Amnesty International on Tuesday voted in favour of adopting a policy supporting the decriminalisation of prostitution.
At the International Council Meeting (ICM) in Dublin, Amnesty International on Tuesday voted in favour of adopting a policy supporting the decriminalisation of prostitution in the face of intense criticism over the highly controversial move. The decision was taken by a majority of the 400 delegates from 70 countries.
Speaking on the development, Amnesty International Secretary General, Salil Shetty called it a 'historic day'."Sex workers are one of the most marginalised groups in the world who in most instances face constant risk of discrimination, violence and abuse. It was not a decision that was reached easily or quickly and we thank all our members from around the world, as well as all the many groups we consulted."
Amnesty also wants to see the decriminalisation of third parties involved in prostitution, such as pimps and brothel operators, alongside sex workers themselves.
While Amnesty hopes the move will help protect the human rights of sex workers, critics say the organisation, set up in London in 1961, risks losing credibility.
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) penned an open letter saying that Amnesty's name would be "severely tarnished" as it has approved the policy.
"There's no logic behind the premise that in order to protect those who are exploited you have to decriminalise the exploiter. It makes no sense. It is really important for Amnesty to understand the world is watching and they would really lose a tremendous amount of credibility as a human rights organisation if this is supported," CATW executive director, Taina Bien Aime told AFP.
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