Several observances of cases of political activism among prostitutes led me to do a little research on the matter. It did not take long to discover, to my surprise, that those practitioners of “the oldest profession” around the world are agitating for political and economic rights.
My interest was first sparked by reports of prostitutes in Vancouver, Canada demanding compensation from film crews operating in the area who were disrupting business. The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, an organization of about 1,000 members, has attempted to cast off the veil of oppression placed upon them and area prostitutes by production companies and has demanded financial compensation for their lost business and general inconvenience. The organization has also requested “alternative accommodation provided upon request.” What accommodations the VANDU have in mind I can scarcely imagine.
The next case in point comes from Paris, where some 500 prostitutes have taken to the streets (pardon the pun) to protest a new French anti-crime policy that would threaten their unlawful behavior with fines and prison time.
One concerned prostitute asked of the French government, “What do they want me to do? I don’t know how to do anything else.”
As prostitution itself seems an essentially unskilled vocation, the undertaking of a more legitimate menial job stands as a likely solution to the worried working girl.
Violence erupted last year in Bangladesh when police refused to grant nearly 100 prostitutes entry into a brothel from which 3,000 prostitutes were evicted in 1994. The prostitutes turned down a $400,000 rehabilitation offer to start small businesses from the Bangladesh government. The prospect of attaining social acceptance and regaining lost dignity prompted the prostitutes to attack police who were guarding their facility.
Finally, prostitutes in Indonesia have organized a protest over the banning of prostitution in Surabaya during Ramadan, a month-long Islamic holiday. Participating prostitutes have outlined in the “Surabaya Prostitutes’ Pledge” their plan to refuse services to members of the government’s executive, judicial, and legislative branches unless the ruling is lifted.
The prostitutes hope that by refusing to serve Indonesia’s government officials, the ruling will be overturned and economic damages that have resulted from the ban will be restored.
It is surprising to see that people who many consider the dredge of society are lobbying their interests in semi-civil actions. But the cries of wronged prostitutes will go largely unheard.
The detriments of the world’s oldest profession must be accepted along with the benefits, as it is with any other job.
Josh Foreman is a junior communication major.