What We Must Not Know in Order to Keep the Business of Sexual Exploitation Running Smoothly

This article analyzes violence against women in prostitution, pornography and trafficking, and how this abuse and commodification of women is denied by governments and the general public in order to facilitate the business of sexual exploitation. The author argues that violence in this industry is masked by the term 'sex work': "when prostitution is conceptually morphed into sex work, brutal exploitation by pimps becomes an employer-employee relationship. When prostitution is defined as labour, the predatory, pedophiliac purchase of a human being by a john becomes a banal business transaction". She illustrates that violence against women in these situations is trivialized by the idea of voluntariness and consent. Ultimately, the author sides with the elimination of prostitution as the solution. [Descriptors: Violence Against Women, International]