today’s lack of values and societal ethics, as well as the culture of rampant consumerism, also provide a breeding ground for such abuse, which is forged from many links: the women, often victims of poverty, deception and exploitation; the men who ‘purchase’ such acts; [and] the exploiters and traffickers,” the delegation added.
The delegation also praised a UN official’s report on prostitution as a system of violence against women and girls. Calling the report “a disturbing read,” the delegation said that the work “exposes the harsh reality of prostitution and accurately frames it as an egregious violation of the dignity and fundamental human rights of women and girls.”
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
