But as with those close competitors for the title of “oldest profession,” the reality of prostitution isn’t worth fighting for. Though data is often incomplete, given the difficulties of tracking a black market, research from those who work with survivors indicates that only a tiny minority of people actively want to remain in prostitution. Those who enter the sex trade often do so because their choices are sorely circumscribed. The term “sex work” whitewashes the economic constraints, family ruptures and often sordid circumstances that drive many women to sell themselves. A small, often elite, minority of people who work happily in the sex trade shouldn’t dictate the terms for everyone else.

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Persons: Melanie Thompson, “, ”, Alexander Delgado, Voces Latinas Organizations: Mujeres Locations: NJ