The language of relationships is the language of commercial intercourse. It would appear that there is a conflict here between morality and economics, but this is illusory: morality is economics. Everything is bought and sold in this brave new world of ours. Prostitution is the logical extension of the market-place mentality. You pays your money and you takes your choice. Should we objectify and degrade our fellow human beings? I think not.

firmin, Sydney,

Having been involved in the sex industry myself, I can tell you all categorically that if you do not start out on drugs or hooked on alcohol (or both) you will end up that way - so the happy hooker you see today, go see her in 10 y ears and see how happy she is - but by then, the conveyer belt will have delivered a never ending supply of fresh new "meat", ready for men to use.
Women DO NOT enjoy the sex most of the time- what do the punters think she is going to say? I don't want the money? I don't enjoy it? That is very bad for biz can you men not see that? Prostitution is a manifestation of the wider inequalities in society between men and women. It's never been easier to provide and procur what with all the mobile and internet technology. Culture and media are also promoting, without even saying a word, the ethos that females are worth nothing more than what they can offer sexually.
And by the way, another delusion-older women are NOT buying male hookers in droves-delusion

MK, Greater London, UK

Tightening the law is a waste of time for all the same reasons as prohibition of alcohol and drugs, and that's if you believe that paying for sex is wrong, and I doubt that it is. It is for the prostitute and client, not society, to determine. Both are masters of their own fate in this regard, and it is a personal decision for both.

It seems that harm is only done by those who wish to control prostitutes, be they the clients, their pimps, moral crusaders or the government, and out of those four, the latter two are just as dangerous as the former because they have the power to increase the amount of danger faced by prostitutes. Frankly, everyone should just get off their backs . . .

KZ, Milton Keynes, UK

I am an escort and have commented in previous articles..

I chose this job out of my own free will like so many others like myself. This job has transformed my life for the better. I would be very sad to see men being criminalised as that means the good clients will disappear and only leave the bad ones behind also making the industry go underground.. It would mean a bad deal for any girl in this industry.

It is safer to work in a brothel than on the street, any suggestion otherwise is unfair. And most of us are not on drugs, as a matter of fact when I used to be in the financial industry before my career change I saw more drug use there than I ever have in this industry..

AnotherEscort, Bedford,

My experience of prostitutes are the so called " High Class Escorts " who are caricatures of Gordon Gecko rather than the drug haddled, downtrodden street walkers and parlour girls. They are very wealthy, intelligent, beautiful and eloquent women who mirror our society as a whole and to hell with any moral code as long as the punter, sorry client flashes the cash and then goes away very quickly once the deal has been done. Greed is good so we are told and whatever it takes is enough to live the " American Dream ".

The moral decay and corruption in our society only fuels the lust and the easily accessible supply of sex objects on any level which we are conditioned to appreciate. They feed the ever growing demand. The hypocrisy of politicians and the media sometimes astounds when they castigate those that take a part in the paid sex circus. Yes it is demeaning and in my opinion cheapens humankind but so does any other drug. My deepest sympathies to the deluded and those soon to be.

Niall, Herts, UK

Oh for goodness sake let them have their way and ban it , perhaps the idiot clients who spend money on prostitutes will find a more sensible and cheaper way to have fun .

Ian , Isleworth , Middlesex

@Laura Bennett, Gloucester,

Easy for you to say, Laura. As a female, the likelihood of you not obtaining sex is greatly diminished.

The same cannot be said for men, unfortunately. In this day of gender equality, shouldn't we all have the same "privileges", as you make out sex to be?

Jeff, Manchester,

Excellent article - glad someone has finally had the guts to write realistically about. Interesting that mostly (or even 'only') foreigners made pro-women comments. Loved TIM's comment (Auckland, NZ) - very, very good point! The rest just make me feel so, so relieved that I no longer have to deal with British men's cruel mentality and attitude towards women.

MJ, Lisbon, Portugal

Thank you for writing such a good article on the issue of prostitution. Many of the defensive and selfish comments on this article from men just prove your point.

Men aren't entitled to sex. it's that simple. No-one is entitled to the body of another. It doesn't matter how pathetic and sexless a man's life may be, sex is not a right. We should not be prepared to sacrifice women and girls in this way.

It is also worth mentioning that studies have shown that the majority of men who use prostitited women are not poor little dears whom no-one fancies, but are married.

I suggest people read up on the Swedish model of criminalising the sale of sex before jumping in here claiming that legitimising the trade in women's bodies (yes, the vast majority of prostituted persons are female, demanded by men) is the only way to go.

Laurelin, Reading,

I agree with the author. It's about time men realised that they cannot get sex just because they want it and pay for it, and that women realised by selling their bodies they are making all men believe all women are available at a price.

If you need to pay for sex, you don't deserve it in the first place. Sex is a privilege, not a right, and it's certainly not something vital to life.

Laura Bennett, Gloucester,

Let them eat cake (sexually speaking) seems to be the gist of this self-satisfied "Guardian Woman" tirade. Perhaps if you got off your sexist high horse and tried to gain some understanding of the feelings and desires of men who find it difficult to attract women, you would begin to understand why some of them pay for sex. This is a decadent society where female exhibitionism and sexual advertising are everywhere, to the great frustration of those forever excluded from the party. Not your problem of course! They're just losers anyway, right?

Yet perhaps you should temper your complacent self-regard and reflect that frustration is not uniquely a male phenomenon. How would you react if your circumstances changed and you found yourself on the outside? We're told by an almost-approving, if schizoid, female press that sexually unsatisfied older women, their looks fading, are themselves increasingly paying for sex. Should we ban that too? Or is your anti-male sexism really pure?

CC, Edinburgh, Scotland

The author of this report and those calling for paying for sex to be criminalised are so elevated on their high horses that they are out of touch with reality and cannot see what is going on around them in the real world!

Just check out the number of websites independent escorts have paid for to advertise their services on, visit a few forum's, or chatrooms where they frequent and listen to what they say! They do it through choice.

Make it a criminal offense, and sure, you'll be able to sit even higher on your horses. But you'll be even less aware of what is really going on as you'll drive things undrground and into the hands of criminals. You'll do nothing for the more vulnerable, like Wrights victims, who I believe also had also had drug problems and those who are trafficked into it.

Prohibition never has, nor ever will work.! Make it legal and systems to protect the vulnerable can be put in place,

mr smith, somewhere,

May I ask, have you ever visited a brothel?
I know the ladies that work with me are niether coerced or imprisoned - and if trade has doubled in ten years - is that not an arguement for the legalisation of prostitution?
I firmly believe making it illigal to pay for sex will drive the industry underground and open to unscrupulous people to exploit the women who choose to work in this way - and yes, how ever distastful you may find it, there are many women who CHOOSE to work this way. Women that are not on drugs, or pimped or forced - women who can earn a full time wage in 2 days allowing them to be at home with their children or giving them the time to improve their education. Women who work to top up their wages - life is expensive.
What we need are rules and guidelines.
We also need reports on the industry to be better researched - it seems to me that it's only street girls that are used as examples - street girls are the minority.

sandy wells, Northamptonshire, England

This article is beginning to address the surface problem of prostitution. I find it interesting that this article gets so much criticism, when Janice has only skimmed over certain issues. Perhaps it would benefit most people commenting on the article to actually so research into the many areas surrounding prostitution before making sweeping comments about how women and their so called 'choice' to become prostitutes.
I also find it rather amusing that most men responding to this article angrily are actually just adding more evidence to the bane of the argument. Those claiming that prostitutes enjoy their job are deluding themselves.
The biggest issue is that people : mainly women and children are still treated as commodities in todays world. This happens every day in every walk of life.
Prostitution is just one example of the most controversial.
I think the main principle is a lack of choice.
Good article, addressing a huge topic.

Becka, london,

I have sex with prostitutes. I was battered by my mother and find I can't have 'normal' close relationships because I am damaged inside. I do not defend my morals since I do not know what the correct morals are or who sets them. I do sense that I'd be insane or dead but for occasional sexual release. However, this is not about me.

In my experience there are three types of prostitute: those coerced by others, drugs or poverty who need help, those who have made a decision that they are only uncomfortable about due to intolerant peer pressure and those who do not care what society thinks, who enjoy sex with clean, fit, good-looking, considerate men like me and are very happy to earn a good living this way. They often tell me they can't make 'normal' relations either.

Now I seek only the last type of prostitute; women who should be approved off. I hope I have not hurt any others. Tell me now from your comfortable ivory tower that I am immoral.

I don't buy battery chickens either.

Nigel, Maidstone, Kent, UK

The Germans have had legal prostitution for decades, far better organised than the Dutch, Hamburg still has a state run brothel, so why not legalise it here, it is definately not going to go away. Maybe the labour party could nationalise it like they did Northern Rock.

Nick P., Camberley Surrey, UK

In a recent article, Tol, Life and Style, Women, "I pay a man for regular sex", the Times was encouragiing prostitution. In this article your colleague used the Internet to find Justin. Read this article replacing Justin with Justine etc and men using prostitutes seems much more acceptable.

quentin, Reading, UK

Legalize prostitution and protect all those involved... that's the only way to improve everyone's lot. Anything else is unrealistic and harmful.

Billy, Hong Kong,

Let's not forget the nearly 90% of office workers who don't do any 'real' work! Just operate spreadsheets and other clerical duties.

Prostitutes actually do work, sometimes under arduous conditions!

Wendy, London,

Loneliness or exploitation seems to be a much worse curse than to be paying for a service to avoid this. Yes- exploitation can be from a partner asking for gifts or treating you cruelly, even leaving you for another- not necessarily from an escort! We have to divide between those forced into it for drugs or through trafficking and those who chose it as a profession. Of course, saying profession equals saying it's done because it's paid- same with any profession. How many people would willingly do their job for free?

It's hard and expensive to have relationships; if sex is what someone wants, this seems to be a more civilised way, providing it is managed so that the woman (or man) has their rights protected. Sex is a need, just like hunger and whether they go for erotica or escorts, many, even most men, have a taste for such 'professional girls'. We really need to separate the issues and have a human-rights based morality around them, not a prudish, cruel, 'sexual morality'.

Gideon D, Kashiwa, Japan

Quite simple to see the origins of points of view here; if you are reasonably attractive/young/with a loving, sexual partner then you will take the opinion that prostitution is a disgusting trade, the men are perverts and should be hanged.

If you are ugly, lonely, old or live in a sexless/restrictive relationship, brothels are the only solution to making life a bit more bearable.

But then how would the first group understand, they have everything they want.

Howard, Manchester,

Why, now homosexuality has been made legally acceptable, do activists want to make prostitution illegal? The usual UK mixed up thinking?

David, Hereford, UK

Do you really think that if a law was passed saying prostitution was now illegal it would just stop ?. How would you police it, put cctv in everyones bedroom. I don't think you have thought this through.

Paul, Portsmouth, GB

The moral debate surrounding prostitution is tedious.

It is also deeply patronising (or more usually matronising) and often offensive to the women who do make a choice to earn a living through prostitution. I am sure that few women would place prostitution as a first career choice, and of course no-one would condone coercion in any form. I am equally certain that few would regard working on the checkout at Tescos as a grail of achievement, but Tescos are not accused of exploitation . What the strident feminist always fails to recognise is that not attaining ones ideal position in life does not mean one is either oppressed or exploited. Free choice is not vitiated by aspiring to do something other than that chosen through dint of circumstance.

Feminists fought, rightfully, for equality. Why now does the feminist movement seek to undermine all that they achieved by casting moral opprobrium on women who exercise free choice within the bounds of the law?

Rupert Bowers, London,

"Why are we hand-wringing moral relativists about women but not chickens?"

Because the chickens don't get paid and never speak up in their own defense.

G. Ziemann, Phoenix, AZ, USA

The cost of my divorce was the same as if I'd paid a prostitute for every single day of my marriage!

And I know which would have been more fun!

Andrew, Peterborough,

Prohibition never works. Legalise, regulate for health, go for the least harm option.

Thomas Zunder, Sheffield, UK

It has always puzzled me why women can be arrested for solicitating yet men get no punishment.

In the 80s, I remember that it was big news that if men were caught looking for sex then a letter would be sent to their home address telling them of the 'offence'. The thinking behind this being that it would deter them because of fear of their wives/girlfriends finding out.

I 100% believe that men should be arrested, prosecuted and even sent to prison for this crime. They are feeding the sordid, violent, drug related crime that goes along with prostitution and that is something to be ashamed off.

Any man who believes that a prostitute enjoys sex with a stranger, should ask said prostitute to do it for free and see what the response is.

kim, London,

A decent article written by a slightly naive author. You just gave the name of sites which 'help' men find women. I thought the whole point was not to help proliferate the sex trade...

On the flip side of your ill-considered argument have you thought that maybe for some of these women prostitution is a) enjoyable and b) there livelihood? You may have a well paid ethically sound job (sorry did I call modern sensationalist journalism ethical?!) but those less fortunate have to make ends meet.

Paul Sullivan, Chester,

There are around 200 women in Fiji whose livelihood depends entirely on bottling that water. Most of the poor live in remote locations - they are entirely dependent on long-distance transport to earn a living and live in a way that green-washing English people would find horrific. So think about that before you start boycotting products from developing countries - in most cases, the transport costs are far less greenhouse intensive than, say, heating those hothouses to grow your flowers.

Your purchasing choices directly affect the poor. The only thing bordering on obscene here is the narrow-mindedness of those trying to stop them earning a living.

Tanya, Canberra, Australia

Those who use brothels regularly, don't start crying when you become yet another statistic for 'AIDS Epidemic UK' or 'STD Count 2008' or 'Still Single at 40' Survey. You have no one to blame but yourself.

EmmA, Putonshire, UK

Prostitution, like the poor, will always be with us.

But if the government allowed doctors to prescribe heroin, there is surely a very strong chance that the five dead women in Ipswich would still be alive.

Matt, London,

Are you saying women have no more say in their lives than a battery chicken?

John Macmin, Bristol, UK

It is hilarious to read the emails from men on both sides of the Pond complaining that the reason they pay women for
sex is because basically today's women are uppity and don't know their place which is in the home cooking, cleaning and under their lord and masters. With an attitude like that I can see why they have to pay for sex!! And probably a lot!

Kate, Victoria BC, Canada

Janice Turner's expansive criticism of men who buy sex would be somewhat more convincing if she had included even just one sentence criticising women who sell their bodies. If there were no prostitutes there would be no prostitution. If there were no lap dancers there would be no lap dancing clubs. Is there a reason why Janice Turner and virtually every other woman writer seems to exclude the women in the sex trade from all blame, all shame, all responsibility for their actions? Just don't do it ladies! Problem solved.

Andrew Robertson, Eduinburg, UK

I am a professional female and too busy with my career to have time for relationships. I regularly use a male escort, whenever there's a company party and I need to have company or ... for my own use, on rainy days. Despite the terrible stigma attached to it, I find it very liberating to not have to answer to a man 24 hours a day, and basically to have an escort at my beck and call, provided I keep $100 ready to hand over. I think more and more male escot agencies should be established so there's more choice more women like me out there. I love my life the way it is, and other than my dog, bobby and my male escort a speed-dial away, I live a very full social life, and enjoy it to the full.

Daphtne, Kingston, UK

How encouraging to read these comments. In this so called age of equality, how and why does it seem that women are worse off socially and morally than ever before. They are still regarded by so many as mere sexual objects, there for the gratification and service of men. Respect, dignity, modesty and morality are, it would appear, old fashioned and out of sync with the 'modern' world. The self obsession, selfishness,yob culture and behaviour of many of the young women of today,so often dominated by the quick money making celebrity cult, is ugly and appalling. Something needs to be done.

Kit, Bangor,

When in my 20s, I was shocked to learn a close friend used prostitutes. II was working in a very good job but the hq of the company was in a provincial town where there weren't as many opportunities to meet and befriend young women for fairly casual sex. I would have had no problem 'picking up' girls in a bigger town. I seriously considered 'paying for it' following my friend's example but had no idea where to go. I realised I was not shocked morally at all just disgusted at sleaziness.
When I got older & travelled more I discovered friends were indeed paying for sex with fit young women in central and eastern Europe & there was nothing sleazy or cold about it. The girls earned a month's salary in an hour in a nice hotel room. They would often negotiate a longer term deal & go out on dates almost as if part of a couple. Female journos will never understand any of this. Older men never stop wanting young women. At the lower end, it is sleazy. At the higher end, it is not.

G Shaw, London, UK

Good article. It is worth remembering that the 18th century pro-slavers argued that a) the slaves were perfectly happy and b) prohibition would cause them economic hardship. This is precisely what those who propose complete legalisation of prostitution say now, as they trot out their Uncle Toms to prove their point.

Tim, Auckland, New Zealand

your article is completely one sided.if modern women were not so self centred and difficult,men would not have to use prostitutes as much ,or fly to pattaya which ,incidentally, is not an island.

john reily, glasgow, uk

The way we regulate chickens can at least be measured, and the costs and benefits weighed up with our current economic aparatus. A growing number of people wish to spend a premium to know that they are eating a healthy, well fed, happy (before it died) chicken that has produced some fine quality eggs to boot. However the same cannot be said of prostitution. Decriminalisation and heavy regulation seem the most viable solution. But while the colour of clients' money can be counted and measured, who can calculate the associated economic factors that are ignored - the emotional states that fundamentally drive the motivations we have to make economic choices. Until some genius comes up with a way to define morality and some other genius applies it to how affects our percieved satisfaction with life, there will always be vulnerable people like Tania and Annette who are preyed upon. And there will always be people like Janice Turner who write about it. And people like us who voice our opinion

Stuart, Belfast, Northern Ireland

If we take drugs and the dark criminal side out of prostitution and control and legalise it then things would be better for everyone involved. I'm sure the battery hen checkout operators at Tesco don't want to be where they are for near minimum wage. All work is a sort of prostitution be it intellectual or physical. Society is failing those who need to turn to prostitution by not implementing work place laws to protect them. Battery hen factory workers and even the chickens at least have some protection in law. Prostitutes are both the victims of criminals and the legal system. I bet Paul wishes he had just paid Heather the going rate. Maybe you should look at the morality of marriage contracts next.

Tony Woods, London, UK

Close the brothels? Are you crazy? Legalize and nationalize them all. Put a doctor in each to make sure all the girls are healthy and kept healthy, and a couple of policemen to crack heads if a customer gets unruly. Introduce a penalty of 10 years prison time for Pimps, no parole or plea bargaining possible. If drugs were used by a Pimp to trap a girl into prostitution against her will, or violence and kidnapping were used to bring them in from other countries, the Death penalty. And then, Tax Sex in the Brothels. The government would make an enormous amount of money 20 Billion £'s or more, to pump into public services. Street crime and drug dealing would diminish etc. Legalize it and tax it at 25%.
And on the internet, I have seen numerous photos of English hen nights at the male strippers clubs, and ladies, you are just as odious as men and you seem capable of doing ANY sex act imaginable in public, if it is in front of a crowd of friends and you are bonkers drunk!!

victor compton, Cherbourg, France

I don'y pay a prositute for sex... I pay her to go away afterwards!

Adam Webb, MK, UK

One seldom mentioned problem is the unique size of the income a prostitute can make. Sources quote £1000 to £1500 per week even in Ipswich and of course there's no tax to pay. Few other activities can offer these women (even for a few years) a yearly csah income equivalent to around £100k, and one that fits neatly with the need to finance substance abuse and remain independent and out of sight of the authorities. The punters are not just having some harmless fun, they are financing the drug trade as well as thoroughly degrading a small section of society. On the whole I think battery chickens are a lesser moral issue.

Colin , Shrewsbury,

Clouding prostitution with ethical and moral issues is merely a smokescreen. There are no such issues if the transaction is mutually consensual.

The real issue at stake for the women who oppose prostitution is power. Sex is the major source of influence that women have over men. Prostitutes turn this into a commodity.

The religious objections to prostitution seem to be down to blind faith. The moral and ethical reasoning behind the objections don't extend beyond 'God says its wrong'.

James Redruth, London,

Where, these days, do morals come from? Fact is sex is a commodity and we don't want politicians telling us what we can or can't do when it comes to sex. What moral high ground do modern politicians hold?

Newlabour Criminal, Oxford, UK

Alternatively... The most honest consumer transaction? Not all paid sex is like that greedily portrayed in the press.

A woman like D from Exeter for instance, makes a free choice about what she does. As a consumer I make a free choice about how I meet my sexual needs. When I contact someone like 'D' she'll know what I'm after and in turn, I'll know what she wants from me in oder that I can meet my need. We agree and hopefully we both end up satisfied.

Trafficking and coercion are wrong. Freedom of choice between individual willing parties I would suggest is not.

Simon, St.Albans, UK

What is the difference between prostitution and pornography? In both instances women are being paid for having sex and in this country hardcore pornography is legal. So if the buying of sex becomes a crime would this imply that all pornographers then become criminals? And should I visit a brothel and I pay for the sexual act to be filmned or photographed could I not say that I was making a pornographic film and hence not committing an offence?

Frank, Derby, England

If we wish to start apportioning blame -then blame women's liberation -we are seeing the fruits of their actions throughout our disfunctional society-higher divorce rates- children without fathers etc etc Women's lib and the other PC liberals are responsible for ruining the very fabric of western family life.

Are women happier or more fulfilled as a result-are they heck!

Ian, Edinburgh,

d, exeter - I dont believe your comment for one second.

How on earth can men think women who sell sex are in it for anything other than the money?

Yes I can completely understand that men pay women for sex and it is a commercial transaction. But despite all the role playing that goes on it is just that - an act - a play - a sexual act.

And yes I can imagine there is a big difference between the drug addicted street workers and the oh so sophisticated escorts.

But PLEASE its a commercial transaction. How on earth these men imagine anything else is beyond me.

pays your money gets your choice, sydney, AUS

What are British men supposed to do?

Do most ordinary British women not demand expensive gifts and holidays from the boyfriends? Expect them to pay for dates?

Maybe they could go for marriage and spend 20 years raising children, only to pay for a divorce at the end of it when their money is no longer needed?

At least prostitutes are honest about what they expect in return for sex.

Given the deal men currently get in the UK, prostitution is probably the best option they have.

Dave, London, UK

If God didn't want women to be paid for sex he wouldn't have given them a credit card reader!

P Carter, STREATHAM LONDON, UK

Sex is not neutral. Every time two people make love a psychic relationship is established between them i.e. they become one, and each partner becomes morally responsible for the other for all eternity. This is why marriage is the only context within which a sexual relationship can be fully realised. We make mistakes and can be forgiven; but monogamy is the law of creation and the road to happiness.

Philip J.C. Panter, Mirano.Venice., Italy.

"For the emotionally stunted, perplexed by the complex and contradictory demands of real women, the dreary compromises of human relations, prostitution is blissfully simple."

That statement could only be written by a woman.

These men aren't stunted, they are practical:

A) "I can live with a prostitute who trades sex for me listening to her idiotic babblings, buying her expensive dinners and African-killing jewelry, paying her rent and cell bills, etc., and then gets obscenely fat or leaves me for another guy with more things."

or,

B) "I can visit a prostitute who trades sex for the price of a tank of petrol and never bothers me again."

Write an article that admonishes women to be good wives again, and men will cut back on the less-troublesome whores.

Andy B, Springfield, MO, USA

I am a woman. I have paid men for sex.

Why should men not be able to do the same.

Having lived for 5 years in Holland I would give my opinion that you are misrepresenting the dutch police attitude to sex. At least in Holland the workers are protected and by ensuring medical checks so are their clients.

When are we going to face that the basic biological needs of all of society need to be addressed!

Zoe, London,

Well said, Janice.

Clare, Leeds, uk

There seems to be an unholy alliance of puritan leftists, 70s man-hate feminists and extreme religionists.

Rather than ban brothels - Licence them and ban street prostitution. Let's have some basic safety, health & welfare requirements for the sex workers.

We are disucssing an economic transaction between consenting adults for the provision of a service, nothing more.

CR, Essex, UK

Great article, about time someone had the courage to write something like this and to stand up against the blend of selfishness, arrogance and fantasy that constitutes the pro-prostitution argument. Agree with every word.

Chris Dela, Cambridge,

The one common link of all 5 murdered prostitutes is that they were drug addicts. If they could have got access to the drugs legally, either through the health system, or through chemists, (at an affordable price), it is probable that at least three of the girls would now be alive and working in a different profession, eg as a hairdresser. Drug addiction is the main cause of girls being recruited into prostitution and needs to be addressed.

Secondly I believe that prostitution should be legalised so that there can be health checks, as in Holland and Germany, and it will also make it easier for girls caught in the business to seek help to leave. The vast majority of clients would use legal brothels and escort agencies rather than criminal ones and would be more inclined to report trafficking.

There will always be a level of criminality connected to prostitution. However if the business is in the open then it will make the police's task easier.

odtaa, Richmond, UK

Try being an ugly unpopular man. This is the closest thing to affection I ever get, I try to talk to women and I am met with derision, nastiness, flight and cold hard depression.

The victims of society perhaps club together to find what solace they can in emotionless sex and emotionless drugs

John BUll, Freuchie,

Regardless of any personal point of view it is worth reading details of the meeting in the House of Lords this January which had sex worker representatives from both Sweden and New Zealand discussing criminalisation. This can be found on www.allwomencount.net or look up Dr Petra Boynton. The overwhelming view is anti-criminalisation of either sex workers or their clients.

It might be nice on both sides of the argument if rather more prominence is given to the people directly involved rather than engaging in some pseudo-intellectual argument.

Paul , Bristol,

Women exploit men for money. Ever been to ChinaWhtes night club? Acres of females in tiny skirts looking at the well-heeled guys as they pose around. Many of them 'bag' their quarry and the transaction begins - only it's known as 'pulling' or 'getting off'

Jake, London,

I know this will sound horribly patronising, and it probably is, but have You considered that perhaps some women at least have chosen this occupation of their own free will, and can make quite a good living out of it in properly controlled conditions.I am not talking about street prostitutes here,however when you enter a massage parlour ,you are immediately "on their Radar" , the girls are in complete control, and they have your DNA as well as your money!!

Jon, Weston, Somerset

To Bill Smith. Yes, alcohol and tobacco are bad for you, but at least you are only hurting yourself when you abuse them. When you buy sex, you degrade yourself and exploit the vulnerable 'service provider'. Prostitutes are not like builders, cleaners or chauffeurs. They are desperate & vulnerable & most are only submitting themselves to such degradation because they have bills to pay, kids to support and addictions to pay for. Where is your conscience or sense of pride in yourself either? It is an oft-repeated cliche but would you really hold the same views if you visited a brothel and found your wife, girlfriend, sister or mother working there? Prostitutes are people, and each one is someone's daughter or mum. Just because men have always paid for sex, doesn't make it right. History gives us many examples of evil practices being abolished or at least vilified - apartheid, segregation, slavery, child labour. I long for the day when prostitution joins the list.

Lindsay , london,

There is no such thing as free sex.When a man is woo-ing a suitable female with dinner or a drink, do you think he is doing it because she looks hungry or thirsty and the woman accepts it because she thinks the guy is being kind?
I have yet to meet any man who has spent more on prostitutes than the amount of men out there who have been fleeced of their fortunes by cunning and conniving women under the pretence of marriage. At least a prostitute does what it says on the tin and the sex is probably better.

Patrick, the hague, netHerlands

The problem is quite clearly not the fact that some people are happy to sell sex and some people are happy to buy it, but rather the fact that women (and, I suspect, some men) are being exploited. Just as the problem with battery farming hens is that the chickens are being exploited.

I would imagine that, in the majority of cases, "punters"are usually capable of telling whether a woman is happy to sell sex or whether she is merely a desperate slave to addiction, so perhaps they are in the best place to change the market trends... just as people have started to buy organic, "happy" chickens instead of factory farmed stuff.

Though it still seems to me that these people are desperately shallow, as no matter how ugly a person is, if they have a decent personality, I believe that they will find someone with whom to have a genuine relationship. That said, we must not judge everyone by our own standards, only seek to protect the vulnerable.

Brijit, Paris, France

The Media is profitable. Ban the Media.

Then, everyone employed by the Media (especially journalists), providing their labour & time in exchange for money will have to scramble to find work which is equally morally acceptable & spiritually satisfying.

Should not be too difficult for those with a bent for sanctimonious proselytizing.

If this line of thinking was the common belief, then any job or means by which someone provides their labour & time in exchange for money or benefit should be banned.

How should you draw the distinction ? Who should be the judge ?

After all, in many cultures, teachers are considered to provide worthwhile services to the community.

However, in a Talban state, teachers who teach female students are not considered to provide worthwhile services.

And in Cambodia under Pol Pot, many teachers ended up in the 'Killing Fields'.

Susan, London,

I see nothing wrong with women choosing to engage in prostitution - but the operative word here is choice. At least it is an honest transaction and everyone knows what they're getting. To my mind it's the men who are being exploited not the women. The only time women are exploited is when they are run by pimps and addicted to drugs. I think it should be legalised and taxed.

JIll, Boston, UK

How many people get murdered-raped-beaten as a result of being married? How many women and men stay married and force themselves to have sex with someone they don't love, because they fear the economic consequences of divorce-seperation?

Ceila Jamerson, London, Uk

This whole subject has been argued for many many years...men want sex, some women want to sell it...it's been happening for thousands of years. I find both sides very sad.
I just want to address the point of those who argue that if you are ugly then you cannot find someone to have sex with you - this is wrong - there are plenty of examples on the Jeremy Kyle Show to prove that.

wendy, maury, france

Prostitution dehumanises people just like slavery did in the past and in the present day. Those people supporting prostitution are emotionally damaged. Some of them will only help poor women in the third world if the women sleep with them in the first time. But they will never face the truth as long as prostitution is considered fun. Anyway, brothels won't stop nasty men and women doing bad things to other people. Even prostitutes can get raped and killed like other ordinary people.

Carolyn, Surbiton,

If the problem is with street prostitution then legalised brothel's are the answer. If the problem is with the exploitation of illegal immigrant's then illegal immigration need's to be tackled as prostitution isn't the only industry to exploit these people. If the problem is a moral one relating to the sexual exploitation of women then we also need to consider baning pornography, lap dancing, sex shop's, erotic literature, sexually provocative advertising, scantily clad pop stars, sexually suggestive song lyric's, tv drama's and soap's with scene's of a sexual nature,mini skirt's, stilletoe's, tight cropped teeshirt's, red lipstick. etc,etc. I suggest we follow the example set by countries such as Iran and Afganistan where women are shown far more respect!

AC, dorset, uk

Why are so many men getting so hot under the collar about this?

Pat, Marlborough, uk

Funny how banning the oldest profession is mainly coming from the intellegentsia and miiddle class elite. I am a happily married man but agree in legalising prostitution on the Dutch format for example.

I have also nursed some prostitutes over a 24 yr period in nursing. Some women are serious about their job and enjoy it. Others are in it because they need the money for drugs, or just cannot get away from their pimp or the controlling nature of the sex industry.

Regulating and leagalising the oldest profession would protect those who want to be involved in the profession as a job away from the druggies and pimps, who want to control and use the profession for personal gain only.

We have to be realistic - prostitution is never going to go away and there are also local newspapers around who advertise personal services in towns and cities around the UK. What does one do about that as a seperate issue ?

Ian Payne, WALSALL,

The alternative view is consenting adults should be free to do as they please, so long as they cause no demonstrable harm to others.

Mentioning the murdered women in Ipswich over and over again does not add weight to your argument. In fact it proves a contrary point. They were forced into street prositution because of moralising drug laws that 'send a message' rather than reduce harm . As street walkers they enjoyed no legal protetcion and were regularly arrested by the police.

If we could change human nature merely by banning things then yes, the world would be very different. Prostitution is called the world's oldest profession for a reason. It exists in all countries whether it's legal or not.

Women or men who chose to the work in the sex industry, should enjoy the full protection of the law like any other citizen. The law is a blunt instrument and should be used sparingly. This proposal is a charter for organised crime to flourish as it did with Prohibition.

Adam, London,

The big difference is that a chicken has no choice and as master over most animals, we have a responsibility to be a good sheppard. Man and woman have a choice to decide to go or work in the sex industry.

Frank, London,

Women have equal rights. If they want they can also start paying for Sex. Then we can see brothels flourishing exclusive for women.. Do you think only men needs sex ... what about women. If men are going to prostitutes can any one tell me how women satisfy her needs!!! I am perplexed! are they not having sex at all or their hidden life are a mystery to men...

yourbuddy, london,

Your article is strong on moral outrage, but weak on argument. If you're going to make the case for tougher action on prostitution (and I personally feel there is a case, although far from proven), emotive and irrelevant talk of battery chickens is not the way to go about it. You have to tackle the counter-arguments head on - most importantly, the idea that this drives everything underground into even more dangerous areas. You touch on this, but are too busy trying to stir up emotion to construct any kind of sustained argumentation. Moral outrage is not enough. How about a follow-up blog, in which you respond in detail to the counter-arguments put forward by some of the contributors here?

alan, czech republic,

We are all prostitutes

Keith LeBlanc, London, UK

Why is it always stated that men who visit prositutes are exploiting them.
Even the cheapest rate you quoted of £45 for what one would imagine to be 15 minutes work equates to £180 an hour.

My lawyer after four years at university and 20 years of experience doesnt charge me that much. .. So who is exploiting who !

andy, Lardieres, france

Janice,brave tilt at an enormously complex subject. I am not sexist, and being the father of two beautiful girls and the son of a good woman, I can sometimes weep at the tradgedy of prostitution. Enforced prostitution is evil, and the perpetrators of this wicked industry, the pimps, traffickers, brothel keepers and punters should be persecuted and punished until they no longer exist, they are not fit to be called human beings. However Janice in some parts of the world and some cultures, prostitution is considered accceptable and normal and sadly as it may seem to you (and to me) is a way for these women to stay alive, to look after and feed families. It is easy from our comfortable, full tummied, sheltered,cotton wool existance here in the nanny state UK ,to pontificate. I therefore suggest that your article is a trite naive, in a nutshell get out and see the real world and honest good luck to you. The bottom line is drugs seem to be the root cause of prostitution ,stamp them out.

alan wilson, wimbledon, UK

To ban something requires a legal base to operate. Are you supporting the structured defining and legalisation of individual morals? This would include by default the criminalising of moral acts or views that fall outside of what is permitted.

Jonathan Mills, Brighton,

I still deeply believe that prostitution is optional.

B.S.M., Washington, D.C., USA

sort the hens out first...
leave the chicks till later..

mike, oxford, uk

The author of this article will get slated, it's a sign of our time. I'm also worried about the seemingly widespread acceptance of prostitution nowadays. How can we pretend it is just the same as selling bread, vegetables, or cars? it's not. It is indicative of something going seriously wrong.

The moral and physical threshold for both women going into prostitution (cf. earlier articles about students), and men visiting a prostitute has become too low. A men who would normally never have visited a red light district now finds prostitution available everywhere, and a decent women (forgive my old fashioned words) can now easily find other women in prostitution. Some more efforts at increasing these thresholds would be appropriate. That's why I eg applaud the Dutch for wanting to change thier red light district, ebcause making it a mere tourist attraction gives the wrong signal

peter, birmingham,

Chicken and egg, drugs then prostitution, prostitution then drugs.
OK some howban the trade then If not prostitution for these drugs then what? Mugging? Robbery. Fraud?
I have never paid for sex, and I love women, thinking they are God's greatest creation, but in my experience most women prostitute themselves in one way or another, being manipulative, self preserving, self obsessed, and self seeking. Sharing is a one way deal for them.. A lot of males now see this for what it is and shun long term relationships where job done they are discarded.
So in our litigious age it's cheaper to pay as you go, rather than get some complex contract.
Sad state of affairs eh!

Tom Taylor-Duxbury, Ludlow,

I fully agree with the writer, Janice Turner, IF women are forced into prostitution. As far as I can see in the Ipswich case, they weren't - other than by circumstances of their own making.
The article also mentions Thailand. I would hazard a guess that the good-hearted and righteous Ms.Turner has never been poor. I mean REALLY poor. If she were, I wonder which she might choose: labouring in the hot sun all day for a pittance, or earning ten or twenty or more times that much on her back in an air-conditioned room?
Yes, ban brothels, prostitution, kerb-crawling etc. as much as you like: there are always new ways to waste the taxpayers' money.
As a footnote, the recent UK boom in brothels owes a great deal to lax border controls: I believe the vast majority are foreign-staffed and foreign-run.

Brian Clacey, Croydon, UK

Ms. Turner writes "For the emotionally stunted, perplexed by the complex and contradictory demands of real women, the dreary compromises of human relations, prostitution is blissfully simple." So prostitutes are not real women for the sensibilities of Ms. Turner! How arrogant!

Thiru, Oxford,

"But this horny imagining clashes with the reality of a trade that 89 per cent dream of escaping."

So what? I would bet a similar proportion of women who work as cleaners, canteen assistants and domestic helps also dream about escaping their lot - except they work for a darn site less per hour than the average hooker.

The law has no business sticking its nose in arrangements between adult human beings concerning who they have sex with or who they pay money to. Prostitution is, and should continue to be, illegal only to the extent that it adversely affects the lives of people outside the hooker/client contract, such as local residents in red light areas.

Criminalising the men who pay for sex won't work because men who want to pay for sex will always find a way around any such law and the prostitutes will help them to do so. It is also grossly intrusive social engineering by a nanny state to attempt to interfere in private arrangements in this way.

S Foster, Doncaster, UK

One of the reasons that so many men pay for sex is that the occassional one-off charge works out less expensive than the continuous maintenance charge for keeping a woman.

Personally I'd rather spend the money on food. You can get a lot of good restaurant meals for the price of a trick, whether or not the sex is legal.

Paul, Coventry,

DJS - Have you ever considered that it is your fault. There is nothing like denial is there?

judy, Liverpool, England

Make brothels legal. Women who engage in prostitution would then be better protected, and Brown and Smith could have more CCTV's than ever!

jimbo, Fumel, France

There are always going to be men, and indeed women who are unable to hold relationships and who wants to have sex...

cww, ipswich,

Another individual who thinks the answer to everything is to ban it. Were the Ipswich victims not street prostitutes? Surely if they had been operating from a well administered (dare I say licensed?) brothel they would have been safe. The answer is probably to get over our disgust and license these establishments. People have always paid for sex and always will. What else is a desperate man to do? Rape? All banning will do is drive this underground increasing the danger to women and unnecessarily criminalising the sad individuals who have to pay. The licensed establishments could test their "employees" for drugs, HIV, hepatitis etc to make sure they weren't supporting drugs habits or spreading STDs etc.

SP, Swansea, UK

Ah yes, society's modern cliché; if in doubt, blame men. Typically white, middle-class ones. It's all our fault.

Apologies for existing.

DJS, Leicester, UK

People pay contractors for services they need or don't want to do themselves. Why is prostitution cited? I mean a prostitute is just a contractor performing a service for a fee. Why get hung up on the fact it is sex? There are lots of things we buy legal that are bad for us like tobaco and alcohol

Bill Smith, Philadelphia, PA USA

If we're being pedantic its opposed, not apposed.

Women aren't opposed to men enjoying sex, just opposed to them exploiting women for sex.

emma, moscow, russia

Perhaps at the same time as we are educating young men not to treat women as sexual commodities to be bought, we could educate young women not to sell themselves? Every market has a buyer and a seller, and if one is missing, the transaction can't take place.

But somehow I think both moral education and economics are likely to be forgotten in the small hours of the morning, when one party is drunk and the other is desperate for a fix.

Richard Haggis, Oxford, UK

A young man enters an apartment block with a bunch of flowers and emerges an hour or so later without the flowers but with a smile. Somewhere in the block a young woman is arranging the flowers and counting money. You're suggesting that we should arrange thing such that a crime would have been committed by two consenting adults behind a closed door, but neither of them plans to tell the police about it. How do you get the law to actually work? Suppose the man was helping his girlfriend pay the rent, would that also be criminalised?

Read Matthew Parris' article on the dangers of using law making to "send messages"

Peter, London, UK

Interesting, the number of men defending prostitution. Kind of like the Southern slave owners defending the need for slavery.

Robbie, San Diego, CA,

"me love you long time" is taken from the movie Full Metal Jacket. Boring cliche.

Pattaya isn't an island. It has zoos, family hotels and welcomes tour parties from places like China which include women.

Men will always pay for sex because it's the kind of sex they want. Why is it that UK women are so apposed to men enjoying sex?

Bill, London,

The analogy to chickens is naive, as well as patronising to those who choose this way of life.

The chicken has no choice; the prostitute does. At the upper end most are articulate, un-addicted and intelligent, well-able to find work in other fields should they prefer to do so. They don't because the money and freedom from 5-9 drudgery (which 89% of office workers dream of leaving!) are addictive.

Finally, do check your geography: Pattaya isn't on an island.

David, London, UK

There have always been and will always be some men who want to buy sex: 1 in 10 according to the article. There have always been and will always be some women willing to sell sex. It is difficult to imagine that prostitution will actually be reduced by further criminalisation.

One important question is whether an activity which is at odds with the self acclaimed "morals" of a majority should, for that reason alone, be made criminally illegal. I doubt it.

John, London,

Does the difficulties of legalised prostitution (or drugs, or whatever) really suggest that legalisation would be a bad idea, or just that carbon copying their legalisation methods would be a bad idea?

Remember: as you read this, some American is arguing against changes in the American health care system by arguing that yours is the only alternative. Be creative, people! Think of something new!

Michael, Pueblo, Colorado, US

Let's have less moralism and more realism. It is an unsavoury subject so realism is in short supply but there are far fewer problem with perverts and paedophiles in countries (especially Catholic or Asian) that take a more realistic position on sex for sale than in notionally protestant countries.

oldasiahand, Guildford, UK

Excellent article.
Expecting the male backlash any minute.

Thalia, London,

Since when has Pattaya been an island ?
Global warming making sea-levels rise, perhaps ?

Brian, Melbourne,

But suppose, Janice Turner, that you were so ugly that no man would have sex with you. You still have a sexual impulse, like the rest of us, but you can't find a sexual partner. Day after day the isolation and frustration eats away at you until you can't stand it any more. The only way you can find release is to pay a man to have sex with you. You're not proud of it, but you accept the fact, because you look in the mirror and realise you're never going to attact a man in the way other women do. The loneliness is still there but the physical side feels better and you can live your life.

Then an attractive, articulate journalist who has probably had a string of girlfriends writes a sanctimonious column about how morally bankrupt women like you are. In fact, he wants to make you a criminal. Then he stops writing his column and goes to meet his good-looking wife for that dinner party in Islington, after which they go home and snuggle up in bed.

John, London,

Janice. i'm an escort, I enjoy what i do, I make good money, I choose my clients with some care, some I've seen monthly for 10 years, but over the years I've had sex with maybe 5000 men, and I'm still only 33. I do have orgasms with many of my clients, and I practice safe sex. i've never taken drugs, not even nicotene and i don't drink. I'm reasonably well educated and spoken, and I work out in the gym every day. You and people like you make ludicrous generalizations and tar everyone with the same brush. If you made it illegal, how would you police my job, I sell my time, just as you do... if I screw the person I'm with, male or female, that's my concern, not yours or the law makers. Just as you can screw the person who pays your wages, so can I. So please, before you take our industry and rubbish it, learn about it all and don't just pick the bits that suit your prejudice. I really, really like sex, with lots of varied people... if I can turn that to my advantage, why shouldn't I?

d, exeter,

I agree totally. There is something fundamentally lacking in the education of boys and young men in Britain - that is respect for women. More has to be done sooner to inculcate a deeper, lasting respect for women, well before adolescence. Part of this would be to instil in people the firm moral message that paying for sex devalues everyone involved but more especially the man paying. "Real" men don't need to pay for sex - might strike a chord with some.

Simon Lowe, Sheffield,

Have to disagree there. I completely go along with the demand that something needs to change when it comes to women prostituting themselves to get money for their drug addiction. It's a shameful business and saddest of all is that the so-called market seems to be expanding as we read this. But honestly, comparing this to battery hens is more than short-sighted. The problem goes way deeper than a simple ban on brothels could serously change it. Sorry but I don't think this is great journalism. Its an extreme oversimplification of a problem, it's polemic and won't change a thing.

Regine, Bern, Switzerland

I would argue that I am a thoroughly decent person. For one reason or another I continue to be without a partner. I don't see a problem with single men visiting women who willingly provide a safe sexual service for money. I know that the women that I visit are not in love with me and that the pleasure that they pretend to feel is almost always not genuine. I don't dispute that most working girls would probably choose a different occupation if they could click their fingers and be whatever they wanted. My life would be very different too if I could be and do precisely what I wanted. Many girls, given their circumstances choose to sell a service that includes sex, but what I, and probably most clients are looking for is affection. The girls understand this and I adore the ones that attempt to provide healing of this kind. Money can't buy love. There is a reason that prostitution is the oldest profession. It is rather "normal" and it may not be acceptable to you, but who are you?

Mark, Canberra , Australia

And what will happen to people who are disabled who will never get sex, what will happen to people who are ugly who will never get sex. Banning brothels will only lead to more sexual repression. most of the horrific sex crimes happen because Britain is a sexually repressed society. Every sunday the tabloid front pages are full of sexual stories. this i am sure is not the same for other European countries. i say legalise sexual brothels and leave everyone to his own

Rasheed, London, England

Excellent article, but it raises even more questions. If there were no prostitutes, would women going about their everyday business be more likely to become victims of rape by frustrated males? And possibly murdered? I have no hope that men would try to avoid the 'quick fix' solution to sex by building up a proper relationship with a woman before consummation - even a successful one-night stand requires some social skills and effort! You only have to go out on a Saturday night to realise how hopeless most guys are in this arena. Legalised brothels with personal and health protection, where women could have more control and not be coerced by pimps and people traffickers might be a better solution than a desirable - but, I fear, completely unenforceable - zero tolerance approach to the world's 'oldest profession'.

EF, London,

But how can you criminalise it? It's like nailing jelly to the wall. We all know this is why all actions surrounding prostitution are illegal (kerb crawling, etc) yet not the act of sex itself. The market itself would just evolve; as it has done with the explosion in "escorts" and whatnot. Yes their adverts may talk about their interests or favourite genre of film; but both parties are aware of the expectations involved.

Another frequent argument is that all individuals, via differential means, "pay" for sex; via methods other than straight monetary payment. For example; picking up the tab for a date, or in return for satisfaction gained from new expensive earrings. Granted this does not involve evident exploitation, but you don't highlight this here.

Finally; supply/demand. You'd not get anywhere with the naïve approach of merely "telling young men." Young people are also told to drink responsibly and practice safe sex; and that doesn't offer particularly impressive results.

David Smith, Leicester, England

One of my duties as an assistant minister is visiting the Boone County Goal, Columbia, Missouri, where I encounter many young women incarcerated for drug abuse and prostitution. One of the inmates, Sheila, asked me to find out how her three children were coping. They had been abandoned by the legal system, and her 14 year old daughter had herself turned to prostitution to survive and support her younger siblings.

One evening, about six months later, the sheriff call and asked if I could give Sheila a ride home, she had been released. When I picked her up, she had a plastic bag of belongings, no money and no place to stay that night. Well, guess how she solved the problem.

Each time she is incarcerated, and labeled as a criminal, makes it increasingly difficult for her to find gainful employment, and the problem is exacerbated, thus forcing her more strongly to prostitution.

Please Madam, we need a more creative solution.

John, Columbia, Missouri

Step one: criminalise the buying of sex so every man knows it's unacceptable. Halt the rapid increase in UK prostitution.

Step two: after several years, legalise and regulate - in acceptance that even if we reverse the recent rapid increase, we can never end the trade.

louise, Leeds,

It's easy for those who don't use Brothels or pay for sex, to propose bans. There are many like myself who cannot find a partner and therefore have to pay for sex. We should bear in mind that increasingly women are also paying for sex, by hiring male escorts. So therefore any ban on paying for sex should also apply to women!

Jacob, London, U.K.

A peculiar distortion of moral reality. In answer to your concluding questions: A man who liases with a prostitute *is*, ceteris parabus, regarded as morally corrupt; a man who eats a battery chicken is not. Secondly, common moral thinking holds that human beings, in some sense, determine their lot in life, unlike, for instance, chickens. An obvious but apparently overlooked assymetry.

Brian, New York,

Brilliant article.

alison, London,