Prostitution Reform Act 2003

Prostitution Reform Act
New Zealand Parliament
Royal assent27 June 2003
Commenced28 June 2003
Administered byMinistry of Justice
Legislative history
Introduced byTim Barnett
Introduced21 September 2000
First reading8 November 2000
Second reading19 February 2003
Third reading25 June 2003
Related legislation
Status: Current legislation

The Prostitution Reform Act 2003 is an Act of Parliament that decriminalised prostitution in New Zealand.[1][2] The Act also gave new rights to sex workers.[3] It has attracted international attention, although its reception has been mixed.[3][4] The Act repealed the Massage Parlours Act 1978 and the associated regulations.[5]

The Act was introduced as a member's bill by Tim Barnett after being drawn from a ballot. Members were allowed a conscience vote, and on 25 June 2003, the bill passed its third reading by a margin of one vote (60–59), after the country's only Muslim MP, Ashraf Choudhary, voted to abstain, thereby allowing the bill to narrowly pass.

  1. ^ "Prostitution Law Reform in New Zealand". New Zealand Parliament. July 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  2. ^ Healy, Catherine (20 June 2018). "Commentary: New Zealand's full decriminalisation means police and sex workers collaborate to try to reduce violence". The BMJ. 361: k2666. doi:10.1136/bmj.k2666. ISSN 0959-8138. PMID 29925627. S2CID 49335554. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b Armstrong, Lynzi (29 May 2017). "Decriminalisation is the only way to protect sex workers – New Zealand has proved it". The Independent. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  4. ^ Bindel, Julie (30 April 2018). "Prostitution is not a job. The inside of a woman's body is not a workplace". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  5. ^ Prostitution Reform Act 2003, Part 4 Miscellaneous provisions

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