For those who like to declare that "sex work" is empowering

[prudencepuffin]

No doubt many of us are aware of the material in this film but it is nonetheless shocking and might be worth showing to young people who are told that believing this is a tenet of the new feminism.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-60091717

I generally ask:

Do they/have they done it?

If its so great why are girl children being trafficked into it, and why aren't men queuing up to do it?

Would they be cool with their daughter/sister/mum/granny going on the game?

Do they know the rate of addiction in sex workers?

Are they aware of the stats of sex workers being murdered, raped, assaulted or robbed at work (and the same stats for someone say working in a McDonalds)?

Have they ever witnessed a pimp going at one of 'his girls' in the street?

Did they watch Pretty Woman as a young person and know f-all about the reality of sex workers lives?

sex work is only empowering for men
frankly I’m sick of better mens lives by being manipulated into lowering our standards

What is the career progression in sex work?

This podcast is about a young woman called Emma who entered into prostitution and was subsequently murdered. In it the reported interviews a prostitution survivor, and asks what she thinks about people who insist on calling it "sex work". The woman gives a hollow laugh and explains why that's utter bollocks.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p09bxhkf

Just to clarify, not criticising you op, I can see you think the euphamism is bollocks too. Just thought it a good opportunity to hear from a survivor and to share Emma's story

Did they watch Pretty Woman as a young person and know f-all about the reality of sex workers lives?

I think greater harm was done in this country by the "empowered modern day courtesan" myth pedalled by Belle du Jour (Dr Brooke Magnanti). Apart from anything else, she made men feel good about themselves using prostitutes - because perhaps they were helping some would be PhD student to fulfil her academic dreams

Happy hooker, tart with a heart of gold, bla bla bla.

This isn't sex work, this is trafficking. If the person who has spent 2 years taking trips to Romania to investigate this has information relating to criminal activity I hope she has passed it onto the relevant police?

"Did they watch Pretty Woman"

Thanks to this movie a few stereotypes have become commonplace, this includes for example the general population thinking you can identify a street sex worker by thigh high boots(they almost never wear these).

If they are anything like to women/girls around here they are sad looking wee things who look cold and bored.

@MargaritaPie

This isn't sex work, this is trafficking. If the person who has spent 2 years taking trips to Romania to investigate this has information relating to criminal activity I hope she has passed it onto the relevant police?

The point is that punters don't care whether the woman they use is a trafficked Romanian girl or a willing happy hooker. It's one and the same, the one doesn't exist separate to the other.

Do you think sex work is empowering marg?

If you watch the BBC report on Romanian trafficking, the UK police are aware and doing fuck all.

I believe that every privileged young woman that holds the luxury belief that sex work is work should go and pull a shift of a few hours servicing fat, sweaty, dirty abusive men. I suspect most of them would change their beliefs.

What they really mean is that sex work is work for poor women. Not for the likes of them.

@titchy

Do you think sex work is empowering marg?

This topic is about trafficked Romanian girls.

Sex work is between consenting adults.

Very different.

@Lacaola

I believe that every privileged young woman that holds the luxury belief that sex work is work should go and pull a shift of a few hours servicing fat, sweaty, dirty abusive men. I suspect most of them would change their beliefs.

What they really mean is that sex work is work for poor women. Not for the likes of them.

You realise sex workers have the right to refuse service to clients with poor hygiene, and to call the police on anyone abusive to them?

In addition these types of client would likely find it difficult to get a booking with other sex workers (they have ways of communicating with each other and share clients to avoid).

This topic is about trafficked Romanian girls.

Sex work is between consenting adults.

Very different.

But do you think sex work is empowering?

Yeah because the police have a stellar record in responding to women's reports of abuse

You realise sex workers have the right to refuse service to clients with poor hygiene, and to call the police on anyone abusive to them?

Shall we start listing prostituted women murdered over the years (not trafficked)? The much higher rates of murder, assault of prostituted women?

The punter sites where they give their reviews of women they’ve exploited for sex?

Once we remove all the women with addictions, the women who can’t survive on the benefits given to them with the UC cut, the underage girls and the trafficked women - how many ‘consenting adults’ are left?

You realise sex workers have the right to refuse service to clients with poor hygiene, and to call the police on anyone abusive to them?

In addition these types of client would likely find it difficult to get a booking with other sex workers (they have ways of communicating with each other and share clients to avoid).

So prostitutes are safe then because they can call the police? And there are no violent clients because the prostitutes all tell each other which clients to avoid yes?

Nadia Whittome MP is a fervent supporter of sex work is work. She was asked whether women on benefits would be pressured into sex work as a job opportunity. For some strange reason, she never replied.

I was so tempted to tell MargaritaPie just what I thought of this viciously patronising nonsense, but then I remembered that I lost my first life yesterday when the equally nauseating Barley was attempting to browbeat and defame a disabled woman with mental health difficulties on another thread. Same s*, different idiot.

"The punter sites where they give their reviews of women they’ve exploited for sex?"

The sex worker can also leave a review for the client for other sex workers to see to help them decide whether to meetup with said client or not if he were to request a booking.

@titchy, opinions vary but I understand many sex workers in Britain would like to see the introduction of decriminalisation which would legally permit them to work together to be even safer.

In tonnes of jobs employees pair up for general safety, yet this isn't legally allowed for sex workers.

"She was asked whether women on benefits would be pressured into sex work as a job opportunity."

This chestnut has done the rounds over and over on every other discussion on sex work. It's never happened and it never will happen.