Prostitution
Radical feminists oppose all forms of pornography and prostitution as it is the inevitable outcome of patriarchy and capitalism.
Our objection comes from the consumers of the sex trade: the johns, pornographers, pimps, porn buyers, and brothel owners. Women are not objects for sale, our consent cannot be bought, and sex is not a human right. Radical feminists unequivocally support women doing what they must do to survive and put no blame in women for their choices.
Sex is not comparable to other forms of labor as full and enthusiastic consent is required for sex, otherwise it's rape. If a woman must be paid to have sex with a man that means she doesn't want to do it for free. Sex cannot be coerced through threat of poverty, because coercion is rape.
More than half of all women enter prostitution when they're children. Nine out of ten prostituted women wish to exit the industry but don't have the means to. To ignore these harrowing statistics in favor of the privileged minority that may enjoy their job is cruel. We must listen to marginalized women and their experiences or feminism means nothing.
Decriminalizing/legalizing prostitution as a whole opens up a host of problems for women. In a recent study of 150 countries it was found that legalizing prostitution increases the trafficking in that area. This makes perfect sense- when prostituted women are available to purchase it brings more men to the area and soon there isn't enough supply to keep up with demand. Our laws also reflect our values. When the laws say that women are available to purchase, how will that reflect back on how we treat women every day?
Radical feminists instead advocate for the Nordic Model. This calls for the decriminalization of all prostituted people (who are mostly women). It provides high-quality services for women seeking to exit the industry to help make their transition better and smoother. Finally, it makes purchasing sex a criminal offense. This would make it so buying sex is illegal but selling is not. This gives women the opportunity to obtain social services and legal help if they face abuse. Beyond that, it also calls for laws against trafficking to be strengthened and for the economic conditions that drive women to prostitution to be dealt with. It looks at the problem as a whole instead of individual issues taken away from their larger social, economic, and political context.
Prostitution is inherently violent because, by definition, it involves unwanted sex. When both parties actually want sex, no one needs paying, because sex in those circumstances is its own sweet reward. So if one party is paid, it suggests she doesn’t really want it. And unwanted sex is a violation of the integrity and dignity of a human being. So right there, at its core, prostitution is violent.
Our objection comes from the consumers of the sex trade: the johns, pornographers, pimps, porn buyers, and brothel owners. Women are not objects for sale, our consent cannot be bought, and sex is not a human right. Radical feminists unequivocally support women doing what they must do to survive and put no blame in women for their choices.
Sex is not comparable to other forms of labor as full and enthusiastic consent is required for sex, otherwise it's rape. If a woman must be paid to have sex with a man that means she doesn't want to do it for free. Sex cannot be coerced through threat of poverty, because coercion is rape.
More than half of all women enter prostitution when they're children. Nine out of ten prostituted women wish to exit the industry but don't have the means to. To ignore these harrowing statistics in favor of the privileged minority that may enjoy their job is cruel. We must listen to marginalized women and their experiences or feminism means nothing.
Decriminalizing/legalizing prostitution as a whole opens up a host of problems for women. In a recent study of 150 countries it was found that legalizing prostitution increases the trafficking in that area. This makes perfect sense- when prostituted women are available to purchase it brings more men to the area and soon there isn't enough supply to keep up with demand. Our laws also reflect our values. When the laws say that women are available to purchase, how will that reflect back on how we treat women every day?Radical feminists instead advocate for the Nordic Model. This calls for the decriminalization of all prostituted people (who are mostly women). It provides high-quality services for women seeking to exit the industry to help make their transition better and smoother. Finally, it makes purchasing sex a criminal offense. This would make it so buying sex is illegal but selling is not. This gives women the opportunity to obtain social services and legal help if they face abuse. Beyond that, it also calls for laws against trafficking to be strengthened and for the economic conditions that drive women to prostitution to be dealt with. It looks at the problem as a whole instead of individual issues taken away from their larger social, economic, and political context.
You can read some survivors' stories here.
"Today, survivors who are no longer in “the life” are emerging as some of the most powerful voices—communicating a perspective radically different from the one portrayed in New York Magazine. Their experiences are consistent with studies that demonstrate that in places where prostitution is legal, approximately 60% of women have been physically assaulted, 40% have suffered sexual violence, and 40% were coerced into the commercial sex trade. Women involved in street prostitution are 60 to 100 times more likely to be murdered than are non-prostituted females. No amount of regulation can keep an industry safe that is predicated on power, violence, and gender inequality."
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“I’m a survivor. And I can say with authority that NO, sex is not worth buying. In the process of selling my body, I was shot five times, stabbed more than 13 times, beaten unconscious several times, had my arm and nose broken, had two teeth knocked out, lost a child that I will never see again, was verbally abused, and spent countless days in jail.”
Prostitution is inherently violent because, by definition, it involves unwanted sex. When both parties actually want sex, no one needs paying, because sex in those circumstances is its own sweet reward. So if one party is paid, it suggests she doesn’t really want it. And unwanted sex is a violation of the integrity and dignity of a human being. So right there, at its core, prostitution is violent.
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