SEX WORK AND THE LAW - HIV/AIDS Data Hub

There appears to be no recognized, established, commercial sex industry in Vanuatu
and there are no full-time brothels in Port Vila. It is speculated that casual freelance
commercial sex occurs when cruise or navy ships come to Port Vila or Santo. 674
McMillan and Worth conducted research into sex work in Vanuatu in 2011. 675 None of the
sex workers interviewed had been approached by, or had any interaction with police or
the justice system as a result of their engagement in sex work. Sex work was presented
as a social/moral transgression rather than a legal one. 676 Two modes of selling sex were
evident:
Solomon Islands / Vanuatu /
New Zealand
In the first, small groups of sex workers frequented bars, nakamals 677 and nightclubs
in the evenings to find clients and the sexual encounter took place immediately after
it was negotiated. In the second, the sex worker worked alone and meetings for sex
were prearranged. In this second pattern, clients were regulars or had been found
during daytime excursions to town and arrangements would be made to meet for
sex later. 678
Vanuatu’s National Strategic Plan on HIV and STIs has as a component the building of
an enabling environment and the review and revision of national policies, legislation
and traditional laws that discriminate against vulnerable populations. This component
includes:
The review, amendment or correction of these existing laws and practices, with
full support from State of Law office, high-level authority including politicians, to
minimize the vulnerability of some groups of population could contribute to the
prevention or escalation of HIV epidemic. 679
7.8 New Zealand
Legal
SEX WORK IN
PRIVATE
Legal
SOLICITING
Legal
BROTHELS
The Prostitution Reform Act 2003 decriminalized soliciting, living off the proceeds of
someone else’s sex work and brothel-keeping. Section 3 of the Act states:
674 Ministry of Health Vanuatu & WHO WPRO (2000) STI/HIV antenatal clinic STI survey Port Vila, Manila: WHO
WPRO.
675 McMillan K., Worth H. (2011) Risky Business Vanuatu: Selling sex in Port Vila, Sydney: IHRG University of
New South Wales.
676 Personal communication, K. McMillan, July 2011.
677 Nakamals is an area where the men from a village gather to drink kava after a working day..
678 McMillan K., Worth H. (2011) op cit., p.1.
679 Ministry of Health Vanuatu, National Strategic Plan on HIV & Sexually Transmitted Infections 2008-2012,
p.22.
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