Too Many Books So Little Time

I've been going to the library more, in an effort to make this summer productive despite my school-age children induced stupor. Now I have the problem that I have too many books out of the library that I am very eager to read. Lewis and Orwell are to authors who are currently on my shelf (thought Lewis I have 3 that I am at least 20 pages into) and I also found two books, "Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy," and "Children For Hire: The Perils of Child Labor in the United States." Prostitution has long been an issue of interest to me, but a lot of the research that I have dates back to the late 90s and I am eager to hear more up to date information. Oddly, the night that I got these books from the library one of the episodes of West Wing that I watched featured the issue of women from other countries coming to the United States and being forced into prostitution. I also managed to telepathically make my favorite episode of Malcolm In the Middle show up on TV that same night.

A few quotes from old research I have that still strikes me from research done with 475 prostitutes from 5 countries:

"It is often assumed that street prostitution is qualitatively different from escort or brothel
prostitution. Our data shed some light on this assumption. We found significantly more physical
violence in street, as opposed to brothel, prostitution. However, there was no difference in the
incidence of PTSD (POst Traumatic Stress Disorder) in these two types of prostitution. This suggests that psychological trauma is
intrinsic to the act of prostitution."

"When we asked those interviewed in South Africa and Zambia if they thought that legalizing
prostitution would make them physically safer, a significant majority (62 percent in South Africa and
73 percent in Zambia) told us 'no'. They viewed prostitution as an activity which always involved
physical and sexual assault -- legal or not."

Since I went to Toronto in 1998, I have had a heart for these people who enter into prostitution- whether forced by htreats of violence or by life circumstances or a pshychological issue that causes them to live lives of quiet desperation. A great site with more information is www.prostitutionresearch.com It has research on porstitutes themselves, as well as information on the trafficking of foreign women into the United States for the purpose of prostitution. There's also an area that shows artwork and photos. You can also get involved in a number of groups that advocate the oppostition of sexual exploitation. Quality stuff.