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

We believe that prostitution is still a key mechanism in the patriarchal system and that women will never have equality with men while buying and selling women is considered acceptable. | Read more >>

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

If legalising prostitution made it safe and reduced the stigma for the women, we would expect to see these benefits in the state of Victoria, in Australia, where the sex trade has been completely legal for the last 33 years. Jacqueline Gwynne draws on her experience as a receptionist in a high-end legal brothel in Melbourne to show that stigma for the women is still alive and legalisation has not improved conditions or social acceptance for women in prostitution. | Read more >>

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

Well-funded support and exit services are vital for women trying to remain exited, and the Nordic Model is the only legislation that prioritises assisting women to rebuild their lives. | 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 >>

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

Nothing can make prostitution safe. The numbers of dead women tell us that. Dead bodies don’t lie. | 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 >>

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 >>

Decriminalising prostitution implies that buying sex is now acceptable. This leads to more men buying sex, and more pimps wanting to cash in on the extra money. But there aren’t enough women to fill the increased demand, because those who have genuine choices don’t generally choose to go into prostitution. So pimps use force and coercion to trap women into prostitution. This meets the UN definition of human trafficking. | 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 >>

“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.

“Language is politics. I use the term ‘prostituted woman.’ People wonder, ‘Who prostituted her?’ The system of inequality is what prostitutes women and girls.” Ruchira Gupta | 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 >>