Sexual favours for a price. On the side of the road. Down an alley. In your car. In your hotel room. In your house. On the corner. Wherever it is, it’s likely to be unsafe for the sex worker. Why? You might refuse to use condoms and risk exposing him or her to sexually transmitted infections and HIV/Aids. You might have bondage fantasies that leave him or her at your will and unable to escape. You might not be alone and you might rape her or him. Why else is it unsafe?
Well if you the sex work abuser have had no respect for his or her rights, why should the police? A sex worker is likely to get harassed daily for trying to do a job that happens in all countries around the world. They are doing their job without the support of a union. Without a company medical aid. Without financial security. You the client are allowing this to continue. You the client are not protecting the person who helps you to fulfil your sexual needs.
Why else? Well if the sex worker has little protection from you or the police, they are likely to seek protection out there. Pimps exploit the workers for most of their earnings in order to offer them an ill-fitting sense of security. They often require their own sexual favours in return for the protection. It is a cycle where a sex worker cannot do an honest day’s work without being exploited.
What is it that prevents us from going to the streets in support of these women and men who provide a service to many members of our rainbow nation? It can only be a retrogressive sense of moral superiority that leaves us thinking that what they do is “dirty” or “immoral”. Those words have grown old and irrelevant in a country that in theory is so supportive of diversity and respects people of whatever creed, religion and sexuality they may be. Are we clinging to a backward sense of morals? Sex happens. Why shouldn’t it happen with a sex worker?
The provision of increased rights to sex workers will protect them. It will make them more able to offer a rate that will allow them to support themselves financially and live comfortably. It will allow them access to a union, which will protect their rights when they are exploited by clients and pimps. It will make them more able, or at least more likely, to visit the police without fear when they are raped, beaten and abused.
The soccer World Cup approaches and we should be thinking more about sex workers. This will be a busy time for them, but will it be a safe time? If we don’t give them these rights we are condoning the abuse of men and women by omission. It is time for sex work to be legalised.
I don’t think that drawing a comparison between these two professions is naive at all! It makes me wonder what it is that degrades the act of the woman who goes out on the street to feed her child and worships the act of the dr. who works for the same reason…
It’s not the act / it’s not the reason – so?
she charges: like the good dr. charges for healing (in a perfectly moral kind society that would be free too surely.)
a ‘special’ act should be shared between lovers – well I’m sure the good dr. had at least 1 one-night stand!
she charges for something that should be ‘special’ (like when my ex would only sleep with me when I kept the rules). Plus healing is pretty special.
Where is the sense in this moral judgement???
She breaks up families – nope (she’s not the one in the relationship).
She’s easily available – sure, so? (go speak to business – a very simple marketing strategy: supply / demand).
Ah … it’s degrading to woman. Oh really! Sex is degrading? Giving it away is degrading? Selling it is degrading? And who are you to decide what degrades me – my hungry child? Deserter husband? Lost job? Dreams? Perhaps it’s simply your moral judgement.)
It’s only men who think of this as so very precious (frankly woman stand against prostitution just to keep their men at home) – but then again there is a definite demand. Go figure …
Legalising this, nationalising that. Women’s bodies are marketed and exploited the world over, formally and informally. Have been for centuries, and will of course continue to be so. It is sad how an educated women who knows so many laywers, (intellectual vermilion outhouse), can get caught up mindlessly in the doctrine spewed by the many who profit by the belief that a woman’s body is a commodity. How many young prostitutes do you know?
How many old one’s do you know? The industry is racked with grief stricken, tear hardened women who do what they do for mostly all the wrong heart wrenching reasons. But believe as you will, that you are defending the rights of women. The 48 year old lady who’s still on the beat. The sad, world weary 10 year old who’s selling herself. Advocating the legalisation, enslavement and continual grooming of more young women to the world’s oldest traditional female occupation.
Good Going Girl!