Book review: Prostitution, Politics and Policy
| Published date | 01 March 2012 |
| Author | Anna Carline |
| Date | 01 March 2012 |
| DOI | 10.1177/096466391102100104 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
Social & Legal Studies 21(1)
overwhelmed by a focus on identity politics. In so far as it represented a first step, albeit
imperfect, in the direction of joining up combating poverty with combating discrimina-
tion, then it was a welcome evolution in British equality law.
Making sense of a complex, multi-dimensional legal project such as the Equality Act is
challenging, but this book provides genuine insight on the overall impact of the multitude
of changes bundled up in the Act. Hepple’s thorough and logical analysis will help readers
both to understand the substantive content of the Act and also to reflect on the changing
nature of British equality law. His willingness to be frank in his criticisms of the Act,
as well as his recommendations for future reform, makes this book stimulating, thought-
provoking and a worthwhile investment for scholars and students of equality law.
MARK BELL
University of Leicester, UK
ROGER MATTHEWS, Prostitution, Politics and Policy. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge-Cavendish, 2008,
157 pp., ISBN 9780415459174 (pbk)
Eradicating commercial sexual exploitation, in the form of prostitution, was a key policy
objective for New Labour, and consequently generated numerous consultation
documents and culminated in reforms introduced by the Policing and Crime Act 2009.
Prostitution, Politics and Policy not only provides a context for New Labour’s reforms,
but can also be simultaneously contextualised by such reform efforts. As one would per-
haps expect, the tragic murders in Ipswich of Paula Clennell, Annette Nichols, Anneli
Alderton, Gemma Adams and Tania Nicols in 2006, significantly impacted upon both
the provisions contained in the Policing and Crime Act 2009 and Matthews’ monograph
(p.vii). Drawing upon 20 years of research on prostitution, the aim of the book is to
‘examine the evidence and arguments on prostitution in order to develop a coherent anal-
ysis and policy position’ (p.137). In doing so, Matthews is keen to deconstruct the many
dualisms that ‘have hindered the development of constructive policies and practices’
(p.137) and endeavours to ‘steer a path’ between the liberal feminists, who adopt a ‘sex
work’ perspective, and radical feminists, who argue that prostitution is in and of itself a
form of violence against women (viii). Consequently, he adopts the phrase ‘women who
are involved in prostitution’ (p.42) as opposed to ‘sex workers’ or ‘prostituted women’.
Although some references to trafficking and off-street prostitution are made, the main
focus of the book is street prostitution. Emphasising this focus, as Matthews does, is
important in order to avoid...
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