The Sex Trade (moral, America, organization)

[Djamila]

I saw a very interesting program recently that compared and contrasted the sex trade industry in the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, and Japan.

I'll summarize the main points:

Netherlands: Most of the girls are foreign and uneducated, mainly from Russia and other former Soviet states, and come from poor backgrounds. Sex is generally not that expensive, except from the elite sex trade workers. The sex trade in the Netherlands operates mainly for tourists and sex trade workers are generally not fully amalgamated into Dutch society.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Most of the girls are foreign and uneducated, mainly from Ukraine and Moldova, and come from poor backgrounds. Most of the girls are in the country against their will, having had their passports stolen and been sold into the sex trade by organized crime. These girls are not amalgamated at all into Bosnian society and generally live at isolated clubs where they work. The clientelle is mainly foreign, and it is suspected the industry is largely kept going by international peacekeepers in the country. Culturally, it is considered weak and pathetic to purchase or sell sex and the sex trade industry is completely underground, away from public view.

Azerbaijan: Most of the girls are local, uneducated, and come from poor backgrounds. They are fully amalgamated into Azerbaijan's lowest classes. The clientelle is mainly local as well, and the cost of sex is next to nothing. Unlike in the Netherlands and Bosnia and Herzegovina, most of these girls do not use protection and many get trapped in a cycle of prostitution to care for the children they in turn got from prostitution.

Japan: Japan has no moral objection to the sale of sex, culturally it's a perfectly acceptable thing to do. However, it is considered embarrasing because the Japanese are aware of the objection to such things in much of the West. For this reason the vast majority of Japan's sex trade goes on in clubs clearly labelled "ONLY JAPANESE". Sex is very expensive, compared to other countries, with an average cost of $1,000 US for a 40-minute session. Most of the girls are local, educated, and come from middle-class backgrounds - they're generally not supporting drug habits or unwanted children and go into the sex trade to make extra spending money. Japanese sex trade workers are currently pushing to remove the stigma created by the Geisha - they don't want to be therapists, they don't want to listen to their client's problems, they don't want to have conversations - they want to have sex and be done with it.

Isn't that interesting?

Which country would you rather be a sex trade worker in? Which country's sex trade would you most like to see employed in your country, if any?

[Sunstone]

Of those listed, the Japanese system seems the best to me. Although I think it might be a bit idealized as presented in the OP.

[Radio Frequency X]

I can't imagine ever having to buy sex. It's one of the most readily available and free activities in America. However, I suppose, ideally, the sex trade ought to be such that it is mutually beneficial to all parties concerned.

[nutshell]

Originally Posted by Djamila

Japan: Japan has no moral objection to the sale of sex, culturally it's a perfectly acceptable thing to do. However, it is considered embarrasing because the Japanese are aware of the objection to such things in much of the West. For this reason the vast majority of Japan's sex trade goes on in clubs clearly labelled "ONLY JAPANESE". Sex is very expensive, compared to other countries, with an average cost of $1,000 US for a 40-minute session. Most of the girls are local, educated, and come from middle-class backgrounds - they're generally not supporting drug habits or unwanted children and go into the sex trade to make extra spending money. Japanese sex trade workers are currently pushing to remove the stigma created by the Geisha - they don't want to be therapists, they don't want to listen to their client's problems, they don't want to have conversations - they want to have sex and be done with it.

To say there is no moral objection in Japan is an exageration. Did the program fail to mention that many of the girls are minors? It's true that the ones doing it seem to be doing it with their own free will because they want extra money, but there are those in Japan who do have a moral objection to what's happening. In fact, there's an organization fighting it (I'll try to find the link).

Also, the idea that they are "currently pushing to remove the stigma created by the Geish" seems ridiculous to me. It's true that since WWII, there have been prostitutes posing as Geisha imitators. However, true Geisha were not prostitutes. They were artists. They sang, danced, played instruments, and were masters of conversation. A "true" Geisha was not a prostitute.