R4 Sunday religious sex workers

If that is your belief, it’s an extremely naive one.

Writing this cheapens the experience of actual victims. Whatever your view is of sex work, those engaging in it do so of their own free will.

Also "Maya" and her yoga sounds hopelessly naive. I very much doubt her clients are watching her perform yoga because off the spiritual aspects of the practice.

I also feel uncomfortable about the "sexualisation of religion as a way to increase earnings". Religion has always been sexualised/fetishized by some (sexy nuns,, doing forbidden things in churches etc, burkhas being sexy). But that's at least in part because sacred stuff is seen as forbidden/off limits or because women's religious clothing demonstrates another boundary for men to cross/breach. Its not new. But the idea that playing to that is somehow a valid part of religious experience makes as much sense as prostitution being "empowering" for women. I'm not particularly prudish or dogmatic but it feels sad - like nothing is sacred or allowed to be sacred.

And what's with religion as an "identity" primarily rather than a belief. Is this a New Thing?

Next week the religiosity of torture victims

I couldn’t finish reading that. So revolting.

Read but haven't listened and honestly found it pretty gross.

It's strange that people would think sex workers couldn't possibly be religious/spiritual.

Is nothing sacred to these people?

P.s. should say I didn’t listen, but read the article so may have missed the point of the radio piece.

Safety challenges are an occupational hazard for sex workers.

No shit.

Also it’s pretty grim that it’s presented as as positive that religious prostitutes can help a sex buyer overcome his religious inhibitions about paying for sex as if that is a good thing.

As ever these pieces are completely bereft of any kind of class or structural analysis. There maybe a few individual happy sex workers, but the global impact of the sex trade on women and girls is devastating and weaving together a few individual stories in the absence of any context or data to persuade people that the main problem with sex work is the stigma rather than abhorrent exploitation is colluding with and acting to support that exploitation.

Just to update Elsie's link, which is to the live broadcast. The programme is here, and the section starts 30 minutes in.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001k7kb

You have to be incredibly perverted to describe how a prostitute prays when she doesn’t feel safe with a john, and present this as something positive.