Prostitution – Male Demand

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Human Rights Without Frontiers

https://www.hrwf.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=86

 

Male Demand for
Prostitution        

By Gisèle Poinier and Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers

 

Despite the fact
that statistics on the male demand for prostitution are limited, it has been
widely documented that the sexual exploitation of women through the global
prostitution and human trafficking sex trade generates an estimated 34 billion
USD annually.[2][2]  Clearly, the multibillion dollar sex trade
industry can only be produced and sustained from monies spent by men who procure
sex, the demand.  These enormous figures
suggest that the worldwide demand and amount of men who exploit women through
prostitution is immeasurable.  Therefore,
it should be taken into consideration that published reports containing
empirical data on the approximation of the number of male sex purchasers are
considerably underestimated.

 

Demand
in Some European Countries

            In several European countries, some studies
suggest the number of males who purchase prostitution ranges between about
10-20 percent. A 2009 United Kingdom Report, Tackling the demand for prostitution: a rapid evidence assessment of
the published evidence literature, from the University of Huddersfield
reviewed a variety of UK studies on
prostitution to ascertain the frequency of male demand for prostitution in the
UK.[3][3]  One 2006 study estimated that between 2.2 and
10.6 million UK men purchase sexual services.[4][4]  A second study estimated that in the UK, 64
million commercial sex transactions take place annually.[5][5]  Farley, Bindel and Golding (2009) conducted a
study, Men who buy sex: who they buy and
what they know, that sampled 103 UK male sex purchasers. Farley et al.
(2009) found that of the 96% of UK men who purchased sex from indoor
facilities, many admitted they were
aware of pimping, trafficking and other coercive control over the prostituted
women they purchased in massage parlors, brothels, and escort agencies.  Fifty-five percent of the UK male
participants believed that a majority of women in prostitution were lured,
tricked or trafficked.  However, this
belief did not deter them from purchasing sex from victimized women were aware of
pimping, trafficking and other coercive control over the prostituted women they
purchased in massage parlors, brothels, and escort agencies. 
Fifty-five
percent of the UK male participants believed that a majority of women in prostitution were lured,
tricked or trafficked.  However, this
belief did not deter them from purchasing sex from victimized women.[6][6]  

 

In Italy it has been reported that 1 out
of 6, or 17%, of Italian men are prostitution purchasers. This figure
translates into an estimated 9 million men using 50,000 women for prostitution.
In addition, German reports suggest that 18% of males in Germany purchase sex regularly.[7][7]

 

Demand in Some Asian Countries

            Reported statistics on demand in Asia tend to far exceed that of
Europe.  This can perhaps be attributed
to differing societal attitudes towards prostitution and women from men in
Asian countries, or a decreased stigma associated with the male purchase of
sexual services. 

 

Brown (2000)
reports in Thailand that a US Agency
for National Development study found that 75% of Thai men purchase sex.  Similar numbers are found in Cambodia, as an estimated 60% to 70% of
Cambodian men are reported to procure women for sexual services.[8][8] 

 

The high demand
from Korean males to purchase sexual
service and participate in the sex tourism industry has also been documented.
The Korean Times reported (2005), in 2004, the number of Koreans who traveled to Cambodia was 12.7 percent or
128,423, the largest number in the total tourist population visiting Cambodia.
These large numbers have been attributed to the increasing demand and number of
Korean men participating in the sexual tourism trade.  In addition, the Korean Times reported (2005)
an increasing number of Korean men travel to the Philippines to procure sex and
the Philippine government has urged
the Korean government to take firm action against sexual tourism and soliciting
prostitution, particularly buying sex from children. This increase in Korean
tourism to Cambodia may significantly contribute to the boosting sex trade
industry and human trafficking in Cambodia.[9][9]  

 

Legalization
of Prostitution and Demand

 

The increase in demand for
prostitution in countries that have legalized prostitution such as the
Netherlands and Australia has been widely documented. Since the legalization of
prostitution in Victoria (Australia), demand for prostitution has involvedsome
60,000 male prostitution buyers spending 7 million dollars each week, in a
population of only 3.5 million.[10][10]  Australia
has experienced a massive expansion of the sex trade industry, which has
facilitated and accommodated demand since legalization.[11][11] According to Amanda Kloer[12][12], “Today,
only 10% of the prostitution industry operates in Australia’s legal brothels;
the other 90% takes place in underground, illegal sex markets thick with
forced prostitution and human trafficking victims.”After the 1995
legalization of prostitution in New South Wales, brothels tripled in number by
1999 and expanded in size. It is reported that these large numbers are
indicative of the enormous demand and mainstream nature of the sex trade which
has occurred since the legalization of prostitution in Australia.[13][13] 

 

In the Netherlands, the 2000 legalization of prostitution has reportedly
increased demand to such a level that the sex trade has more than tripled in
size and as of 2002 it became a 1 billion dollar per year industry.[14][14] 
In 2004, a commission found organized crime’s control of
prostitution had only increased since legalization.[15][15]
Over the past decade demand for prostitution in the Netherlands’ legalized
liberal forum has created a mecca for criminal enterprises and traffickers to
financially flourish.  City officials in
Amsterdam have had to close huge sections of its red-light district due to infiltration
by organized crime.[16][16] 
In 2008, the city proposed initiatives to reduce the number of sex
window brothels from 482 to 243.[17][17]  The Mayor, Job
Cohen, stated”We’ve realized this is no longer about small-scale
entrepreneurs, but that big crime organizations are involved here in
trafficking women, drugs, killings and other criminal activities.”[18][18]
 

 

 The demand in Germany has also increased dramatically since legalization and
produces similar billion dollar annual profits. The legalization and promotion
of prostitution by the Netherlands, Germany and Australian governments has
created a haven for human traffickers, who operate undetected and are able to
remain hidden and secure enormous profits within the legalized prostitution
industry.[19][19] 
It is estimated that 70%-80% of the prostituted women in the
Netherlands, Australia and Germany are trafficked human beings.[20][20]