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I think legal sex work would be liberating - if it were possible to guarantee consent. But in practice, really consential sex work is too expensive, which is w

I think legal sex work would be liberating - if it were possible to guarantee consent. But in practice, really consential sex work is too expensive, which is why there are criminals willing to force sex workers to work for a lot less and pocket most of the difference. And when prostitution is legal, the police can't really tell the difference. You can't ask the women, they've either been brainwashed or threatened enough. The johns don't want to know either, even though they are raping the girls every time. That's the background of Sweden's prostitution law. Assume exploitation, because you can't prove its absence.

corty 5y ago
There is never the possibility of guaranteeing consent. Not even for sex (sans 'work'), not even in the presence of a notarized written agreement.
- bayesian_horse 5y ago
  I get your point. But there are better ways of assuring consent than paying the pimp...
robocat 5y ago
You are making sweeping statements that sound unreal to me. I am in New Zealand where sex work is legal, and I know quite a few professional sex workers (disclaimer: not as a client but just random people that are somewhat open about it), and it is nothing like you have described. Without doubt the work has its risks, just different risks from other jobs (for example bar work is dangerous and minimum pay). However sex work pays extremely well: pay off a house mortgage in a handful of years rather than decades well (without needing a degree). It is not very good for your mental health from what I can tell (but hard to tease cause from effect here). That said, my social acquaintances don’t include the most at risk, the street workers doing dangerous tricks for a little money to get high. Those workers are definitely not saving for a home, and definitely are not getting the rewards for the risks.
- bayesian_horse 5y ago
  The situation in New Zealand may be somewhat different. Here in Germany, the exploited sex-workers are often trafficked from eastern europe or even farther away. That would be hard with New Zealand being islands at the end of the world. You may also underestimate the size of the exploitative "market segment". And sometimes the line between consent and exploitation is blurry.

corty 5y ago

There is never the possibility of guaranteeing consent. Not even for sex (sans 'work'), not even in the presence of a notarized written agreement.

bayesian_horse 5y ago
I get your point. But there are better ways of assuring consent than paying the pimp...

robocat 5y ago

You are making sweeping statements that sound unreal to me. I am in New Zealand where sex work is legal, and I know quite a few professional sex workers (disclaimer: not as a client but just random people that are somewhat open about it), and it is nothing like you have described. Without doubt the work has its risks, just different risks from other jobs (for example bar work is dangerous and minimum pay). However sex work pays extremely well: pay off a house mortgage in a handful of years rather than decades well (without needing a degree). It is not very good for your mental health from what I can tell (but hard to tease cause from effect here). That said, my social acquaintances don’t include the most at risk, the street workers doing dangerous tricks for a little money to get high. Those workers are definitely not saving for a home, and definitely are not getting the rewards for the risks.

bayesian_horse 5y ago
The situation in New Zealand may be somewhat different. Here in Germany, the exploited sex-workers are often trafficked from eastern europe or even farther away. That would be hard with New Zealand being islands at the end of the world. You may also underestimate the size of the exploitative "market segment". And sometimes the line between consent and exploitation is blurry.