Last week I attended an event called Buying Sex is Not a Sport, a grass roots campaign to raise awareness and effect change around sex trafficking and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. What I am about to share is important to know and understand. However, please note the mature subject matter.
prostitutionCommon misconception : prostitutes chose their line of work and derive physical pleasure from it.
Wrong.
92% of prostitutes want out.
But they can’t get out.
The average age of recruitment into prostitution is 14. Women who are poor and in desperate situations, women who have no hope and who find it impossible to say no to a chance of earning some money, are targeted. Currently women and young girls in Haiti are being offered these so-called opportunities. [Insert fury here.] Then they arrive, are exploited, used and abused and have no escape. Prostitutes have often been the victims of sex trafficking and therefore have no legal right to be in the country, no address and nowhere to go.
Who pays for access to women’s bodies? We aren’t talking about lonely men who just want to have “normal” sex. We’re talking about men paying women to do things others won’t; men forcing women to do things they don’t want to do simply because they’ve been paid; men using the excuse of payment as justification for being violent towards women for their own sexual pleasure. Being prostituted is not pleasurable. In fact, two thirds of prostitutes exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder to the same extent as members of the armed forces who have served in combat.
the sex “industry” and decriminalisationStreet prostitution is only the tip of the iceberg, making up 5% of the sex “industry”. There are, of course, also the strip clubs, lap dancing bars, massage parlours, webcam-based enterprises and (often thought as harmless) pornography websites, magazines, iPhone apps…
I say “industry” in inverted commas, because the term is not appropriate. We’re talking about violence against women. We’re talking about paid rape.
In 2007 , the US sex “industry” grossed US $13.33 billion : more than networks NBC, ABC and CBS combined.
In one recent year, worldwide revenue was US $97 billion : more than the combined revenue of Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
There has been a lot of talk about decriminalising prostitution. However, would the government let lie the chance to get their cut of such an attractive income? Unlikely. And so it would most probably be a short road to legalisation. Do we want to be a society that legally allows men paid access to women’s bodies, solely for their own pleasure and without the briefest of thoughts about the woman’s wishes?
Consider the following three articles from the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Article 3 - Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4 - No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5 - No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
In its use of pornography, in its patronage of strip clubs, lap dancing bars and massage parlours, our society creates a demand. And so procurers go out and get the supply. In allowing this to continue, we are in breach of each of these three articles of the UDHR. Is that acceptable? No.
vancouver and the winter olympicsAlong with many other cities, Vancouver has a thriving prostitution scene. I was shocked to discover that Vancouver is also a well known destination for child-sex tourism.
During the Summer Olympics of 2004 in Athens, demand for paid access to women’s bodies doubled. After the games, it only reduced by 25%. With only 14 days to go till the 2010 Winter Olympics, when a predicted half a million visitors will arrive in the city, there is justified concern that demand for paid access to women’s and children’s bodies is going to increase. Supply will have to increase to meet demand. How many women and children, who today are blissfully unaware, will be on the streets of Vancouver tomorrow, next week, next month?
One is one too many.
so what can we do?Get angry. Get educated. Get moving.
- Find out more about all of this. Check out the website’s pages on Human Trafficking, Issues and Resources, plus their blog.
- Write to your government representative to lobby for change. More information on the Canadian campaign can be found here.
- Get a badge and a t-shirt (available here), wear them and strike up conversations. It is crucial to raise awareness.
- Use the Contact Us page of the website to request your email address be added to the mailing list. Then participate in solidarity events during the games.
- Donate (if you can) here.
For a more detailed list of things YOU can do, see the website’s Get Involved page.
This does not just apply to Vancouver. This is a worldwide issue. Please play your part in ending sex trafficking and prostitution.
links- www.buyingsexisnotasport.com
- REED: resist exploitation, embrace dignity
- “Canada Can Do Better For Prostituted Women” Postcard Campaign
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