Federal Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Bill Shorten, has proposed to ban ‘sexual services’ from being funded by taxpayers.
This reform is one that we welcome, and we welcome it alongside prostitution survivors and survivor advocates who have vehemently opposed the funding of ‘sexual services’ under the NDIS since the inclusion of those ‘services’ in 2020.
There are high rates of disability among women affected by prostitution or commercial sexual exploitation both globally and domestically. Not only are women and girls with disabilities at increased risk of being coerced into prostitution, but the experience of prostitution itself is associated with debilitating and chronic health and psychosocial consequences for victims and survivors.
Furthermore, the pervasive threat of male violence — including from males with disability — against women and girls in the sex industry reinforces the need to exclude sex trade activities from the NDIS. The recent report Prostitution and Violence against Women and Girls (A/HRC/56/48, see also the enclosure) by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, reaffirms the position of survivor advocates that prostitution is intrinsically linked to different forms of violence against women and girls and constitutes a form of violence in and of itself.
In light of the considerable risks prostitution poses to the lives, health, and autonomy of women and girls involved in this exploitative trade, the funding of ‘sexual services’ has no place in any government initiative, let alone a scheme designed to support people with disabilities and promote social equality and inclusion. We hope that your proposed action might spark a review of other government programs and projects to determine if taxpayers might be funding prostitution activities elsewhere.
We commend Minister Shorten for his courage and we are heartened that he would take this step to remove these harmful, unjustified, exploitative ‘services’ from the NDIS. We believe this is an important move toward achieving social equality for all women and girls, including those with disability and those vulnerable to disability throughout their lives.
Read our full letter of support for Minister Shorten, below.
