Is prostitution work?
by David Robertson, Christian Today:
Language matters. Last week a young woman, Michelle Dunn, was stabbed to death in Sydney. This young woman was described as a ‘sex worker’. This is now the ‘correct’ terminology for prostitution. Does that matter?
The Sydney Morning Herald carried a revealing series of reports on the nature of ‘sex work’ in the city.
Michelle was a student who also operated as a sex worker. There are a significant number of female students who share her lifestyle – some start working in brothels even before they leave school. Taylor Tara, a sex worker who is also an author has described why some, and how, some get involved with this.
One brothel owner declared: “I’d say around 20-30 percent of our girls are uni students, working to pay the rent, HECS and whatever a girl needs, because it is a materialistic world in which we live.”
Another area of concern is that of ‘sugar daddies’ where older wealthy men essentially purchase young girls. There are websites dedicated to promoting this ‘business’.
This is a problem throughout the world. In the West it has largely been the case that ‘sex work’ is known as prostitution – not work. But, as Christianity declines, Christian values are no longer the foundation on which society is built and so as new values and norms are being established, new language is needed to help with that process. All of this is a process which has consequences.
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