PRA 2003: Everything You Need to Know About the Prostitution Reform Act in New Zealand.

New Zealand’s Prostitution Reform Act (PRA) went into effect in June 2003. The PRA decriminalised prostitution, established a framework to protect sex workers’ human rights, promoted sex workers’ welfare and occupational health and safety, and barred the employment of minors in prostitution. The PRA also established a certification system for brothel owners and a framework for territorial governments to create their own bylaws. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the key parts of the PRA, what it means to Wellington escorts directories, agencies, and what clients need to know about the act. Let’s get started.

The PRA’s introduction was accompanied by a five-year review process, which was overseen by the Prostitution Law Review Committee (PLRC). The PLRC acknowledges that the PRA marked a move away from a moralistic approach to prostitution and toward a focus on health and human rights. Their findings were backed up by evidence from the Crime and Justice Research Centre (CJRC) at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and the Christchurch School of Medicine (CSM) in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Prostitution Reform Act: What New Escorts Users Should Know

With the adoption of the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA) 2003, in June of that year, New Zealand became the first country to decriminalise sex work. Prior to the PRA, sex work in New Zealand was not prohibited. The Justice and Electoral Committee, on the other hand, stated that prior to the PRA, a variety of offences might be committed in conjunction with acts of prostitution, and that it was likely that a law would be broken at some point for most forms of prostitution. 

The PRA protects children under the age of 18 from being forced to engage in sex work; adults from being forced to engage in sex work, including the right to decline a specific client or sexual activity; and employees from being subjected to exploitative employment practices. According to the PRA, 90% of sex workers now have legal rights under the PRA, and over 60% believe they have more freedom to decline to perform commercial sexual services. By removing the illegality of their activity, the PRA has empowered sex workers, such as Wellington escorts, allowing them to more easily seek police assistance and employment resolution mechanisms.

The PRA enacted the Health and Safety in Employment Act of 1992, which covered the sex sector. According to the PRA, the sex business has a high degree of understanding of OSH laws, but compliance cannot be measured because there is no system of frequent inspections of brothels by Medical Officers of Health and the Department of Labour. The majority of sex workers polled by the CSMO are now more likely to report violent situations to the authorities.

Services provided by escorts are based on the Prostitution Reform Act

Escorts agencies like Wellington escorts now base their services on the Prostitution Reform Act. Wellington escorts implement and promote safer sex practices. If they are found to have failed to take all reasonable means to ensure that commercial sexual services are supplied with prophylactic sheaths or suitable barriers, or to display or offer the correct health information, they can be fined up to $10,000 on summary conviction. Clients of Wellington escorts services and Wellington escorts themselves must now take all reasonable measures to adopt safer sex practices. If they don’t, they’ll face a punishment of up to $2,000 if they’re found guilty on summary conviction. (The NZPC is concerned that sex workers will be targeted under this provision.)

What Do Clients Need to Know About The Prostitution Reform Acts?

As previously stated, prostitution in New Zealand is no longer illegal by the Prostitution Reform Act 2003. According to the Act, sex workers and their clients must engage in safer sex practices in order to limit the risk of contracting or transmitting sexually transmissible infections (STIs).

This implies you must take all reasonable precautions to ensure that commercial sex services are not delivered without the use of a condom or other suitable barrier. This includes vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse, as well as any other action that could spread STIs.

Clients and sex workers must not state or imply that they are not affected or likely to be infected with an STI based on a medical evaluation. If you do to comply with the Act, you may be prosecuted and fined up to $2,000 in a court of law.

As a result of the illegal status of sex work before the Prostitution Reform Act was passed, sex workers in Wellington escorts directory were vulnerable to employer coercion and exploitation. However, the enactment of the PRA has empowered sex workers by eliminating the stain of illegality from their activity.