Sex workers disagree over bank’s principled stand

NewsRoom 10 August 2020
Family First Comment: Superb stand from women who know the truth….
“Wahine Toa Rising has written to Kiwibank applauding its initial commitment to support vulnerable women and children by refusing to engage with “the sex trade profiteers” and asking them to reconsider.”

Kiwibank’s initial plans to blacklist the adult entertainment industry ran into opposition from the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective, but the bank is being urged to stick to its guns by Wahine Toa Rising – a new trans-Tasman group set up by ex-sex workers. Yvonne van Dongen reports

Last month Kiwibank rolled out a “responsible banking policy” stating that it would no longer deal with any companies involved in the extraction, production or manufacture of coal, oil and gas and blacklisting the adult entertainment industry, casinos, military grade weapons, synthetic drugs, palm oil, tobacco and predatory lending.

But after representations from the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective, Kiwibank agreed to work with strip clubs and brothels that could demonstrate good practice. The NZPC argued that banning brothel owners would have a flow-on effect to the people who worked for them.

Since then, Wahine Toa Rising has written to Kiwibank applauding its initial commitment to support vulnerable women and children by refusing to engage with “the sex trade profiteers” and asking them to reconsider. Kiwibank is still considering its response to WTR.

Prior to Covid-19, WTR spokeswoman Ally Marie Diamond planned to come to New Zealand to talk to sex trade survivors as well as the NZPC.

“I believe NZPC looks after the small minority of women who choose to be ‘sex workers’ and the profiteers and that is great. However, WTR is here to support the majority of vulnerable women and young people who are massively overrepresented in the sex trade in New Zealand.”
READ MORE: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/sex-workers-disagree-over-banks-principled-stand

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