Where are they tonight

I read this article today, and I can't stop thinking about it. Prostitution was a mystery to me, something that I thought people did due to their drug addictions. But now I think about it completely differently, and I can't believe how rampant and unchecked it is. Here's the article How Prostitution Works. It opened my eyes to so many things, and made me think.

One thing that occurred to me after reading this article is how glamorized pimps are in mainstream society right now. Sexual inequality is extremely pronounced in prostitution. The women are victims of violence...if it was your mother or sister, wouldn't you be angry? And the men who commit the violence are glorified by society.

Another issue it brought up is that it seems like when someone robs a bank or kidnaps a person or a vehicle or whatever, the crime is acknowledged by the cops and the newspaper. The criminals are sought and punished. So why is prostitution so rampant and it seems....acceptable? Why does the law not do more to aggressively address prostitution, and why are there not aggressive ad campaigns to illicit compassion for the victims of prostitution? Why is there not education in the mainstream about what's really going on?

I think the law doesn't do more against prostitution because the women aren't like me or you reporting a stolen car. I'm an educated white middle-class women, and that somehow gives me rights that aren't given to prostitutes.

I thought also of the women's self-esteem. How could they ever think that they'd be able to merge with a society that thinks so poorly of them? Their self-esteems are broken, but how could they attempt to reach out to society for support and protection, when society rejects them and views them as garbage?

And abuse: especially if you're raised in an abusive home, that's your world. Why should you expect anything different from the real world? You don't know anything different, so you're more likely to accept the abuse. That's why I like YWCA's slogan: Eliminating Racism, Empowering Women. I feel like empowerment comes about through building self-esteem. I want to see these women rehabilitated and recovered enough to say, "Oh, fuck no!" when it comes to abusive relationships.

And one final thought, I think building self-esteem for women and respect from men begins when they're boys and girls. I know schools can't always nurture this, but maybe other programs for outreach. I think girls need to know that even if they get shit at home, they don't have to put up with shit from the rest of the world.

Here are a couple of interviews with prostitutes in OKC. They're difficult to watch, but they made me angry about the situation of girls and women all over the world.

Yvonne
Mary