An award winning campaign posted online advertisments picturing gorgeous women available for sex. Within just a few weeks, nearly 600 clients called to inquire about making an appointment. They were apologetically informed that the young woman they had inquired about was no longer available, she had been murdered.
The use of images of these women is questionable at best. One has to wonder if proper respect and privacy of the victims is being considered. In a way, this is not an original campaign.
We’ve seen faces of the murdered used to sway public opinion on everything from tougher laws on crime to gun control.
The campaign effectively spreads awareness about an important issue. Sex workers are subject to increased levels of violence. However, the campaign attempts to address this issue from the wrong perspective.
The End Demand perspective does not seek to provide alternatives to prostitution such as affordable housing, healthcare, or career opportunities.
Rather, then analyze and address the issues that lead people to enter the sex trade, End Demand seeks to eliminate prostitution.
The perspective attempts to be progressive by seeing all women as victims, and punishing the johns. The notion that there is no difference between selling sex and rape is infuriating.
While it’s true that some people enter sex work because of desperation, addiction, and after extreme abuse, that is not always the case.
Among the more privileged sex workers I know, some are unconventional and free spirited, some enjoy the freedom and flexibility the work offers, some are “victims” of laziness, and still others are “victims” of a love for Christian Loubouton shoes.
The persistent narrative that all sex workers are victims is not only false, it’s insulting to those who are survivors of abuse.
The failure to distinguish between rape, coercion, and consent highlights a failure of the criminal justice system.
End Demand campaigns take after the “Swedish Model” that has made the selling of sex legal, but the buying of sex illegal. The reasoning is that full criminalization of sex work leads to laws that disproportionately hurt women.
As reported by the New York Times,
“Street-level prostitution dropped temporarily after the law took effect in 1999, only to climb again. Sweden’s sex workers say they are forced to rush negotiations and have to rely more on intermediaries to access wary clients. Prostitution hasn’t gone away; it’s simply gone underground.”
It’s important to note that sex workers are in fact subject to high rates of abuse. But in order to help them we must fight the stigma around the industry. Oversimplifications that refer to all sex workers as victims increases stigma.
In order to help sex workers, we must create an environment where they are not afraid to report abuse to the police. This fear is increased due to the illegal status of their job.
As reported by Huffington Post,
“In Toronto, 100% of migrant sex workers interviewed by the Migrant Sex Workers Project said they would not call the police if they experienced violence.”
In addition to addressing the fear that sex workers may have of contacting the police, we must address the fact that often times sex workers are abused by the police.
A study conducted in Illinois found that 4 percent of reported abuse came from pimps, while 30 percent came from the police. A study conducted in New York city found that 30 percent of sex workers reported threats of violence from the police, and 17 percent reported sexual harassment and and rape – by the police.
It’s unrealistic to think that we can End Demand for prostitution. If we can finally admit that sex work isn’t going away, we can focus on how to make it safer.
Watch this video about the #EndDemand Campaign:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
