Portsmouth: Bishop backs campaign to regulate brothels

Bishop Crispian Hollis has said he does not condone prostitution in any way, but will support a controversial campaign launched by Hampshire Women's Institute to license brothels, the Portsmouth News reported yesterday. At their autumn conference, more than 200 WI groups voted unanimously in favour of council-licensed brothels to protect prostitutes, and are now working towards a national campaign. Bishop Hollis told the Portsmouth News: "If you are going to take a pragmatic view and say prostitution happens, I think there's a need to make sure it's as well-regulated as possible for the health of people involved and for the safety of the ladies themselves. "That's not to say I approve of prostitution in any way. I don't. I would be very much happier if there was no prostitution in Portsmouth or anywhere else because I do regard those involved in any way as involved in some form of immorality. Mary King, of North End and Southsea WI, said: "We do have a lot of Christians in the WI but nobody raised any religious or moral issues against the motion." The interchurch campaign Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking Across Europe (CHASTE) pointed out in Januar, y that more than 70 per cent of women now working in the sex trade in the UK are foreign nationals and most of these will have been brought into the country by people traffickers. For more information on charities that work with trafficked women see: www.medaille.co.uk/ www.chaste.org.uk/