“My experiences show that a woman doesn’t choose prostitution. She is choosing survival. Prostitution isn’t a choice. It is the absence of choice. Nobody makes the choice to be poor, low caste, or female. Society and individuals take advantage of this lack of choice.”

– Ruchira Gupta | Read more >>

For millennia human communities were egalitarian & prostitution was unknown. Prostitution was invented when men seized control & started the system of male supremacy known as patriarchy.

Prostitution is still a key plank of the patriarchal system. Women will never have equality while prostitution is acceptable. | Read more >>

Women often struggle to leave prostitution, & when they do, many find themselves returning after a temporary reprieve, due to difficulties finding a stable home & income. Many are affected by mental health problems & anxiety about life outside of prostitution.

Well-funded support & exit services are therefore vital. | Read more >>

Prostitution involves unwanted sex, which is itself a form violence, & the punter requires the woman to pretend she is enjoying it, even if she finds it repulsive. This is a form of psychological violence. But punters & pimps are often also physically violent. Right up to murder. | Read more >>

Prostitution treats a woman as a commodity that men can use as a sex object, causing her real psychological and physical harm, and in violation of her human rights and the human right of all women to equality with men.

“Anyone who thinks prostitution is a victimless crime hasn’t seen it up close.” (Joe Parker, 2004) | Read more >>

Any claims that punters respect the women they buy and never use those who are unwilling or appear to have been forced or drugged are exposed as a lie by the comments that punters themselves post on sites like Punternet.

What they say makes it clear that they do not care a jot for the women’s comfort, welfare or health. | Read more >>

Comments by punters on sites like Punternet make it clear that most punters are in a romantic relationship with a woman who thinks he is faithful, and if they are not in a relationship, many admit to being too lazy to seek and form one. | Read more >>

Decriminalising prostitution leads to more men buying sex & more pimps wanting to cash in on the extra money. There aren’t enough women to fill the increased demand, so pimps use force & coercion, i.e. human trafficking. | Read more >>

Are you serious? Do you really believe that men are such weak, fragile creatures that without prostitution they will have no choice but to rape women and children indiscriminately?

Are you really serious? | Read more >>

This argument is discriminatory & offensive, because it implies people with disabilities are too grotesque to be sexually attractive & are not capable of forming intimate relationships. It’s sexist because it only considers men’s needs & is exploitative because it requires a class of women to be available for men’s sexual use. | Read more >>

In other occupations where there’s risk of exposure to body fluids, workers must wear protective clothing.

Health & Safety norms require RETHINKING working practices to eliminate unreasonable risk. When this isn’t possible, it’s time to close the industry down, like the asbestos industry was. | Read more >>

Studies of men who buy sex (punters) show that they are significantly more likely than other men to rape and engage in all forms of violence against women. A US study found that punters were nearly eight times more likely to rape than other men. | Read more >>