DECRIMINALISATION VERSUS LEGALISATION- 1d. VOLUNTARY PROSTITUTION

1d. VOLUNTARY PROSTITUTION
Great caution should be used in distinguishing between so called voluntary and involuntary prostitution.
Worldwide the average age of entry into prostitution is 14 (Shared Hope International) and is decreasing. When these girls reach 18 can one really hold that a vocational choice has been made or is it merely the continuation of childhood abuse and exploitation?
Studies show that the majority of those who ’choose’ to engage in prostitution have a history of childhood sexual and violent abuse.
Entering into prostitution is also generally a survival strategy: as Joseph Parker noted (Lola Green Baldwin Foundation): “The reality is that no woman wants to have sex with 5, 10, 15, 20 or more men a day, every day.” Can one really speak of choice at all if there are no viable alternatives to actually choose from?