The oldest trade - The sex trade has been a part of society since earliest times.

But does it have a role in Our Future Planet? Giles Crosse looks at the evidence.

The whole area is vexed with questions. Who uses the sex trade? Who becomes involved, and how? Then there are the more ethical dilemmas. Is trading in sex immoral? Might any future society improve or eliminate the trade? Is legalised paid for sex the best solution?

One thing is plain, the sex trade is not going to go away quickly; indeed there is further evidence that in many parts of the world it continues to grow. A July 2009 UN report suggests the link between sex and money in Cambodia, and how quickly the need for cash impacts in this area.

‘The report, prepared by the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP), is based on research conducted in April and May involving 357 women and girls aged between 15 and 49 currently working in the entertainment sector of the capital, Phnom Penh, including in brothels, karaoke bars and massage parlours.

‘The objective of this research was to measure increases in human trafficking and exploitation in Cambodia as a result of the financial crisis, specifically, the trafficking of women and girls into the entertainment sector,’

‘The report shows that during the crisis, women have entered the sex trade coming from situations where there have been declining working conditions, such as in the garment sector, where they experienced long working hours and low pay.

‘The most common reason given by the women and girls for entering the sex trade was "difficult family circumstances," followed by "easily earn a lot of money, in good working conditions."

‘Most massage parlour workers, 57 per cent, found their jobs independently, while 46 per cent of karaoke workers found theirs through friends. Nearly 80 per cent of direct sex workers also found their jobs on their own.

‘The report also found that 58 per cent of women who entered the entertainment sector before the crisis were in debt, while the same was true of 42 per cent who entered after the crisis.

"It could be assumed that the shift in women turning from money lenders to sex establishment bosses for loans may lead to more women being vulnerable to the control tactics and violence that are often thought to be associated with debt bondage," states UNIAP.’

This appears pretty categorical evidence that the vast majority of workers entering the sex trade do so for one reason; cash. This in turn suggest that more effective deployment of job opportunities, support benefits or learning placements could have widefelt impacts in terms of reducing the ready supply of workers. But is it all as simple as that?

Just yesterday, June 29 2010, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) issued another report, Trafficking in persons to Europe for sexual exploitation

The document ‘shows that criminal groups make around $3 billion per year through sexual exploitation and the forced labour of some 140,000 people at any given time.’

‘The vast majority of victims tend to be young women who are subjected to rape, violence, imprisonment, drugging and other forms of abuse, according to UNODC.

‘Around the world, more than 2.4 million people, up to 80 per cent women and girls, are currently being exploited as victims of human trafficking, either for sexual or labour exploitation, the UN has said. Other forms of human trafficking include domestic servitude, the removal of organs and the exploitation of children.

‘In Europe, more than half of the victims are from the Balkans and the former Soviet Union, with 13 per cent originating in South America, seven per cent in Central Europe, five per cent in Africa and three per cent in East Asia.

‘The UNODC report also showed that while men were most often convicted as traffickers, women are often used to front gangs to entrap victims.

‘The UN agency also found a "strong correlation" between the nationality of the trafficked victims and their recruiters.’

With this much organised crime leading vulnerable people into the sex trade, maybe the problem is far more about international failure to address crime, or ill suited economic or political systems that fail to protect people from circles of dependence.

Or is it just about the darker side of human nature, innate greed, selfishness or desire to exploit other people?

Positive perceptions

‘"Replacing the abundance of sexy, racy images of women and girls in children’s television shows and films with diverse, true-to-life female characters would contribute towards efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on women’s empowerment and gender equality," Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, said June 28 during a UN Headquarters press conference.’

"As we work toward improving the status of women and the respect that women deserve, we should also think about the message that the media is sending about women and girls, particularly the hyper-sexualization and the disempowering images we often find in the media,"

But men too are abused within the sex trade, so while a global mindset, generated by fantasies perpetuated by modern media might explain some of today’s issues, it may not give a true insight into everything that’s happening. Women sometimes draw other women into the trade. And what about the men who use the trade themselves?

Another 2009 report, ‘Men who buy sex, Who they buy and What they know’ was carried out by Prostitution Research & Education (PRE) and Eaves for Women.

It turns out, according to the report, that ‘55% believed that the majority of women were lured, tricked, or trafficked into the sex industry unwillingly. Most of the men interviewed also claimed that at least a third of women in prostitution began when they were under 18.

‘Half the men were aware that they were using a woman who was being controlled by a pimp. Despite believing that a majority of women in prostitution were currently or had once been victims of human trafficking, these men bought sex from them.’

This points to a startling lack of concern among men regarding the safety, past or future of women in the sex trade. But PRE continues, saying ‘perhaps the most surprising finding of this study is that 71 per cent of the men questioned felt ambivalent at best about buying sex, and many felt downright bad about it.

‘If men think that the majority of women in prostitution aren’t there of their own fruition, and they don’t really feel good about buying sex, why do they? The most popular response on this survey was to satisfy a sexual urge. A lot of the men also thought that buying commercial sex was much more popular among their peers than it is.’

This could mean that ethics, intelligence, thought processes or self denial can all ultimately be overturned by sexual desire. Which might lead us to conclude that all the efforts in the world won’t take the problem away.

Maybe the only real positive work might involve legalising global prostitution, enforcing better working conditions, encouraging drug addicts or otherwise disenfranchised people to work within, not outside such systems, and far better worldwide efforts to stamp out illegal trafficking.

What are your views?  Not sure? Read the resources below for more information. Add your comment below. We welcome your thoughts and proposals. Not a Planetary Citizen? Sign up to Our Future Planet today!

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In many ways, the global sex trade illustrates the darker side of humanity. It also shows that despite a willingness to embrace science, technology and spirituality, desire, exploitation, drug addiction and a host of other less positive human attributes remain.

Resources:

Men Who Buy Sex
TiP Europe EN LORES

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