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: Althouse

"All the women here are lovely. We spend a lot of time sitting and talking. I'll stick it out a bit longer."

Prostitution in New Zealand. Brothels are legal, and it is now very easy for a woman who needs or wants money to do sex work. That sounds like a terrible idea, but consider the up side:

Bon Ton [is] an exclusive establishment in the capital where an hour-long session costs NZ$400 (£140; $200). [Prostitutes have] the opportunity to work for a legitimate business in a safe environment....

"[The Swedish approach of prosecuting the clients instead of the prostitutes] would scare away the quality customers," she says. "We would be left with the dangerous sort. The nasty men won't go away."

Bon Ton - which thrives on "quality customers" like lawyers and civil servants - certainly looks like an ideal showcase for New Zealand-style liberalisation.

The bedrooms look like luxury suites, the upstairs office looks like - well... an office, and the workers say they are treated with respect....

Across the industry, she says, women are now aware of their rights and exploitative brothel owners are becoming marginalised as a result of the reform.

Full post as published by Althouse on March 17, 2009 (boomark / email).