It’s been two days since Northern Ireland officially criminalised the purchasing of sex in Northern Ireland, and the fires are still burning bright on both sides of the debate. We’ve had the ICI wage a battle of scaremongering, firing statistics at the unaware to create sensationalist panic amongst government officials south of the border. And on the other side, we’re had sex worker groups come out in favour of decriminalisation the world over, from England to Australia.

An Advocate of Criminalisation

But a far more pernicious force in the debate comes from former prostitutes, who are now emerging to give weight to the pro-criminalisation debate (and undoubtedly spurred on by the same quasi-religious activist groups that were behind the NI ban). It’s the same reason why, assumingly, the Independent this week published an article about a former prostitute named Diane Martin. Ms Martin left behind the skittish lights of dark hallways and world of stained bedroom sheets a long time ago. Armed by a plethora of psychologically damaging experiences, she has visited Stockholm to see the impact that criminalisation has had on the industry, and taken to advocating the criminalisation of prostitution across the world.

In her article, she writes, “For the men, prostitution is like renting a film with the power to write the entire script. They’re the director, they’re the star, you are the prop.”

As always, this sort of cultivation of negative opinion about the industry comes from one common basis – the will to remove the accountability of choice, placing responsibility instead on the shoulders of another. Sure, exploitation is common place within prostitution, and it’s an abhorrent thing. But it isn’t always the case and Diane – like many – did have (at some point) and have a choice. Often, we end up in this situation where the culprit is seen as man. Man is a spider waiting patiently in his web ready to trap the naïve. It is his will, and his will alone, that controls the fate of woman.

An Unfair Link

Ms Martin details a series of horrific experiences that we have no real reason to dispute. She’s the victim of deplorable behaviours, but to tie this inextricably to the sex industry is a mistake.

“Why is it that prostituted women all over the world employ the same psychological coping strategies as victims of sexual abuse? Because sexual abuse is what is happening; but we’re supposed to believe that because money has changed hands or a place to stay or food, what is happening is now magically something else,” she writes.

To analogise prostitution to rape is, again, a denial of accountability (not to mention a wholly irresponsible statement). It distorts the public image of the sex industry, and likens it once again to criminality. Many people choose to enter into prostitution. But from that original choice, the following bad experiences only point to the danger lurking within the industry, but that is a danger widely propped up by criminalisation, which pulls a curtain over the industry’s activities.

She neglects to mention the many women that choose to enter the industry. She neglects to mention that there is always a choice; her article hints to be a past choice been made but regretted, because the experience turned out to be negative. This, however, doesn’t negate it as a choice made, and with decriminalisation the likes of Ms Martin would find that they have rights and protection.

Bottom line: if you push something into the shadows, you can’t be surprised if it finds darkness.