Knowledge is a great and very useful quality; those who despise it give evidence enough of their stupidity. – Michel de Montaigne
Regular readers know what a large fraction of the American public seems unable to comprehend: that the numbers of “slaves” claimed by trafficking fetishists are not only so outlandish that even some “trafficking” researchers question them, but also completely unsupported by anything police agencies in any country have ever been able to verify. In a textbook example of circular logic, fetishists claim that this somehow proves that “modern slavery” is so insidious it must be pursued with ever-increasing criminalization; of course, it would look exactly the same if “trafficking” were rare, but if one mentions that the fetishists point to their “estimates”…which the various organizations borrow from one another in an immense daisy-chain of incestuous inter-attribution which starts and ends nowhere. On April 2nd I told you about the incredibly flawed way in which Kevin Bales, frequently quoted as an “authority”, derives his wild guesses:
Bales starts with [a US State Department] “estimate” of unknown derivation, “adjusts” it by a factor based on media reports (which often repeat each other and obviously increase dramatically during a moral panic), presumes without evidence that the proportion of reports to actual incidents is low, multiplies the result by guesses from prohibitionists with an anti-whore agenda, then rounds up. When I made my own estimate of the number of US prostitutes I used solid data from a methodologically-sound survey, and cross-checked it [as explained in my column of one year ago today] via another widely accepted study; the results are both credible and jibe with figures extrapolated from historical data. Bales’ [method], on the other hand…is specifically designed to produce ever-increasing results: wildly-exaggerated “estimates” fuel the hysteria, which in turn generates more media reports, which dramatically increases the “adjustment factor”, thus generating ever-higher “estimates” which ratchet up the hysteria…and so on and on, ad nauseam. The current claim surpasses the population of Australia by a comfortable margin…
Speaking of Australia, government-sponsored researchers in New South Wales have recently released a report which supports the strategy of sex worker advocates over that of the prohibitionists with cold, hard facts. See, the critical problem with the incredibly-inflated claims of prohibitionists isn’t that they’re wrong; it’s that once people accept anyone as an authority on facts, it is far more likely that they will also accept him as an authority on matters of policy. In other words, if John Q. Public thinks the numbers put forth by the Polaris Project and CATW are credible, he’s that much more likely to accept their claims that the best way to control the supposed “crisis” is via increased criminalization of sex work. Rights activists, on the other hand, repeatedly point out that no matter how many or how few “trafficking victims” there are, their exploitation is greatly facilitated by criminalization; removal of the laws which exacerbate the problem is therefore the best way to control it even if it were as widespread as fanatics claim. If we’re right, sexual exploitation should therefore be especially rare in jurisdictions which have decriminalized prostitution…and indeed that is so. New Zealand hasn’t had a case of “sex trafficking” in years, and according to the aforementioned report it has essentially vanished in Sydney as well since 1995 (the date of effective decriminalization in NSW), even if one classes ALL undocumented immigrant prostitutes as “trafficked”:
Some individuals…contend that hundreds of Asian women are trafficked to brothels in Australia but present little evidence. The Federal Government, in response to international anti-trafficking agreements funded a large-scale investigation into these allegations…since 2004, 119 women ‘discovered’ in NSW have been involved in a…Government support program for people trafficked into the sex industry, but there have only been a handful of successful prosecutions…The [research] team found no evidence of recent trafficking of female sex workers in the Sydney brothel survey…or in a clinic study…This was in marked contrast to the 1990s when contacted women from Thailand were common in Sydney…
That report is well worth reading (or at least scanning); it states that New South Wales has “the healthiest sex industry ever documented” and advised the government to scrap most of the few remaining laws. Here are a few excerpts from the recommendations section:
…reforms that decriminalized adult sex work have improved human rights; removed police corruption; netted savings for the criminal justice system; and enhanced the surveillance, health promotion, and safety of the NSW sex industry. International authorities regard the NSW regulatory framework as best practice. Contrary to early concerns the NSW sex industry has not increased in size or visibility, and sex work remains stigmatised…Licensing of sex work (‘legalisation’) should not be regarded as a viable legislative response. For over a century systems that require licensing of sex workers or brothels have consistently failed – most jurisdictions that once had licensing systems have abandoned them. As most sex workers remain unlicensed criminal codes remain in force, leaving the potential for police corruption. Licensing systems are expensive and difficult to administer, and they always generate an unlicensed underclass…[which] is wary of and avoids surveillance systems and public health services: the current systems in Queensland and Victoria confirm this fact. Thus, licensing is a threat to public health…local governments refusing to approve development applications for brothels [results] in substantial legal costs and…has also fostered the growth of brothels masquerading as massage parlours… Government, in consultation with local government and street work communities, should investigate more effective and humane approaches to the problems posed by street-based sex work…Though they are the smallest component of the industry, street sex workers are the major target for police prosecutions because of their high visibility. The aim of the investigation should be to explore methods of reducing the street presence and vulnerability of sex workers by means such ensuring an adequate supply of indoor alternatives; including approving brothels, and supporting more ‘safe house’ facilities…For health and safety reasons and in order to meet best practice in a decriminalised environment the word ‘brothel’ as defined in the legislation, should not apply when up to four private sex workers work cooperatively from private premises. All of the evidence indicates that private sex workers have no effect on public amenity. Exempting this group from planning laws that pertain to brothels will limit the potential for local government corruption. The New Zealand experience provides a successful precedent for the four worker model.
None of these recommendations are remotely surprising to either sex worker advocates (who have been saying the same thing for decades) or libertarians (who constantly point out that many social problems are caused by laws that criminalize private behavior). Of course, American politicians won’t listen right now; they’re on a one-way trip to totalitarianism that cannot be stopped until the train wrecks. But after it does, those charged with sifting through the debris will have the example of freer, more wisely-governed countries to draw from, and hard evidence that disproves the claims of prohibitionists that people need to be driven like cattle and that more laws and police help anyone except those who profit from the police state.
I live in New Zealand, and it is increasingly hard to imagine the pre-decriminalization days (though to be honest, the laws were not really enforced before anyway). A startling example of how normalized sex work came up recently. A woman, Carmen Thomas, was murdered last year. It turned out to be a banal murder by her violent ex-partner over precipitated by an argument over the schooling of their son. When she first went missing in 2011, it was reported that she was an escort, and maybe just a hint of speculation that she had disappeared whilst on a booking, but that quickly settled down. When the arrest was made, no reference was made to her work at all again. When the sentencing of the culprit was carried out recently, Carmen was simply referred to as “Auckland mother…” (acknowledging of course that ones status as a parent transcends ones work).
Can you imagine this in the US? She would be continually referred to as a prostitute as her primary identity, there would be endless hand-wringing over how it might have been the cause of her death (well, you know “somehow”), she would be presented as a victim in life (rather than just in death, of a violent crime) having to deal with such a man because of the desperate moral decay brought on by being an escort yada yada yada. But no, this apparently extremely well likede mother of two children who lost her life early was simply called by her own name, her dignity preserved and respected.
Don’t get me wrong – people get a bit hot under the collar about streetwalkers in their neighbourhood, but that is so incredibly rare now unless you know exactly where to look. It’s very much like any other business now (not quite, but close). No one really cares about the issue at all. The “trafficking” hysteria seems like the barking of loons from here, and doesn’t really feature in the news at all.
And as for Australia (where I go on business). Oh my oh my oh my, the girls are so beautiful, sophisticated, confident and pleasant it’s just astonishing. Lovely girls, and not having the dodge the idiotic moralising that they’d get in the US.
Thank you for this, Darren! It gives those of us who live in sick cultures something to look forward to! 🙂
Thank you, but I’m not entirely sure the rot won’t eventually seep all the way here. Certainly the USA’s strange obsession with matters of race has had it’s insidious impact here in recent decades. Perhaps the trafficking thing will get some journalists excited, and it will all be turned back again.
But….a few things make me hopeful. The first is that now decriminalization has been around for a while, we have a very vocal, open and united sex workers collective that is quick to counter any negative stereotyping and myth making. Second, we are a largely secular country, and the few church goers that do exist here tend to be of the “Christianity Lite” variety. Third, we really do have a decent and common sensical police force here who are very well respected, and have never been stuck in that riducoul entrapment of prostitutes mindset. The word “vice” here isn’t even in the common lexicon. A few years ago a woman police officer left the force after it was discovered that she was moonlighting as an escort, but most public discussion about it was a little nonplussed as to why she should have left the police at all.
I wouldn’t worry about it. All moral panics have a limited life, and this one is either nearing its peak or is a few weeks past it.
Sounds like the Kiwis have their shit in one sock down there.
But don’t go getting all big in the britches just yet. After I’ve conquered Sweden and made myself King there – you’ll have a run for your money in the “civil rights for hookers” contest. I’ll bet you guys still haven’t exempted hookers from paying income tax.
King Krulac I (“The Redeemer”) of Sweden will do that. 😉
There will also be an “open borders” policy for harlots.
Now … beat THAT!!
In the US murder victims are trashed all the time along with their surviving family members and/or friends. I’ve seen it 1st hand many times with murder victims who were gang members, ex-gang members, active or recovering alcoholics, active or recovering drug addicts, homeless, etc. Some will say this stuff right to the surviving family and/or friends also. It isn’t just whores who are murdered that are unfairly attacked. This stuff has gone on for years, unfortunately. But, thanks to the efforts of groups and individuals who speak up for these people and their surviving family/friends the problem isn’t as bad as it once was. It should never exist to begin with. There’s still work to be done. I’ve found online NON-whores upset about murdered whores being attacked. This is how it should be. Like I said there’s more work to be done but reading about any case where a murder victim isn’t attacked is great and an inspiration for those of us who are working on this issue. Every little bit of progress counts.
why is it a good thing that sex work remains stigmatised ?i understand that they somehow feared that more women would choose the work for ”easy” money and no matter how liberal most people would freak out if their daughter announced them that they are planning to be a sex worker,but social isolation of a particular group isnt an excuse for this.i would freak out if sb i cared about said she wants to be a fashion model,because health problems such as anorexia are common,that doesnt mean i would treat a fashion model like shit.as for trafficking hysteria i expect it to get worse,especially in europe with continuous illegal immigration,the olympic games in london(newspapers like the guardian are expected to go wild)and the champions league(soccer european cup)final in munich.
I don’t think the researchers really feel it’s a good thing, Laida; I think that’s just their way of saying to the Puritans “you see, not every girl is running out to be a whore just because it’s legal.” For the truth about stigma under decriminalization, see Darren’s reply above.
It’s about sex hatred, and woman hatred. We’ve got a lot of people here in the USA who seem to really hate pleasure, and sex. They hate women because despite all the fiction about it, very few men could make a living in sex work, whereas women can. It’s the activity that belongs to us, so men have to try to control it.
And the women who fear they are too weak for it want it controlled, too. Some of them hate women as much as the uptight religious men.
Exactly right, and I believe that’s also the ultimate source of “pimps and hos” and “sex trafficking” mythology: they allow men to believe that men are really in control of prostitutes and therefore in control of sex, because the truth is too much for their fragile egos to handle. That’s why I say “Real men support sex worker rights”; strong men can handle women being in control of sex and their own bodies and don’t need childish myths to make them feel better.
Hey, then I’m a “real man”! Nice. Thank you.
You earned it! 🙂
Once you get past the “sex is special” idea, any laws regarding prostitution are obviously absurd. All the ills associated with prostitution already have perfectly good laws covering them – kidnapping, assault, slavery, sex with a minor, illegal immigration, public nuisance, obtaining money by threats.
Given the strong religious element in the anti-prostitution movement, it is sad that (especially in the USA) even sceptics and atheist groups seldom speak out against the anti-prostitution nonsense.
V.W.
Your point, of course, applies to any law forbidding consensual behavior by adults. Look at the incredible mess the war on drugs has given us. As I like to point out, it’s the drug dealers shooting up the streets, not the guys from the local liquor store chains, though the latter would have been doing the same in the 1920s.
Its amazing when you think about it. We are all used to thinking of liquor store owners as law abiding businessmen and even victims. But in the 1920’s they were all basically criminals, many of them really violent ones. And all because of some seemingly innocuous laws.
It just goes to show how dangerous (and ultimately futile) it is to attempt to ban something that enough people really want.
I did a column on exactly that subject last year.
“…decriminalized adult sex work have improved human rights; removed police corruption”
Just that would remove police corruption? Color me dubious.
I’m sure they mean police corruption in respect to sex workers (shaking down brothels, raping whores, etc) rather than ALL police corruption. When prostitution is not set aside as a special case, there is no more corruption involving it than one sees with restaurants, maid services or beauty parlors. The more licensed and restricted a business, the more bureaucratic and police corruption surrounds it.
“The more licensed and restricted a business, the more bureaucratic and police corruption surrounds it.”
Absolutely.
The thing that worries me the most regarding the issue of evidence and those ignoring it is that it all sounds vaguely reminiscent of conspiracy theorists, for whom any evidence against their theory is instead viewed as evidence of a deeper conspiracy.
I think the comparison to a conspiracy theory mentality is quite apt. In fact there is always someone who knows a guy who has a friend who saw something that is used as evidence for the activity (alien abductions, yeti, black ops, etc.) I’m sure it’s a comparison worth exploring further.
Certainly! In fact we’ve seen evidence proffered by the prohibitionists that support that. They weren’t shaving an orangutan there in Asia, it was actually a yeti – because they are closer to humans once you lose the hair. And those alien abductions were actually instances of human trafficking – to the Altair Star System – ASS! And the black ops forces are the protection regime that the traffickers – both terrestrial and ET – use to keep their chattel in bondage!
Can you disprove anything I’ve said here?
Thanks Maria, I was just trying on my tin-foil hat for size. i think it needs a little more work on my end 😉
The problem worldwide but especially in the USA is that people think all prostitution is more like street walking than it really is. I’m not implying that street walking prostitution isn’t mostly like brothel prostitution or escort prostitution because it is mostly the same. I am implying that street walking is inherintly the least well paid for the whores and has the least amount of safety for both the whores and the johns even where it is legal. The reason for this is that only the desperate or the ones who don’t know any better would choose street walking over brothels or escorting when they choose to be whores because it is less well paid on average and increased anonymity without security being able to rapidly respond causes more danger to both the whores and the johns. The plus side of street walking is that it is more anonymous than brothel work, and there are less set up and overhead costs than brothel and escort work. What many people worldwide especially Americans do not understand about streetwalkers are that these people(mostly women) aren’t desperate because they are streetwalkers, but rather they are streetwalkers because they are desperate. I’m sure most streetwalkers would prefer to be brothel workers or escort workers but can’t for some reason. I like how you put in how too many people in this world especially Americans extrapolate too much about how prostitution works from street walking. Street Walking(15% if I remember Maggie McNeill’s quotes) is the most visible, but the overwhelming majority(85%) are not streetwalkers.
It may surprise some of you to know that I’m an American born and raised man as well as a U.S. Army veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, although I’m out of the Army now. I love my own people(obviously because I served as a Soldier), Americans, but too many of my own people have erroneous ideas about human nature and how this world really works which saddens and frustrates me. My fellow surviving veterans especially if they went to war, any war, have less illusions than the American civilians on average has been my experience. The oldest surviving American veterans are World War 2 veterans.
That is spot on Doc.
I was just a regular “sheeple” and completely willing to get excited over trivial things that the political class throws out at us to chew on so we don’t chew on them.
But when you have to go to a morgue to identify a dead buddy – or you’re on an LZ loading up some dead and wounded Marines into the helo and one asks you … “Did you get ALL of him?” Or you get called out to investigate an attack on a little Afghan girl who was murdered because she had the nerve to actually attend school …
That shit changes you. Then you come back to the states and Rush Limbaugh says something – or Bill Maher says something – and for a week that’s ALL that’s in the news. WHO CARES? That’s meaningless pap.
Then your brother calls you up to tell you that his daughter is “pregnant” and he’s “sorry” that he’s embarrassed the family – and you’re just glad he lives 80 miles away or you’d run over to his house and BEAT THE HELL OUT OF HIM for “apologizing” for something that IS NOT even close to the real tragedies YOU saw in the war.
But the thing is – Americans shouldn’t have to see ugly things in war to know better. There are kids in their early 20’s dieing everyday … from cancer, or accidents – or whatever – and they never had a chance to live life. Well – yes, of course – I know that’s the way life works but those ARE legitimate tragedies to get worked up over.
“Who’s sleeping with who and where and for how much?” Nothing to waste time thinking about.
Krulac,
I say Amen. There are even children in our own country who die this way and also from homicide be it manslaughter or murder along with the other ways you described the young adults died. Even young adults as well as middle aged and old adults die of homicide. When I was in Afghanistan from November 2009 to November 2010, we had a Soldier in my task force/ battalion who was divorced from his wife and had a 2 year old daughter who stayed with the mother. The mother “dated” or hooked up with Mr. Thug Life who beat the girl many times before he killed her. The Soldier returned home a week earlier on emergency leave instead of R & R leave because Mr. Thug Life killed the girl. The Soldier, the father, of the 2 year old girl was supposed to be home for the girl’s 3rd birthday. He buried her a week before she would have turned 3 years of age. The Soldier returned to Afghanistan despite the fact that his company commander and 1st Sergeant said it would be best to stay at home. They were upset at him for returning until he explained that there was nothing for him at home except to think about his beloved dead daughter, and that he would rather be repairing helicopters with his fellow soldiers of any rank and comrades or “battle buddies” amongst the incoming rocket and mortar fire from the enemy Taliban despite knowing that the helicopters and airfield were the enemy’s favorite target on installation or FOB, Forward Operating Base. He had a happy and upbeat look on his face until he discovered his daughter died. Most soldiers who knew him thought he would psychologically ” blow up” at some point in his life because there was always a sense of anguish on his face even when he smiled or laughed after his daughter died. Now that is a tragedy which has already happened, and another one that may happen in the future.
Maggie,
For you:
http://blog.audaciaray.com/post/20228032642/why-the-sex-positive-movement-is-bad-for-sex-workers
I ask myself, “How many other countries have to get this right before we realize how to get it right.” Then I think of sex education and realize that there may not be enough countries in the world.