Prostitution &: An introduction

This is a new series called “Prostitution &.” This series will highlight the complex and multifaceted phenomenon that is commercial sexual exploitation. Today, I will introduce the series.

Commercial sexual exploitation occurs when anything of value (i.e., money, drugs, shelter, food, clothes, etc.) is given in exchange for a sex act (i.e., intercourse, stripping, lap dancing, pole dancing, erotic massage, escort services, pornography, phone sex hotlines, internet sex chat rooms, prostitution, etc.). Commercial sexual exploitation is harmful because it commodifies the innate human need for connection and belonging. Poverty, family violence, neglect, academic failure, time in the foster care system, and a history of childhood sexual abuse create vulnerabilities for sexual exploitation (Farley et al., 2004; United States Department of State, 2020; McClain & Garrity, 2011). There are current estimates of up to 500,000 individuals in prostitution in the United States, with 10 times as many sex buyers (johns; DeCou, 1998).

The experience of commercial sexual exploitation can include rapes, assaults, sexually transmitted illnesses, acute anxiety, depression, insomnia, flashbacks, emotional numbing, dissociative disorders, brain damage, and murder (Farley, 2004; Potterat et al., 2004; Yuan, 2006). Individuals who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation encounter unique barriers in regard to career, education, relationships, parenting, housing, and economic stability (Farley, 2004; GEMS, 2019).

While it is clear that commercial sexual exploitation is harmful at the individual level, it is also a significant public health concern. But instead of establishing policies to address exploitation and support survivors, government entities consistently enact policy that exacerbates — and even benefits from — the exploitation and abuse of its most vulnerable.

Check out the next portion of the series — “Prostitution &: Public health.”