This undermines the fundamental nature of what sex should be, enjoyed by two parties, not something to be taken or given by men or to men. Men and women have sexual wants and needs yet access to sex is not a fundamental human right.
There is nothing inevitable about prostitution or men buying sex. Unequal power relations (especially in sex, relationships and the private sphere) have existed between men and women for centuries and prostitution as an industry is both a cause and consequence of this dynamic. We do not dismiss issues such as domestic violence or homelessness as inevitable. We seek solutions.
Men could make the choice to stop buying sex tomorrow. They could decide that they are only going to engage in sex with another person who also desires them and wants to freely engage. This would end the sex trade and the sex trafficking industry and uphold a standard that sex is something that occurs between two parties out of mutual desire, respect, reciprocity and enthusiastic consent. The power is within men and indeed anyone who buys sex to stop doing so and make that decision. Women have made this decision for years – to not purchase sex – men can do the same.
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