The Truth About Prostitution

THis is a great article with loads of interesting facts in it.
Prositution It is one of the oldest jobs in the world=) unfortunatlu some girls are forced into this mess. But ther are girls that actually do this of choice and likes it!
Great blogg with loads of interesting articles!

And I thought I know a lot about these things...great..
Btw some of you have really given a biggggggeeerrrrrr response which are really very helpful..

I have been a sex worker for a number of years. People, especially feminists and others who have absolutely no idea about prostitution because they have never experienced it can pontificate and generalise as much as they like. The thing is, ladies like me, ones who have a choice who they see actually enjoy the job. There is great debate within the industry whether it is a job, a vocation etc etc. Some people (and I refer to men and women here) do it for a little while to pay bills, get themselves through college etc, others to feed their kids. Some make it a life style. The important thing to remember is that like anything in life, you cannot generalise. I am educated, have another profession but I choose to do this because I enjoy it. If you want to get an insight into my world, read my blog. www.rhiacharles.co.uk

Health is important, one must be cautious especially when it concern with any disease. read more the risk of STDs

http://simplestdtesting.com/resources/

I think this article makes a leap from 'Prostitution is dangerous and unpleasant' to 'Prostitution is inherently and unalterably dangerous and unpleasant.' Legalize it, regulate it, see if this significantly improves the lives of sex workers. If it isn't enough, then I'll reconsider your argument.

Prostitution at a very earlier age! It is the most sad thing that could ever happen to women at this poor age. Most of these women are said to be addicted later by drugs and related substances to overcome the depression they get due to it. There are certain drug rehabs that understands the problem of such women and give psychological treatment for them to recover.
Public can help such women in related ways.

There is a difference between sex work and trafficking. Not saying I agree/disagree with anything, but I think this article misses that.

I've grown to know way to many wayward girls end up on the streets with trick babies, abandoned babies, girls whose mothers bring home men to them for their own benefit. Every hoe I know has become an alcoholic / drug addict. And I get tired of the callous men who think the girls are after the sex and actually get attracted to the tricks. I am a man who possibly has a feminist view towards the (I will not call it a profession) sadness. I have never partaken in this unfortunate horror, but like I said have given my heart to the dozen or so young girls whom I have seen first hand continue to take their live to lower lows!!! --No lie, it kills me! And the pimps who have turned "love" into abomination of a lie to the girls.

Sorry ladies but, i own a bath house aka whore house.. My girls are so nice and responsible they do this to support there kids. If the government and city officials wanted to do something about it they would and then maybe the goverment would help single mothers out more. My girls are very safe they dont have pimps and they always stay safe they have kids they want to send to college.... IT pisses me off so bad because the women who post these things come from a wealthly family or have always been lucky with life..... There are more important problems out there like child abuse and neglect think about that............

So rape and violence against women isn't an important problem? You're a creep/misogynist.

The awareness movement should be started to fight against this. Author has taken the step at least . What the other people are doing out there. time to awaken the society especially Youth.

are we really suppose to believe the factuality of these numbers?????????? please! look at the countries from where you obtained these alleged numbers. south africa? thailand? turkey? zambia? usa? most of these countries are the shitholes of the earth. then the sexually repressed and prudish usa, which is going to consider anything of a sexual nature to be terrible. many of these problems you have listed COULD be solved by LEGALIZING the industry. prostitutes get abused because they have no re-course. if legal, the pimps (and clients) could be held to legal accountability. not sure if i believe the starting age you have listed is factual, but then again look at the countries you have listed. as far as the abuse of the young, unfortunately that will happen. i wish we could string up those that abuse children (physically and sexually and mentally). should be child abuse lists for all offenders, not just the sexual offenders. in the usa, concern is only placed on the sexual part, not the physical and mental. all of which can be much more damaging, more children have died from physical abuse than sexual. so many children suffer so greatly from physical abuse caused by sorry mothers and their pathetic boyfriends, yet you (like the usa) seem to concentrate on the sexual part. another interesting point is the child/ young teen erotica. those that are in an uproar claim that the practice will cause emotional and psychological problems to the youths. no argument. yet, where is the uproar with hollywood?????????? hollywood continues to chew up child stars and spit them back out. they seem to all endure some type of drug abuse and sexual promiscuity. just look that the E channel sometimes. since it's hollywood, nothing is said. but the children still have to endure the same problems that the child erotica models go through.

The commercial sex industry is a very large I think we need to put more pressure on the state governments. Something needs to be done, because it has been a major problem for decades and no one has came close to solving it that doesnt really make sense to mean. Is it just there for shock value

Prostitution - The Ugly face of the society. its really sad to read that the children are involving in this too looking at the average age.
The awareness movement should be started to fight against this. Author has taken the step at least . What the other people are doing out there. time to awaken the society especially Youth.
Saddy fact. :(

Today prostitution is very rampant. Different reasons why girls engage into this kind of work .First, it's the only the know to earn money. I do hope that the government will take necessary actions to stop or atleast to lessen the rate of prostitution. I feel pity for this kind of girls.

Thanks for the stats. I firmly believe in live and let live. Nowadays, porn has gone more mainstream and the starlets are more savvy. It seems as though they can put a good spin on how they are well educated and they are just doing it for the money. But the history of abuse is startling. Even though they have the brains, they still can't escape from their past as it becomes their identity and they do what they know.

60.As I have a duty to reveal the truth, it is very important I reveal three categories of comparison as a guideline to revealing three different categories of comparison when it comes to the act of having sex for money. They are “harmless having sex for money”, “harmful having sex for money”, and “very harmful having sex for money”.

61.“harmless having sex for money” As this was found in many countries doing my research, “harmless having sex for money” is when the person decide with their own free will that having sex for money is what they want to do as a profession to make money and they are not forced into doing it for any reason other than the fact that they enjoy doing it for sexual pleasure and that they
value sexuality and their clients and society value sexuality as a life giving force that brings love, happiness, pleasure romance, strength, health, unity, family and new life to sexual Universal Beings and it is legal to do so in their state or country. If it is illegal they should not do it.

62.I have written 13 safety measures that would have to be in place in order for someone who have sex for
money to experience “harmless having sex for money”. Without these safety measures it is harmful to have sex
for money, therefore the community should help such people to find better professions in a dignified way.

63.People who would object someone who have sex for money even if they follow these 13 safety measures, would open the doorway to radical oppression such as degradation, abuse, torture, illegalization which equates to incarceration and vulnerability for sexual beings which would then make them easy prey for opinionated sin conspirators such as demons and extremists who would then gain illegal power to give hell to these people and
to murder them for harmless things, furthermore they would then make it easier for the predators to go after
sexual beings for other opinionated sin conspiracy categories. Such people would use the catch word morality to gain support to go after people who have sex for money
while following the 13 safety measures, but in reality they would bring along with them the tools of degradation, oppression, incarceration, torture, intentional spreading of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other dangerous STD’S, murder and hell to oppress those innocent people and other innocent members of society. This would give demons and extremists unlawful power to commit crimes against those people and against others.

64.Consciously I caution Universal Beings to be aware of these perpetrators of morality, because in reality what they bring to society is oppression, degradation, enslavement, hell and murder in the name of morality. Some of them will even torture you in hell for all eternity if you allow them to.

65.Ahead are the 13 safety measures if they are not followed it is unsafe to be in the profession of having sex for money.

66.Safety #1: Such a person would be well educated about the benefits of love and sexuality, because no one
should be allowed to have sex for money unless they receive sexual education about the value of sexuality that dictates sexual morality, safety and the good and bad
aspects of sexuality. Such a person would be thought in professional schools of sexuality to value themselves and to know that they are not a cheap object of exploitation
that can be bought and sold, but are a priceless valuable Universal Being who is practicing one of the most valuable act in the world which is sexuality a life giving,pleasurable, beneficial property of sexual beings that should be respected and valued. Furthermore, no one should be allowed to have sex with someone who have sex for money unless they go to sexual classes that educate them to respect the sexual act and to value sexuality and the person who they have sex with, plus they must take a vow of respect for the person before they
have sex with the person.

67.Safety #2: Such a person would be an adult over the age of 18 because no minor or child should be allowed
to have sex for money or to have sex with an adult. Only an adult would be mentally and physically mature
enough to make such a responsible decision as having sex as a profession.

68.Safety #3: Such a person would have to be mentally competent because no one who is mentally ill or unable to make such a sexual decisions with clarity should be
allowed to be involved in such a profession, but should be helped by the community in the best way to survive and cope with mental illness.

69.Safety #4: Such a person would be financially stable,because no one should have to become a sexual worker because they are poor. The community should make sure that no one is homeless, without food, without medical care, without education, nor without the basic necessities of life. The decision of becoming a sexual worker should not be based on poverty, but should be based on the quality of life and for the benefit of the sexual beings.

70.Safety #5: Such a person would not be under the influence of any drugs because drugs are bad for the
mind and body and should be illegal. No one under the influence of drugs should be allowed to become a sexual
worker instead the community should help fellow Universal Beings to become drug free and should provide the necessary institutions to rehabilitate drug addicts.

71.Safety #6: Such a person would not be under any pressure to have sex for money because no one should
be forced into having sex for money because that is sexual enslavement and exploitation and very harmful. People should only have sex with consent and agreement.

72.Safety #7: Such a person would also be in control of their own self and would not be under the exploitation, nor under the threat of physical or emotional harm from
a pimp or a madam because it should be illegal to be a pimp or a madam because such people exploit and
abuse sexual workers mentally and physically. Sexual workers should be their own boss and self employed,
they should not be anyone's property. No one should make any profit from the work of the person except for the person, who would be self employed and not under the exploitation or control of anyone.

73.Safety #8: Such a person would not be working in the streets during the day nor during the night, because
it is unsafe for someone to be a sexual worker in the streets during the day and during the night, Being a stigmatized act in our world many people do not value people who work in the streets as sex workers. Sexual
workers should only be allowed to work inside of a respectable house or building where they are safe from harm and abuse and are monitored by security.

74.Safety #9: No invisible being such as a demon or visible being such as a human should be allowed to
make someone have sex for money, only the individual should have the authority to make such a decision because sexuality should be guided by ethical laws of consent and mutual agreement between the people who are involved in sexual acts. No one should be allowed to force someone to have sex in any way because it is illegal, sexual enslavement and rape.

75.Safety #10: Such a person would have free will to stop having sex for money whenever they felt like it, because no one should be a sex slave or a slave in any way. A sexual worker should have free will and the lawful right to end the sexual career at any time.

76.Safety #11: Very important is that such a person would not be in danger of being arrested, shamed, ridiculed nor killed by opinionated sin conspirator murderers or sexual predators. Sexual workers should be protected by the law from harm, abuse and from death, because sexuality is valuable and harmless when it is performed with good intention.

77.Safety #12: Such a person would live in a society where sex is valued and not degraded to the level of a sin or immorality, because in a higher society sexuality is not seen as a sin nor as immorality, but is seen as beneficial, life giving and pleasurable Universal formula when it is performed in a proper and harmless way.

78.Safety #13: Such a person would be safe from catching any sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS or any other STD’S, because it is unsafe to be a sexual worker when one is at harm of catching a deadly sexual disease. Sexuality should be performed safely, because it is a life giving force and act, but in our world sexuality have been so degraded that evil invisible and visible beings have purposefully spread deadly diseases such as
HIV/AIDS which is a crime against Universal Beings an insult to Universal life giving power of love and sexuality.

79.If all 13 safety measures are met it is harmless to be a person who have sex for money, but if they are not met then it is unsafe and harmful to be a person who have sex for money.

80.I would also reveal the truth that people who do not want people who have sex for money in any condition to have any legal rights support the worst way to deal with
the profession, which includes the degradation of people who have sex for money, the persecution of people who have sex for money, the dehumanization of people who have sex for money as worthless, immoral sinners that deserve to be thrown in jail and in hell, some extremists
would even send people who have sex for money to eternal hell, which is illegal to the System Of OUM. Eventually the hateful extremists come to the conclusion that they must murder and torture people who have sex for money, even though such people did not murder, torture
nor harm anyone by their actions.

81.We as Universal Beings must use our higher conscious mind to help our fellow Universal Beings the best way not the worst way. The best way is to respect fellow Universal Beings Universal Rights to respect, life, liberty and dignity and to guide them towards the best possibility in all situations.

82.“Harmful having sex for money” is when someone start having sex for money out of desperation such as
poverty, drug addiction, mental illness, or any cause that is not because they enjoy doing it out of free will. Any person who start having sex for money because of poverty, drug addiction, mental illness, or any harmful cause should be helped by the community to find a better profession and rehabilitation, furthermore they should be helped financially by the community and emotionally and
should be given food and housing if necessary. A person that start having sex for money because of desperation, poverty, drug addiction, mental illness or any other harmful causes would not have done it out of free will or for pleasurable reasons, but out of desperation or confusion. Such a person would need to be helped by the community in a humane, compassionate, dignified way. It is also harmful for a child or underage person to have sex for money because they are not adults who are consciously aware of what they are doing and are not at the age of consent nor are they sexually mature.

83.“Very harmful having sex for money” is when a person is forced into having sex for money through force such as sexual enslavement or deception or mental warfare from an invisible demonic being. Such people are forced into having sex for money against their own free will and are enslaved sexually, mentally and physically by their exploiter and are threatened with death or harm if
they seek help or escape from their persecutor, exploiter and enslaver. Such acts as sexual enslavement or being turned into a sex slave should be highly illegal because they are not done out of free will but through force and enslavement. Anyone who is turned into a sex slave
should be rescued by the community and be given counseling and rehabilitation. Their enslaver and exploiter should face justice. It is also very harmful for someone to turn a child into a sex slave.

Now, I understand people's stance in terms of being worried about women in prostitution, but some of these statistics really should be accompanied with links to studies. 75% of women in prostitution have attempted suicide? A claim like that really needs to be substantiated because it sounds highly improbable. In most countries, particularly in the U.S., statistics related to prostitution are mostly compiled on those who have been arrested and entered into the justice system (a relatively small, skewed percentage) where it was likely in their best interest to "repent" regardless of how they truly feel about the profession. Think of the things people say, and the excuses they make, when they are caught for any crime.

I'd caution assuming that the legal market is a safer environment or what prostitutes would choose for themselves. The black market has its benefits and drawbacks, but legalization (as in Nevada brothels) comes with a whole host of other problems, like high rents (you don't stay there for free), pimps on the outside in the form of husbands/boyfriends who may be caring for the kids, limited access to the outside world (some brothels require you stay on-premise during your contract period -- usually weeks), and then of course less autonomy. There's a book out there on what used to be Mustang Ranch called "Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women" by Alexa Albert. Very interesting read if you aren't all that familiar with life in U.S. brothels.

There is also a book out there called "Prostitution: On Whores, Hustlers, and Johns" by James Elias, Vern L. Bullough, Veronica Elias, and Gwen Brewer that has a hodgepodge of available statistics on prostitution from various countries. The data is from the 90s, so not too outdated.

I'd like to state that the men that visit brothels are not representative of all men that visit prostitutes/escorts. That matters. In a brothel, there's more direct (sometimes outright catty) competition between the women and a narrow selection of clients to vie for. Just because a woman is in prostitution shouldn't mean that she should have to (or be strongly encourage to) see any man that wants to see her. Granted, it turns out that way much of the time anyway, especially on the street-level, but being caged in a brothel only further restricts the choices available to prostitutes. In a brothel situation, a woman is highly discouraged from refusing to take on a client since obviously the house has a stake in her bringing in that money. So on top of being exploited on the outside by those with access to her bank account (gotta feed the kids), she is also at the mercy of her other pimp, the House. And then taxed on top of it. Damn. *shakes head*

When a prostitute works independently, she has much more freedom to see clients on her own terms and schedule, and she doesn't have to split her income with various others (coattail riders). That may not seem like much to some folks, but it means a lot to those we refer to as "indies." Now, granted, safety is a major concern, but just as many others strive for autonomy in their jobs, as do many sex workers. When the commodity you're selling is intrinsically a part of you, exercising control to the utmost of your ability over those elements within your reach means everything. No one should have to relinquish their options and control over to someone else who likely doesn't have their best interest at heart. Brothels are just another "someone else" in this sense. So no, brothels don't provide a real solution to the problems we're experiencing, IMO, and would probably only create a new way to obscure abuses and poor treatment.

I won't defend prostitution as it is typically carried out in the U.S. and abroad. But I will say that where you fall within the hierarchy (yes, even sex work has its own informal hierarchy of sorts) affects and shapes your experiences. While all prostitutes are potential targets for mistreatment and sexual assault, regardless of their socio-economic class, there's a bit more insulation as you move up the "ladder" and off the streets. Do you still put up with bullshit? Sure, to varying extents and frequency. And the bullshit can and does vary depending on the type of clients you see (think Vanilla/ BDSM or poverty-class/ middle-class). Does that excuse anything? Nope. But acknowledging the distinctions is important to those of us that live that life. Not everyone is brutalized repeatedly in a direct, physical sense. After 5 years, I can say that for me the deeper damage crept up, subtly; I genuinely enjoyed the job for years until the rose-colored glasses cracked. The toll it takes on a person, psychically, is difficult to explain. Your personal is no longer really personal.

Is degradation a part of the job? Yes. For some of us the vast majority of degrading and/or humiliating experiences didn't come by clients nearly as often as from regular, everyday people that learned of our profession and decided to act a fool. Blackmail (in its many forms) is not uncommon.

Is violence part of the job? If you stay in long enough, you're bound to run across some violence. If it doesn't happen to you directly, you still read about what happens to others through the forums and papers (the murder of Cheryl of Chicago unsettled escorts from coast to coast).

(Some of the worst stories I've heard occurred prior to their involvement with prostitution.) I've come to believe that most people don't choose this profession -- not as it currently stands -- unless they have received some sort of conditioning to de-sensitize them. A high tolerance level is our norm.

Society considers you lower than the clients you see and all other people outside of your profession, which in the least is damaging to a woman's self-esteem and self-perception. Lower than porn actresses (ironically) and exotic dancers. It's a profession that's tough to break out of (a single, low-wage income can be tough to survive on), and even if you do you'll never be able to completely put it behind you. Heaven forbid you get busted; then you'll certainly have no way to escape the discrimination and professed revulsion from others, namely potential employers. It creates a no-win situation.

(The internet has made prostitution accessible to everyone...)

My main point is that the problem doesn't seem to lie in prostitution itself necessarily, but in how it is carried out within a patriarchy. The problem obviously isn't the money or the sex or the combination of the two, but that women a.) can be forced into prostitution against their will, b.) are shunned and harassed by basically everyone, c.) have to resist being controlled by pimps (boyfriends), which is impossible for some, d.) are more likely to be targeted for acts of violence because it is widely believed (accurately, unfortunately) that the police are less likely to put as much effort into a hooker's case, and e.) aren't the ones deciding the terms of prostitution for ourselves.

In theory prostitution is no different than anything else and should be an arrangement a person can freely choose to take part in, without fear for their safety, but in practice, in reality, it's just not that simple when there's entirely too much abuse of power within a patriarchy. It has no place where we are now because it has been distorted and perverted into a weapon to wield against womenkind. It really sucks that things are as they are...

So, as a (newly-)former escort/prostitute, I just wanted to put my twenty-five cents in. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts and perspective on the subject! ;)

Wow, those are some scary stats, especially the mortality rate =/

We're forgetting one critical fact: Many prostitutes are in that life as a result of having been kidnapped and forced into it. The human traffic trade is big business around the world. Women and girls "disappear" all the time. Any man who goes to a prostitute may be helping support slavery.

Today prostitution is very rampant. Different reasons why girls engage into this kind of work .First, it's the only the know to earn money. I do hope that the government will take necessary actions to stop or atleast to lessen the rate of prostitution. I feel pity for this kind of girls.

dang... those are awful statistics. good old sex n pornography thats all over the media... this world is so messed up at times.. :/
~Mariah

Wow, these facts REALLY opened my eyes to just how more devastating I thought this "profession" really was. To me, the most saddening fact was the average age of prostitutes. 13.5 years old? How can girls that young really know enough about life and sex in general to make good decisions! Jobs like this force them to grow up so much fast than they every should...not to mention, is the money really worth the increased 40% mortality rate?

In the most socially liberal countries, sex is viewed as entertainment, and wives will pay for their husband’s visit to the brothel as a gift to be enjoyed. Yikes!

In one study, 75% of women in escort prostitution had attempted suicide. Prostituted women comprised 15% of all completed suicides reported by hospitals.

About 80% of women in prostitution have been the victim of a rape. It's hard to talk about this because..the experience of prostitution is just like rape. Prostitutes are raped, on the average, eight to ten times per year. They are the most raped class of women in the history of our planet.

If we look at states and countries where prostitution is legal or at least social accepted – such as Nevada, Japan, China, and parts of Germany, the situation is very different. Prostitutes have the same legal protections as all other workers, and can settle disputes in courts rather than on the street.

Prostitution is an act of violence against women which is intrinsically traumatizing. A Canadian Report on Prostitution and Pornography concluded that girls and women in prostitution have a mortality rate 40 times higher than the national average.

Why do we care if they were exposed to porn by pimps?

that doesnt really make sense to mean. Is it just there for shock value

Um, maybe we care because the average age that they start is 13.5?

Pimps often have complete physical and emotional control over prostitutes, and [referring to the statistics] 92% of prostitutes wish to escape prostitution immediately. Would you enjoy being forced to view porn, and be expected to reenact what you were watching?

wow, I had no idea that there was so much prostitution. quite staggering!

They are some really worrying statistics. I think we need to put more pressure on the state governments. Something needs to be done, because it has been a major problem for decades and no one has came close to solving it.

Andrew

It is sad that prostitution exists and that women feel they need to resort to it. What is even more sad is that the average age entering is 13.5 :(

The above is obviously not a defense of child prostitution - but we should decouple the exploitation of children from sex work in general, just like we decouple child labor from adult labor in any other field.

There is nothing wrong with people doing sex work; there is plenty wrong with people being victimized for doing sex work. These are two ENTIRELY different problems, and we shouldn't say "prostitution is wrong", because this only serves to aid the people who victimize women in that industry. In places where prostitutions is legal, women are MUCH safer and more secure in their practice of it, because THEY CAN BE. Because they can get regular health checkups, because they can use the same legal channels as everyone else to deal with abuse. Because they can operate in a safe and clean environment without having to skulk around in dangerous places frequented by sketchy people.

People do lots of things "to survive". They clean houses, they work on assembly lines, they serve food. But we look down on them when they choose to make their living having sex -why? Because sex is dirty? Because women would never choose to have sex if they didn't have to? That's puritanical bullshit. Sex workers deserve our support to good working environments - and good pay - just like any other workers.

making prostitution illegal puts prostitutes in a far more precarious and dangerous position than if it were legal. It is undoubtedly better for those who choose that job to be able to do it in the open and with the protection of the law than underground.

Prostitution is very rampant nowadays. If you ask women why they are doing that, most answer is for them to survive or that's the work they do.Which absolutely WRONG! And the sad thing, is that there some are minors. Maybe the government should do something regarding this issues.

It's sad to know how much prostitution exists out there, and it's more saddening to know at how young they are when they start. These are supposed to be children innocent of these things.