Opinion: Behind the myth of the "happy hooker"

Sexual slavery is the crime here, not sex. Women have traded sex for security since the beginning of the human species, and making that transaction illegal only makes things worse, making abuse harder to detect. People who prey on other people need to be the targets of law enforcement, not paid sex, and the forces that make people's bodies worth more than their humanity are the ultimate villains: War, poverty, lack of education, lack of opportunity, sexual repression, political repression, etc. Overpopulation and global warming are probably the biggest targets to attack for reducing unspeakable human suffering in the future, including sexual slavery.

I would agree with Calm Down's comment below. And I think this issue should be considered outside of the context of men vs women. Let's not forget that there are relentless crimes being commited by human traffickers and I would certainly hope that such motivations are not representative for human nature in general, man or woman.

The context suggests the casting of a rather feminist blaim towards men of being the root of these horrors which is not a constructive approach. One could point out several scientific studies that have shown female attraction to be, to great extent, influenced by materialistic motivations in their choice of date. (Let alone mate). So to what surprise is an increasing amount of men seeking female attention in different ways? And these increases are not all rooted in perversion but often just that; female companionship. Just to illustrate one of many counterargument that would even further distract from what is really the issue here.

I think the monstrosities being associated with prostitution are in no way necessary, as one of the oldest industries know to mankind it does not have to go hand in hand with predators and suffering. One should also consider that regions recovering from war and poverty (like some of Eastern Europe's) are not likely to produce much other than just that on a desolate road to recovery. Introducing just one of the many factors that contribute to the individual cases discussed in this article.

It's a great thing to put this very pressing matter in the realm of broad discussion, though articles like this. If the specific views or interpretations of this piece however serve a constructive outcome is something I dare to challenge.

What realy is sad is that some choose to believe the sex trade for security or forced prostitution is OK. May those who defend this thinking have the curse of finding their children partaking it it. May the seed of this false compassion be the undoing of your families. Perhaps this is why the enlightened European thinking is leading to the decline of a once rich culture only to be replaced by those who think Sharia law is what you deserve. Who can argue the birth rates are declining in these countries and the fastest growing segment of you nations are Muslims? The feet of iron and clay will be destroyed surely! The destruction though will come from within.

"The men" is not the root of the problem.
Those who are incapable of recognizing the root of the problem are the problem. Actually, there are, in my view, several contributing factors, none of which are "the men". This sort of article never ceases to be popular though, because it draws attention, and the tactic of publishing lascivious content for the sake of attracting eyeballs is indicative of what ails today's media. It's the root of the problem.

I understand that the intent of this article is to emphasize that the actual "transaction point" (i.e. the purchase of the women in this industry) feeds the industry, and that this transaction is completed by a seemingly never-ending line of male "customers". However, it is dangerous, bold and grossly inaccurate to assert that men are solely "the root of the problem". As the article so aptly pointed out, a Russian woman was the one who brought the girls into the sex trade industry for her own profit. This point is further emphasized by the multitude of female brothel owners who profit from the industry. Blaming men subscribes to one of the most common mistakes in addressing human rights crimes and issues - putting a band-aid on the problem instead of addressing the root causes. While focusing on men would slow the flow of customers to the industry, it does not address the highly problematic underlying causes of the sex trade industry - namely government corruption in southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, where police officers are often the ones leading the "johns" to the young girls entrapped in this horrible cycle, as well as poverty, which although the article dismisses is one of the primary reasons that families treat women and children like "property" instead of people. Selling ones' daughters because they can't afford to feed, clothe, or educate them is among the top reasons that girls are sold into this industry. And, unfortunately, being sold into the industry by family members is one of the most common ways the industry thrives. The kidnapped are tragic, but are a smaller sect of the industry, and detract from focusing on the actual major avenues of supply. Empowering local women to educate and lead in their own communities and addressing contributing factors to global poverty is a more direct way to address the underlying causes of the problem, rather than solely blaming the men who take advantage of and prey upon the thriving industry. Further, I firmly believe that politicizing tragic human rights issues such as the sex trafficking industry is a detriment to potential progress. One additional note: the sex trade industry often targets boys as well, and the "happy hooker" analogy is problematic in its own right, but is not aimed at victims of the human trafficking. Rather, it denotes the small minority of the women who turn to prostitution as adults for various reasons and claim that they are satisfied. This is not a blanket metaphor, and does not further the argument presented, but actually weakens it.

Any remark suggesting that prostitution could, under any circumstances, be legitimate is sheer folly. The root of the issue, in my mind, is fundamentally HUMAN: The idea that human beings fundamentally belong to themselves is to blame. Where people deny that their being--and hence their sexuality--must be submitted to a holier, higher pwoer to whom they must give account, there comes abuse. It is a quick and easy step, going from seeing your own sexuality as worth a few dollars (as the Johns clearly do) to enslaving others to serve that same idea. ANYONE who participates in prostitution (whether a wealthy John with an apparently willing hooker in Las Vegas, or these monsters in Istanbul with their kidnapped slave girls) is adding to the problem, because all feed the root idea, viz., human sex is a commodity that can be bought and sold. Once you set a price, that's that.

This kind of attitude to blame all "men" as "the problem" fails completely at attempting to identfy the true root cause.

Above: "the majority of men who buy prostitutes do so in order to obtain sex they are uncomfortable asking for" ... “I want to pay someone to do something a normal person wouldn’t do. To piss on someone or pay someone to do something degrading"

The need to "ask" (in most cases pay a pimp to scare or force a vulnerable person) for this kind of behavior stems from an inability to receive mental care or to even speak openly about 'inappropriate' urges.

This article classes many different things- child pornography and forced rape- with prostitution- they are not the same thing.

Closeting unhealthy behavior does not solve peoples' mental health problem. This will delve into morally ambiguous discussions about homosexuality and other "deviant" sex (but 25 years ago that issue would NOT HAVE been ambiguous, very few politicians/ celebrities would have admitting to being or accepting homosexual people as a group with equal rights).

A person who desires sex that is deviant from "modern standards" fits into the same group as someone who has the desire (odd as it may sound) to piss on someone. This person should be able to discuss with a mental health care professional, and hopefully with a spouse without feeling so embarrassed that he (or she) must resort to paying a prostitute. Adults who consensually enter into any kind of sex (even if it is paid for) should be free to do as they please.

Mentioned Above: "then we must make efforts to stop the demand by making the buying of sex a crime with harsh penalties"

Is the wrong way to combat sex trafficking. Statistics about drug use (i need some here, i know) show that harsher penalties for users do not reduce unsafe-use as well as education and treatment. Increasing penalties for those who hire consenting adults to full-fill a fantasy should not be grouped with a person who enslaves a child (or any person) with the intent to make-use-of and dispose-of afterward through sale or murder.

This article is punchy and well written but reduces the article to Two Sides, i think there are More Than Two ideas to be discussed here... as with most controversial subjects this has degraded into another shouting match.

Prostitution fills a void and fulfills a need. No reasonable person is going to argue that sexual slavery is a good idea. But the last thing we need are more morality and thought police. The way to be rid of prostitution is too large to contemplate for most people: do away with most of the sexual taboos. I know that free love is a cliche but that is the way to fill the void that drives men to buy sex. I have no illusions that the chances of this actually happening are almost nil, but until it does, prostitution, human trafficking, and sexual slavery will continue. I will never apologize for my sex drive.

Could Ms. Transchel provide a citation to the assertion that there is more human trafficking in places where prostitution is legal?

Police are lazy, and possibly corrupt; and arresting prostitutes is easy, compared to arresting the pimps and sex slave traffickers.

Hello! I'm a new member with this website, and I just made a a slideshare on human trafficking. Tell me what you think?

I agree with the article insofar as there would be no supply if there were no demand; although truly, the root cause goes deeper than that. Please check out my poetic version of this topic at http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1624018-Live-and-Die-Like-...

at least from an Asian perspective, I find your article to be both reactionary and poorly-informed. certainly, the world of prostitution is littered with tragic stories like the ones you mention here. but in China, where prostitutes were recently ranked higher than politicians in terms of public trust, I'd say you're way off the mark. there is little evidence to support your assertion that "the vast majority of women worldwide who engage in prostitution endure extreme abuse and violence." I'd say quite the contrary. and I have personally met human rights workers who support women's right to "sell their bodies" as legitimate commerce and personal economic empowerment. the fact that male prostitution ("ya zi" in Chinese)is booming also defies your tired male exploitation cliche, as do male prostitutes serving European women in Africa - of whom I have also heard. long and the short of it, in Asia at least, violent/forced prostitution is very much the exception, rather than the rule. and the majority of the exchanges between buyer and seller tend to be reasonably mutually agreeable rather than sadly degrading.

Oh here it goes again the "don't blame men" bullshit. Why shouldn't men be blamed it's THEIR fault and that is the very reason violence against women and children by m.e.n exists failure to blame men because they start bullying those who do by anything from acting like they're the victim to being violent.

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Wow! It's amazing how many educated people got on to protest the fact of human slavery. And if your child or grandchild was stolen and abused for years - what would you all educated people be saying then? That's tough. To look the truth in the eyes - don't trash the advertisement papers you get weekly in your mail-boxes. Look at the last page. Look at them weekly. Those children's faces could (or could have been) those of your children OR YOUR OWN. Wake up America!

She is right: the problem is the men.

It's that simple. I am a man and I had to admit the unpleasantness of her assessment.

All the people here writing long-winded excuses for why this is ok and how men are "innocent rapists" sound like the old-time Southern Slavery apologists.

A criminal always makes excuses for his crimes. Of course.