Prostitution and human trafficking cannot be separated. The official number of trafficking victims in Europe is about 23,600, according to a 2013 E.U. report, but because sex trafficking is so difficult to trace, the European Commission estimates that the official number doesn’t come close to documenting what they believe are hundreds of thousands of trafficked men, women and children in Europe, most of whom come from East European nations recently admitted to the union. The E.U. study found that human trafficking increased by 18% between 2008 and 2010 while the number of convictions for the crime fell by 13%. About 62% of all those trafficked are exploited for sexual purposes, according to European Commission data, and 68% of sex-trafficking victims were women, 17% men, 12% girls and 3% boys
The Swedish view on prostitution is that it presents a serious obstacle to
• social equality,
• gender equality and
• enjoyment of human rights

It is not a human right to purchase or get sex.
Prostitution is exploitive.
The sex trade is dehumanising.

Perhaps it might be better if the author campaigned for all brothels to be made single storey. It would keep down the f...ing overhead.

As far as paying for sex is concerned, I am reminded of this old joke:

A gentleman said to a lady:

"If I give you a million dollars will you have sex with me?"

The lady replied "Yes"

The gentleman then said "If I give you one dollar will you have sex with me?"

The Lady replied "Of course not! What do you think I am?"

The gentleman then said "We have already established that. We are now negotiating the price."

I listened to an interview on radio national, and from what I understood, the Swedish model is a failure and prostitution has simply gone underground. The Swedish model where anyone who does not conform to their ideals of sexual etiquette can be accused of rape (just ask Julian Assange) is going too far.

Saw an article a while ago on the happiest (and unhappiest) jobs in America. Not many of them are jobs that I've heard kids mention dreaming of doing.

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6130-happiest-unhappiest-jobs.html

Wendy you can repeat your slogans endlessly but that does not actually contribute to the debate. It's a difficult area which in a world where we were all well balanced and having our financial and emotional needs met by other means could well fade away. Thats not the reality for many people.

If prostitution is exploitive then the exploitation is probably the exploitation of those who are sexually vulnerable enough to need those services more often than exploitation of those charging for the service.

Personally as long as those involved are adults and not being coerced then it seems to be none of yours or my business. Their bodies, their choice.

Making criminals of the male clients and not those offering the service reeks of a very paternalistic view of women or a dogma driven approach rather than one founded on any sense of human compassion.

R0bert

Robert,
There are basically two camps among Leftists when it come to the question of prostitution, some Feminists see prostitutes as somewhat akin to strike breakers, scabs in other words while others see it as women taking control of the means of production in the sex trade.
On slavery there's a widely vilified but nonetheless valid argument from George Fitzhugh that the slave is is freer than the worker labouring under capitalism and that a slave owning society fosters a stronger sense of community concern for the welfare of those less fortunate than that which is is found in capitalist societies.
Who's better off, the Tanzanian girl "enslaved" in the Belgian brothel who at least has a roof over her head and is eating every day or the Tanzanian girl selling herself on the free market on Hyena Square in Dar es Salaam?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UODCeqpVEEE
Unfortunately for most of the people in the world there are no good options, only bad and less bad and there's nothing Western liberalism can do for them short of re colonising the third world and taking matters in hand.
Then again, remember Gordon Of Khartoum? He met a sticky end while attempting to end slavery and human trafficking in Africa.

How about looking at all so called models of the catwalk, are they not prostituting themselves and looking for wealthy men to marry and then divorcing them just as quick to get a lot of that lovely loot, then they look for the next wealthy man, easily opening their legs, just for that lovel loot again, high class prostitutes love what they are doing, take a look at some high class prostitutes in Australia.