Some-one made a passing comment on a thread (another blog) that I think reflects the opinion of many:On the prostitution front, I think 'each to their own' and it is a fairly harmless activity.
It's not actually a fairly harmless activity.
People may be entering the profession "by choice", but for most, it's the kind of choice built on broken foundations and made in the absence of real freedom.
And if so many people were keen on it, trafficking in sex slaves wouldn't be on the rise. I don't expect you to take my word for it, but there is an excellent book on the subject: Prostitution, Trafficking and Traumatic Stress, by Melissa Farley.
A review said:
Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress offers the reader an analysis of prostitution and trafficking as organized interpersonal violence. Even in academia, law, and public health, prostitution is often misunderstood as "sex work." The book’s 32 contributors offer clinical examples, analysis, and original research that counteract common myths about the harmlessness of prostitution.Here's a link to some content: Prostitution Screws You
Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress extensively documents the violence that runs like a constant thread throughout all types of prostitution, including escort, brothel, trafficking, strip club, and street prostitution. Prostitutes are always subjected to verbal sexual harassment and often have a lengthy history of trauma, including childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect, economic discrimination, rape, and racism.
International in scope, the book contains cutting-edge contributions from clinical experts in traumatic stress, from attorneys and advocates who work with trafficked women and children and prostituted women. A number of chapters address the complexity of treating the psychological symptoms resulting from prostitution. Others address the survivor’s need for social supports, substance abuse treatment, peer support and culturally relevant services.
A life of prostitution is not the Pretty Women fantasy many seem to think it is.