'No no to go-go'

[Sickko]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>'No no to go-go'</SPAN>
<SPAN class=Subheadline>Pastor calls for legislation to ban exotic dancing</SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>HORACE HINES, Observer West reporter
Thursday, February 01, 2007
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=350 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Lloyd Samuels. club owners are using these girls to put money in their pockets /Photo: Horace Hines</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>CULLODEN, Westmoreland<P class=StoryText align=justify>Bishop Lloyd Samuels of the Culloden Church of God of Prophecy is calling on the government to criminalise exotic dancing at nightclubs.

"These guys (club owners) are using these girls to put money in their pockets. It is only disgracing our girls. I don't mind if government enacts legislation to make these activities illegal... (because) they only encourage the club owners to go and hunt girls," he told the Observer West.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The pastor's call comes against the background of concerns recently raised by Senator Noel Montieth with regards to the opportunity for human trafficking that exotic dancing in the nightclubs, especially those in Culloden where weekly auctions of dancers used to take place.<P class=StoryText align=justify>According to Corporal Thomozene Foster, the Constabulary Communication Network's liaison officer for Westmoreland, the illegal auctions, which the police stamped out some three years ago in the wake of its exposure in the Sunday Observer, have remained extinct.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Nevertheless, recruitment has continued largely through classified newspaper advertisements.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Both Samuels and Monteith, who reside in Westmoreland, agreed that the sale of the dancers amounted to slavery.<P class=StoryText align=justify>But the senator said he wouldn't go as far as Samuels without determining if the dancers were being coerced.
Instead, Senator Montieth recommended that persons who employ these dancers should have contracts in place clearly defining the dancers' job description and providing proof of their ages.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Last month the Senate passed the Trafficking in Persons Act, which will provide for the prevention of human trafficking, especially of women and girls, and punish those involved in such acts.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Senator Montieth explained that the bill gave a proper definition of trafficking in persons and "definitely sets the grounds for prosecution because we define exactly what is trafficking persons".<P class=StoryText align=justify>"It was a bill that gave wide and clear definition of trafficking in persons and some of the present laws that we have had that deficiency because they did not have a clear definition of what it is made of. So now it is clearly defined in this bill which made it illegal," Montieth pointed out.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Montieth explained that the Child Care and Protection Law would also make it illegal to use children under the age of 18 as exotic dancers.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We are told that many of these young girls that are being used are under the age of 18 so this would make it illegal," he said.

[Assasin]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

What wrong wid the pastor them? How you a go ban go-go dancing?

Them want to make half a Jamaica criminals? Nothing is wrong with go-go dancing. You go if you like and you don't if you are not interested.

the other aspect like trafficing must be controlled.

[Exile]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

Exotic dancing, like it or not is a part of the Jamaican night-life landscape...it's like the Blue Mountains - it has always been there. For the <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">connoisseurs of the art, they days of El Rancho, Duchesson Rd Hills Road and host of others should bring back the memories of youth. As a schoolboy who looked older than my age, it was difficult to get pass the 'bouncer' at the door even when I had left school....there were rules. </SPAN>

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Now the rules have included the 'trafficking' aspect. Bad for the image, bad for the business, bad for Jamaica. Maybe, there should be a registry of dancers, with the legal-age and necessary documentation. Back in the day dancers were dancers and maybe if a 'big man' had the lyrics or enticement, he could engage the dancer in a longer-term 'commitment'. Now, it's the other way around, many of girls/women are prostitutes who dance, using the latter term advisedly as they do little to advance the art-from. Added to this is the large influx of lesbianism which I hear is rampant at the places visisited by some of my good friends on the forum. I guess it's globalization at it's best.</SPAN>

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Bottomline, return to the small Mom and Pop bar with a solitary stage and mirror and local dancers. Eradicate the trafficing of young women and under-aged girls with serious fines or punishment for the owners of the gulity establishment. Improve the conditions of work for the dancers including sick-leave, vacation, health benefits. Leave the exotic dancing alone, they too have their role to play in the stressful Jamaican landscape. Just keep it clean...figuratively of course.</SPAN><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN>

[Sickko]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

You have given this a lot of thought havent you? Care to put together a 500 max words essay on this to be used as a guest column next week?

[Exile]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

Ha, ha, no thought....it was strictly spontaneous ...I read a lot!<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">

[Sickko]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

Sounds like you were able to tear yourself away from the book on a few occasions...but take my offer seriously and think about it...last time I gave a poster here an offer to take his cause to a wider arena he ran like a girl....

[Lazie]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

Bishop Lloyd Samuels can talk! Every Sunday him certain of his money ... the go go dem affi guh hustle fi get fi dem money. Whey him come from waan talk legislation? Him ask fi legislations fi stop the false preacha dem?

Another thing, why Jamaican dancers are called go-go but the ones from foreign are called exotic dancers? Can smady tell me the difference?

[Jangle]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

Here, go-go dancers don't strip. They dance in cages or on stages in the big night clubs. Exotic dancers is the politically/decent term for strippers.

The Jamaican government needs to come off their high-horse and legalise weed, prostitution and casino gambling.

[Lazie]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

Prostitution was illegal in Jamaica? I never know that. Mi nuh know bout the weed ting, always find it amusing how man tek a spilif inna him mouth when him see a police cyar.

Casino Gambling now? I'm all for that.

[Jangle]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

Lazie picture this:

Rich tourist (preferably American) sitting around a blackjack/poker table in a fancy casino (in Jamaica) smoking a nicely professionally rolled Jamaican-made ganja cigar, with high-paid, voluptuous, nicely but tightlydressedLady of the Night by his side. He is living out his fantasy and he's on vacation. He easily drops US$5000 for his night of entertainment, not to mention how much he spends for his plane fare on Air Jamaica and his stay at BoJangle Casino. I am being serious.

I have smoked weed before in my youth, but I am not a weed smoker. However, I have nothing against it as I think it's no worse than anything else. Smoking in general is bad for your health. What we (Jamaicans) need to do is to tighten our points of entry and exits (our borders). It should remain illegal to export ganja, but legal to grow distibute and smoke/use it within our shores.

Prostitution in like cockroaches and will always be around, so why not legalise it and improve the working conditions for the workers. There should be a Red Light District in say St. Thomas (our poorest parish). The spinoffs from the influx of patrons will be tremendous to the localeconomy.

Casino gambling ......that's a no-brainer. The only thing they should be contemplating is where to put them. I think they should probably look to the south coast. They should separate casino-specific hotels from those geared towards a sun, sand and sea vacations.

[Mosiah]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

<DIV>

Sickko (2/1/2007)Sounds like you were able to tear yourself away from the book on a few occasions...

</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>HA HA HA! </DIV>

[MdmeX]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

Legalize prostitution using the model that exists in the state of Nevada, where prostitutes must have a licence to conduct the trade and meet the regulatory conditions stipulated.

Parson caan stop prosititution, remember people desperate for a $$ and some see that as their way out, who am I to condone them for trying to make ends meet. How Parson suh sure that some of the money in the collection plate nuh come from that engagement Not to mention that nuff church bredda might be at those places during the week.

[Mosiah]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

MdmeX (2/1/2007)

Parson caan stop prosititution, remember people desperate for a $$

<DIV></DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Well, that's one way to look at it! Desperation comes in all forms! :w00t:</DIV>

[Exile]

RE: 'No no to go-go'

What country are you in? Unnu still ahve women in cages?? How barbaric!