Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., May 06, 2008 Iyyar 1, 5768 | | Israel Time: 19:35 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 10:19 12/07/2007
Selling their bodies and their souls
By Na'ama Sheffi

Prostitution has existed since the dawn of history, and it is doubtful that it will fade away. The attempt to block it by means of preventing the advertising of sex for sale is a barren attempt not providing information about the supply will not prevent the demand. But de-legitimizing the demand could bear more significant fruit, and supervising prostitution could be beneficial to those on whom life has forced this intolerable living.

The last meeting of the Knesset subcommittee on the prevention of trafficking in women headed by Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On was devoted to a discussion on preventing the advertising of sex for sale. Provision 205[C] of the Punishment Law stipulates that it is forbidden to publish advertising in the matter of the giving of prostitution services, and sets forth a series of reservations, the use of which could defend the publication and sale of glossy pamphlets containing the addresses of prostitutes.

The slack language of the law, as well as the committee's Sisyphean action, do not sufficiently clarify the difference between prostitution that has a definite commercial aspect, and trade where women are imprisoned and their lives depend on their agreement to have sexual relations with clients.
Advertisement
Organizations for the defense of the rights of the weak, like Ha'Moked: Center for the Defense of the Individual, and the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women, are demanding the state's involvement in the problem. Without any difficulty, they are collecting hundreds of explicit publications: leaflets, cards that are stuck in car windows, and advertisements for 'massage' in the daily press.

The Public Security Ministry is also cooperating, but this is not enough: Over the past two years, the number of complaints in this area that have resulted in an indictment has increased from a single-digit number to a low two-digit number. The number of initial complaints is at least in the hundreds. With advertisements or without them, brothels and the women in them will continue to exist. The distribution and use of this information is impossible to prevent.

What is possible to change, however, is the social tolerance toward the users of women as merchandise. It is not the publisher, the advertising agency and the printer who make money from the advertisement who should bear the burden of the unacceptable social code. Society as a whole has to condemn those who are incapable of distinguishing between merchandise and a human being.

Had we been exposed to the problems that accompany the 'merchandise,' it is possible that we would have been deterred by and would have deterred the use of women whose living is the sale of their bodies and souls. Had the psychological price that the women pay been added to the price tag for an hour, those who purchase their hours would have reconsidered whether to take out their wallets.

The campaign against trafficking in women has to act on three fronts: the prevention of the smuggling-abduction of women for the purpose of prostitution; the arrest of the proprietors of brothels; and fining those who publish advertisements for sex. It would be even wiser to enlist everyone whose voice is heard in public toward writing a new social code that will root out the idea of acquiring a woman by the hour. The war against the advertisements will, in any case, end with a whimper.

Labor MK Shelly Yachimovich tried to anchor her claim that prostitution is not a profession in the correct statement that there is no little girl who wants to be a whore when she grows up. Nevertheless, the world is full of exploited and degraded prostitutes. Most of them are subject to the authority of a person who is several times stronger than they are. If we care about their lives, we should think about concrete help.

Even though the institutionalization of prostitution is fundamentally evil in the very fact of giving a moral seal of approval to the consumption of sex for pay, the welfare of the prostitutes comes first. Engaging in prostitution brings with it a series of physical and psychological problems: bruises, unwanted pregnancies, venereal diseases, escape to drugs, more diseases, more psychological dulling. The desire not to institutionalize prostitution for reasons of moral values is denying these women a bit of supervision, and a bit of medical and psychological help. If the aid organizations want to ease the prostitutes' distress, they should remember that wiping out prostitution is against human nature, but limiting it is possible.
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Shimon goes green
Peres says to fight terror Israel should reduce its dependence on oil.
Voices of heroism
IDF releases audio recordings from famed 1976 Entebbe raid.
  1.   Israel Heading for Judgement? 10:40  |  JewishHeart 12/07/07
  2.   Reply to # 1 you have no heart 11:06  |  SJ 12/07/07
  3.   DOES THIS APPLY WOMEN OR MEDIA AND NEWSPAPERS ?? 12:04  |  paul harris 12/07/07
  4.   Send them with Gal-On to Mecca, Iran , Gaza , 12:32  |  Joseph E . 12/07/07
  5.   Totally Misguided 13:07  |  Niall 12/07/07
  6.   Comments.. 13:19  |  Simone 12/07/07
  7.   This must be a joke 13:50  |  david 12/07/07
  8.   recognised 13:55  |  charles 12/07/07
  9.   Sounds like Sheffi has already sold her soul 13:43  |  Herbert Kaine 12/07/07
  10.   "Do you have a credit card????" 14:26  |  Ronnie Wolman 12/07/07
  11.   I am for it 14:53  |  Big Al 12/07/07
  12.   Legalize Prostitution 15:24  |  CHGODMK 12/07/07
  13.   #2 may the G-d of Israel strike you!!! 15:34  |  yishay banatz 12/07/07
  14.   yishay banatz: May G-d Strike You!! 15:58  |  CHGODMK 12/07/07
  15.   Hey Meeessster! Do You Wanna... 16:09  |  Shmuzick The Drunk 12/07/07
  16.   "Prostitution has existed since the dawn of time..." 16:19  |  curious 12/07/07
  17.   Waiting for the Grand Opening Sale 16:22  |  Lecher 12/07/07
  18.   Absolute correct 16:45  |  Bill 12/07/07
  19.   its all illegal but the police catch no one ?/ 16:47  |  victor hardman 12/07/07
  20.   Keep government away from it 16:48  |  Dmitry 12/07/07
  21.   Curious: Simplistic Thinking 16:50  |  CHGODMK 12/07/07
  22.   legal in Germany, Holland 16:52  |  Bill 12/07/07
  23.   Prostitution is here forever........... 17:18  |  Deborah 12/07/07
  24.   A slippery slope? 17:18  |  common sense 12/07/07
  25.   #2 SJ 17:36  |  JewishHeart 12/07/07
  26.   #2 SJ 17:36  |  JewishHeart 12/07/07
  27.   One more thing SJ 17:40  |  JewishHeart 12/07/07
  28.   To victor # 19 17:48  |  charles 12/07/07
  29.   21 CHGODMK, simple thinking & "Thinking harder, if possible." 18:17  |  curious 12/07/07
  30.   murder has existed since the dawn of history 18:34  |  peter 12/07/07
  31.   curious I 18:49  |  CHGODMK 12/07/07
  32.   ZWI MIGDAL 18:58  |  Kooky Dennt 12/07/07
  33.   curious II 18:58  |  CHGODMK 12/07/07
  34.   Legalization is not the answer 19:31  |  Former American 12/07/07
  35.   10 Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution 19:38  |  Former American 12/07/07
  36.   Its not a profession, technically its rape 19:45  |  rob 12/07/07
  37.   Strange response from our religious brethren 19:59  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 12/07/07
  38.   Former American: Wrong 20:20  |  CHGODMK 12/07/07
  39.   Organized prostitution 20:52  |  Hannah 12/07/07
  40.   Margie in Tel Aviv 20:55  |  odp 12/07/07
  41.   Damage Limitation 21:04  |  SM 12/07/07
  42.   SJ - Bravo 21:38  |  NYC Guy 12/07/07
  43.   ODP # 40 21:59  |  charles 12/07/07
  44.   to: CHGODMK 22:31  |  Former American 12/07/07
  45.   Right on: Margie, SJ, NYC guy 22:34  |  Former American 12/07/07
  46.   whats so bad? 23:03  |  eva 12/07/07
  47.   THEY CAN NEVER STOP IT BUT SHOULDNT LEGALIZE IT 23:15  |  jack 12/07/07
  48.   men 23:16  |  eva 12/07/07
  49.   For the Sake of the Junkies Legalize Drugs!! 23:59  |  mike 12/07/07
  50.   Legalized prostitution already exists in Israel... 00:29  |  bat yam 13/07/07
  51.   Only legal in Las Vegas 00:32  |  brothels 13/07/07
  52.   Only legal in Las Vegas 00:32  |  brothels 13/07/07
  53.   Only legal in Las Vegas 00:32  |  brothels 13/07/07
  54.   A free choice for many 01:03  |  Arthur 13/07/07
  55.   Why not open a legal brothel 01:04  |  casino and nightclub 13/07/07
  56.   Ronnie Wolman 01:51  |  Bill 13/07/07
  57.   YOU know you have had a bad day 02:40  |  when 13/07/07
  58.   `3" Harris 03:10  |  Labhras 13/07/07
  59.   agree sex workers deserve legal status and protection 03:32  |  newageblues 13/07/07
  60.   Public health and safety ill served by unenforceable prohibition 04:07  |  newageblues 13/07/07
  61.   On empowering some of the worst people in the world 04:30  |  newageblues 13/07/07
  62.   De-Criminalize Prostitution 05:00  |  mike 13/07/07
  63.   Former American: Missing the Point Again 06:21  |  CHGODMK 13/07/07
  64.   ronie wollman 06:32  |  edword 13/07/07
  65.   #58 LABRAT YOU ARE SO WRONG ! 06:33  |  paul harris 13/07/07
  66.   Hannah 06:55  |  Danite 13/07/07
  67.   Listen to the facts 07:16  |  Neil Golan 13/07/07
  68.   Herbert Kaine, #9 08:32  |  Ebay Inc. 13/07/07
  69.   Will they pay taxes then too ? 08:56  |  Alicia 13/07/07
  70.   #49 and #62 Mike´s good questions 09:27  |  Alicia 13/07/07
  71.   #67, Neil, I never heard that before 15:40  |  newageblues 13/07/07
  72.   CHGODMK: stop putting words in my mouth 18:00  |  Former American