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Gleaner file photo
It has been recommended that dependents who benefit from the earnings of prostitution should not be considered guilty of a criminal offence.
Section 23 of the Sexual Offences Act makes it an offence to knowingly live off the earnings of prostitution.
It is punishable by imprisonment of up to three years in a Resident Magistrate's Court or up to 10 years in a Circuit Court.
However, the committee which reviewed the Act says the provision was intended to target persons such as pimps and human traffickers.
It has recommended that Section 23 be explicitly restricted to the prostitutes themselves, pimps and human traffickers.
In the meantime, the committee has decided against recommending decriminalisation of prostitution.
The committee had been asked to consider decriminalising prostitution to, among other things, promote safe sex and remove the stigma associated with the trade.
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