#SexIndustryArticles Prostitution cannot be squared with human rights or the equality of women cato-unbound.org/2013/12/06/… "Prostitution exists because inequality exists.   At the same time, prostitution embeds into society the very inequality it feeds on; thus perpetuating the subordination of women. For prostitution to exist as a monetary exchange, women must be commodified as products in the stream of commerce.  In commercial terms, I have a problem with both supply (too many women live in poverty) and demand (too many men believe they have a right to sexual access).  Both facts require that women be subordinate.  That is why the radical feminist position on prostitution is abolition.  Abolition is the only way to address the root cause of prostitution i.e. personal and structural inequality.  We must both improve the lives of women around the world so that they can truly exercise choice and independence and teach men to understand that sexual access is not a right. In an ideal world, where everyone has equal power to negotiate, people could work out their desires and needs themselves.  But no such world exists.  No country in the world has ensured equality for all its citizens, especially women and minorities.  Therefore, it remains the task of societal and governmental institutions to put into place structures that ameliorate and ultimately prevent that imbalance in power. Almost half of the world’s population lives in conditions of extreme poverty or on less than $1 per day. Of these individuals, seventy percent are women. Many women are forced into prostitution for economic, and indeed sheer survival, reasons; this does not constitute “consent.” The practice of prostitution brands all women as something that can be bought and sold; and therefore, just like slaves, less than full humans who deserve the complete panoply of human rights. The answer to the poverty of women cannot be prostitution but must be the fair distribution of power and resources.  Maintaining prostitution as the last refuge for poverty stricken women is exploitation and cannot lead to gender equality. So long as prostitution remains an “option” for poor women, there is no incentive to develop educational opportunities, job programs, or economic policies that could uplift the poor. Prostitution is also often the gateway for entry into sex trafficking."