Women’s rights NGO objects to regularisation of lap dancing clubs

Lap dancing clubs are hubs for human trafficking and prostitution, Malta Confederation of Women's Organisation says

Women often roam the streets of Paceville, handing out flyers, to attract patrons to the club they work for
Women often roam the streets of Paceville, handing out flyers, to attract patrons to the club they work for

The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisation (MCWO) has come out against the regulation of lap dancing clubs, arguing that adult clubs are "a hub for prostitution, human trafficking and crime".

The MCWO's strong rejection of any form of regularisation follows the announcement made by Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, that the government was planning legislation regulating the operation and advertisement of gentlemen’s clubs will soon be underway.

The prospective legislation plans to supervise clubs' female employees, who can often be seen in Paceville streets distributing flyers in a bid to lure in patrons.

The MCWO is instead asking for a complete shut down of the clubs, which it argues, “in reality are hubs for prostitution, human trafficking and crime”.

The NGO stressed that such working conditions for women should not be tolerated or regulated by law, instead recommending the Icelandic model. In 2010, the government in Iceland placed a ban on gentlemen’s clubs, making it illegal for any business to profit from the nudity and the objectification of their employees.

Gentlemen’s clubs glamorise the exploitation and objectification of women for profit, the Confederation of Women’s Organisation argued. “Besides, strippers are routinely sexually harassed and assaulted by owners and patrons and are sometimes pressured to offer sexual services.”

MCWO, which collectively has around 24,000 members, compared gentlemen’s clubs to brothels, stating that both have allowed victim of human trafficking to go unnoticed and unidentified.