Sex industry in Scotland: Inside the deluded minds of the punters
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... -20397545/
Apr 28 2008 By Annie Brown
ALMOST half the punters who use prostitutes in Scotland are so deluded that they believe the women actually enjoy having sex with them.
A shocking 10 per cent of them admitted they would rape a woman if they thought they wouldn't get caught.
And just under half the men who buy sex aren't sad loners - but have a wife or girlfriend back home.
Today, the Daily Record looks into the minds of the Scotsmen who use prostitutes.
In a groundbreaking research project, 110 punters gave a revealing insight into what drives a man to pay for sex.
Many of the men considered prostitution to be a career choice, with one even claiming: "They're just doing a job. It's not a hard job - they enjoy it, they make money."
The Scottish report is the first in a string of surveys to be completed from countries around the world, including England, the US, India and Cambodia.
The report, Challenging Man's Demand for Prostitution in Scotland, is a collaboration between the Women's Support Project in Glasgow and the US organisation Prostitute Research and Education.
It will contribute to the ongoing debate in Scotland on how best to tackle the £200million vice trade. The researchers spoke to men who bought sex in Edinburgh and Glasgow - but the punters came from across Scotland.
They also asked the punters what would stop them from using prostitutes.
A huge percentage said one step to deter them would be placing punters on the sex offenders' register.
The report also claimed that the more men use prostitutes, the more likely they were to rape other women.
Melissa Farley, of PRE, said: "The men were candid and open. We assured them their identity would never be revealed.
"Some of the quotes are mind-boggling. They are chilling. These are not just naughty boys who need their wrists slapped. They could be more accurately described as predators.
"The more often they are using those women, the more often they are telling us they are sexually abusive with their non-prostitute partners.
"Prostitution not only harms the women who are in it but also the partners of the punters and the women around them."
The report dispels a number of myths, including the misconception that men buy sex because it is their only option.
In fact almost half - 48 per cent - of the punters had wives and girlfriends.
Since kerb crawling became an offence in Scotland last October, 80 men have been arrested and the majority were professionals with wives and partners.
In the research, two thirds of the punters had more than 16 sex partners over their lifetime. And the more sex partners they had, the more likely they were to have paid for sex.
Some men first used a prostitute at the age of 14. More than a third first bought sex between 18 and 20.
One man claimed: "It is uncomplicated, it's a good way to have your first sex."
Another revealed: "There was pressure to go along with the guys. It was a common experience for young guys, for their 16th or 18th birthday."
Another punter remembered being taken to a brothel on his 18th and "shoved" through the door where he had sex with one of the women.
He said: "I always wished I hadn't and just pretended to my friends that I had done it."
Melissa said it was frightening that men got their sex education in their formative years through prostitutes.
She said: "They are treating these women as if they are sub-human because they have paid her. Punters are learning how to treat women like a piece of meat.
"That attitude - that women are for sex and nothing else - gets transferred to the other women in society."
While 52 per cent of the punters earned £20,000 or less, almost a third earned more than £30,000 a year.
The average age of the men was 37 but 13 per cent were over 50 and 15 per cent were aged 18-25. One in 10 said they were bisexual.
The research also found that it was par for the course for men in the armed forces to buy sex.
Twenty per cent of those questioned had been in the armed forces and half of those had used prostitutes while serving.
One punter said: "The girl was a present from the sergeant, a thank you. In Belfast, it was organised through the sergeant. We'd ask him and he would set it up.
"It was nothing, a necessary part of working life. In Edinburgh, I've seen squaddies sneaking prostitutes out in the morning."
A sailor spoke of docking in Hamburg and using the notorious red light district known as the Reeperbahn.
He said: "It was the norm. About 90 per cent of the guys would go."
But it's not just the armed forces who buy sex abroad - 56 per cent of those questioned use prostitutes in 40 countries over six continents.
The men bought sex when they were travelling on business, on holiday with mates and when they went to big sporting events such as football tournaments.
The most popular foreign destination for men who used prostitutes was Amsterdam.
One punter revealed: "Eight of us specifically went to get the puff and prostitutes. It was a rite of passage. We went to prostitutes three times a day. We were like pigs in s***."
Another said he had taken Viagra before visiting a brothel, claiming: "I wanted to do my football team proud."
Some men even bought internet package holidays where the women were included as part of the deal, neatly prepaid by credit card.
A frequent sex tourist exposed his disregard for the women and children forced into prostitution in Thailand and Cambodia.
He said: "I don't get pleasure from other people's suffering. I struggle with it but I can't deny my own pleasures.
"In Cambodia, I knocked back a lot of children. It makes it hard to sleep at night but I don't see the point in taking a moral stance."
In a startling example of delusion, half of the men actually thought the women were sexually satisfied by the punters' performance most of the time.
By contrast, many prostitutes describe being on the game as "paid rape".
Other men actually claimed that it would help their marriage.
One said: "Maybe the wife is at home with the kids, working all day and she doesn't feel up to being affectionate with her husband. Men can go to a prostitute then still go home to their wife and family."
Almost half thought that having sex with prostitutes would make them a better lover for their partners.
Most of the men - 79 per cent - said it was easier to ask a prostitute to do certain sex acts, such as sado-masochism, than asking their wives.
Only 16 per cent of the men interviewed said that they had any kind of emotional relationship with the women they bought sex from.
One punter said: "I am paying for the sex but not having to pay for all the other stuff, presents, go out on dates, go on holidays. I am paying for anonymity."
All the men considered themselves above the typical "scum" that used prostitutes, with one claiming: "I am respectable but you get seedy b*****ds that aren't safe."
Incredibly, the punters said that they thought the women were enjoying the experience 45 per cent of the time.
In previous studies, prostitutes said they only felt any kind of positive feeling for around nine per cent of the time they were engaged in their work - for 77 per cent of the time, they felt bad.
While 58 per cent of men said they felt good before and after buying sex, four out of 10 said they felt bad about it - often dirty and disappointed.
A third justified using prostitutes as simply a means of satisfying their needs.
As one explained: "It is the freedom to do anything they want in a consequencefree environment."
One claimed: "We would have to become hermaphrodites, become one sex, that's the only way to stop prostitution."
Another punter said: "There will always be supply and demand. If everyone was rich, how would you get a cleaner for the hotel toilet?"
In their minds, the punters sometimes painted the women as "free spirited" or "morally different".
But the punters often contradicted themselves without realising it.
While 28 per cent said prostitutes enjoyed the job, 85 per cent admitted that they didn't think the women did it because they like sex.
48% of the men who bought sex had girlfriends or wives
80% said it was easier to ask a prostitute to do certain acts, rather than ask their wives
A third thought that using prostitutes was just a means of satisfying their needs
Sex industry in Scotland: Name and shame the punters
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... -20397552/
Apr 28 2008 By Annie Brown
NINE out of 10 Scots punters admit that they would stop using prostitutes if they were placed on the sex offenders' register.
In the survey of 110 Scots men who buy sex, more than 80 per cent also claimed that naming and shaming would stop them using prostitutes - and eight in 10 said being jailed would do the same thing.
The figures will provide an inside track to the Scottish government in their efforts to tackle the vice trade.
Kerb crawling legislation was introduced in October last year and almost 100 men have been arrested. But the crime falls under public disorder.
The Women's Support Project in Glasgow now hope new legislation will be introduced to categorise the men as sex offenders.
Jan Macleod, of the WSP, said it would deter men from buying sex and, by reducing demand, help get women out of the trap of selling sex.
She said: "Naming men who buy prostitutes as sex offenders would remove the glamour from buying sex, instead categorising punters as sexual predators."
One punter said: "You can buy a lot of things but you can't buy your reputation - losing your reputation is the biggest deterrent."
Although many of the punters said that their wife or girlfriend finding out would be a deterrent, few considered it a major risk.
Almost 80 per cent said the prospect of a letter to their partner if they were arrested would stop them using a prostitute again.
Men often used prostitutes in their lunch hour, some using company cars, and the interviewees said getting their car impounded and their company finding out would stop them.
While many of the punters didn't see themselves as sex offenders, the research has raised a link between using prostitutes and sexual violence.
A quarter to a third of the men seemed to endorse disturbing attitudes towards rape - and the more a punter bought sex, the more likely he was to force himself on women in general.
A third thought rape was just men getting carried away and 12 per cent thought that it was not possible to rape a prostitute. A full 10 per cent claimed the concept of rape simply didn't apply to these women.
And almost a quarter thought that once they had paid for sex, they had free rein.
One said: "They will basically do anything for money."
Another explained: "You are the boss and get what you want."
And the more men used prostitutes, the more likely they were to sexually abuse their partners.
A staggering 54 per cent admitted they had been sexually aggressive to non-prostitute partners, compared with 30 per cent of of the less regular users.
And shockingly, 10 per cent of men interviewed admitted they would rape a woman if they knew they wouldn't be caught.
Previous US studies have shown that punters are more likely to be rapists than men who had never bought sex.
Some of the men admitted that buying sex could change their attitude towards women in general.
A punter said: "Men think that if they can buy a prostitute and treat her as an object, they can do the same with other women."
Many of the men spoke candidly about the kick they got in being able to control women they had bought.
A punter admitted: "In order to enjoy prostitution, you really need to know how to control them."
Another said: "You need to know how to manipulate and control them, which is easy with street prostitutes, you just dangle drink and drugs in front of them."
Some even blamed career women for emasculating men.
One said: "Women are becoming more domineering in the workplace and I think a lot of guys like to have power over women."
Around 41 per cent of the interviewees claimed that by using a prostitute, men were less likely to commit rape. But evidence from the research suggested the opposite was the case.
One punter said: "Men decide to use a prostitute as a surrogate instead of getting sex through subterfuge or force."
Men who were the most frequent users of prostitutes were also likely to look at pornography on a regular basis - and those who hardly watched it at all were less likely to buy sex.
One said: "Some guys watch a lot of pornography and expect their partners to perform certain acts. They'll either pressurise their partners to a certain point or then go and get what they want."
One punter actually thought that if prostitution ended, all women would have to be "available for sex at any opportunity, whenever men wanted".
A third thought prostitution was about the subordination of women in society and even more of them considered it sexual exploitation.
Some even admitted that the girls were probably sexually abused or forced into it by pimps - but it still didn't stop them using them.
One said: "A lot of boyfriends have them out doing it, beating them up. Lassies go out because they are scared and they have nowhere else to turn."
Another admitted: "Prostitution would end if there was less poverty, social exclusion and if attitudes changed towards women."
Several of the punters said that they would admit to other men that going with prostitutes was a miserable experience - but lots of men did it.
One confessed: "It is not all it's cracked up to be. I was divorced, insecure, unstable. I thought going with prostitutes would be a solution but it wasn't.
"My friends were also bachelors - prostitution was part of the social scene from 4pm to 4am.
"A pal told me that he would go for dinner and get them early when they are fresh. He said they would be worn out later."
Four out of 10 claimed that by using a prostitute, men were less likely to commit rape. Research shows the opposite is true
10% of men interviewed admitted they would rape a woman if they knew they would not be caught
Sex industry in Scotland: New laws set to be introduced
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... -20397551/
Apr 28 2008
NEW laws that could wipe out the sex industry in Scotland could be introduced soon.
It follows a visit last month by a delegation from Sweden to discuss legislation that has almost ended prostitution over there.
The Swedes stopped punishing the women - and instead criminalised the men who buy sex.
Before the laws came in nine years ago, 2500 vice girls worked in Stockholm.
Now there are 100. The number of punters fell 80 per cent.
The Swedes visited Glasgow in the first step of a campaign to make paying for sex illegal in Scotland.
Glasgow City Council deputy leader James Coleman plans to take the debate to the Scottish parliament.
He said: "There's no doubt it has worked in Sweden and there's no reason why it can't work here too. There can be no question that prostitution is exploitative and abusive of the women involved.
"Name one other situation where we would put up with endemic violence, abuse, disease, drug addiction, alcoholism, mental health problems, fear and trauma as a way to earn cash?
"The only logical way to stop the damage suffered by this group of vulnerable women is to cut off the demand for buying sex."
In Scotland, it is still legal to buy sex in a brothel or massage parlour.
In Sweden, 1650 men have been convicted for buying sex. They faced up to six months in jail but all were fined.
Four out of five Swedes support the law. Every pupil is taught that buying sex is illegal and immoral.
In 2006, a study found Swedish men we re the least likely of 30 nationalities to use prostitutes.
Sex trafficking has also fallen dramatically.
Lap dance lies are exposed
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/speci ... -20397553/
Apr 28 2008
ONE fallacy the research exposed is that lap dancing bars were about "entertainment" rather than buying sex.
Most of the men interviewed bought sex indoors - 80 per cent - and 56 per cent bought it out on the streets.
Almost a third of those had bought sex at a lap dancing club and that was far more common in Edinburgh than in Glasgow.
Just over three in 10 of the Edinburgh men who bought sex indoors found it in a lap dancing bar, compared with 13 per cent of Glasgow men.
Indoor prostitution has always been more tolerated in Edinburgh but Glasgow City Council have been keen to clamp down on brothels, saunas and massage parlours.
There are seven lap dancing bars in Edinburgh and only four in Glasgow, where the council found current legislation left it powerless to object.
Just over half of men who bought sex indoors had at some point purchased it in a massage parlour, with 44 per cent in a sauna and 42 per cent in a brothel.
Around one in five had gone to a private flat run by a prostitute or pimp and 16 per cent used an escort agency.
Another 10 per cent had picked a prostitute up in a hotel or a nightclub.
Around one in five had gone to a private flat run by a prostitute or pimp
Sex industry in Scotland: Two ways to end prostitution
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... -20397557/
Apr 28 2008
JAN MCLEOD of the Women's Support Project puts her case to target the punters to end prostitution.
PROSTITUTION is referred to as the oldest profession and is said to be inevitable because it's always been here. That's what people said about slavery.
Surely we want a Scotland where people have the right to live in safety and respect - how can we achieve that if we are prepared to tolerate women being used and abused in prostitution?
Most women enter prostitution because of lack of choice. It is the men buying sex who are exercising free choice.
A Glasgow study showed that 24.5 per cent of the women surveyed had entered prostitution before the age of 18, with 8.2 per cent starting at 16 or under.
The majority of women in prostitution are poor, homeless and have suffered violence and abuse.
Although they are agreeing to sexual activity in order to survive, this is unwanted sexual activity. In order to be able to do it, the women need to learn to dissociate.
Dissociation can cause psychological harm. Women who are not able to "split off" will use drugs and/or alcohol to achieve the same effect.
Prostituted women are more likely to be murdered than non-prostituted women and their life expectancy is shortened. Is this areasonable price to pay so men can have sex whenever and however they wish?
A common response to this is: "Oh, but if we didn't have prostitutes there would be more rape." There is no evidence for this.
Nevada has legalised brothels and the rape rate there is significantly higher than in neighbouring states where prostitution is illegal. Does anyone believe men are incapable of control and will inevitably rape if they are denied sex?
The Swedish legal framework challenges the demand to buy sex by criminalising the buyers.
Two years after the law came in, a government taskforce reported a50 per cent decrease in the number of prostitutes and a 75 per cent decrease in the number of men who bought sex.
In the past few years, an estimated 200 to 400 women and girls have been annually trafficked into Sweden for prostitution, while in neighbouring Finland the number is 15,000 to 17,000.
There has been much debate about whether the Swedish approach has driven prostitution underground. This is rubbish.
The punters need to be able to find the women. And if they can, the police can certainly find both punters and women.
The simple fact is that if Scottish men had no interest in buying sex, we wouldn't have prostitution, or trafficking.
The long-term solution is education. In the meantime, the best thing we can do is make it an offence to buy another human being to use for sex.
MARGO MACDONALD argues tackling poverty is the best way to end the prostitution.
IN Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts - playing a fresh-faced prostitute with a sense of social responsibility - is shocked when a hooker's body is found in a skip.
Her flatmate reminds her the dead girl had been a "crackhead".
Her murder was the result of either being under the influence of drugs and unable to protect herself or being so desperate for a hit that she took extreme risks.
Julia and her pal saw more danger in drugs than paid-for, consenting sex between adults.
Pretty Woman romanticised prostitution but has some truth in it. For example, most working girls sell sex because they're poor, have no job skills and are drugdependent. Also, it's impossible to define "purchased" sex.
To get her off the game, the hero, Richard Gere, makes Julia an offer most girls would find very difficult to refuse.
He offers a flat, credit cards, a car and all the goodies Rodeo Drive has to offer in exchange for her exclusive services. She tells him the job change would be "only geographical".
I raised this with the Scottish parliament committee who wanted to eliminate prostitution by making kerb-crawling illegal.
Some MSPs looked as though they would have cheerfully dumpedme in a rubbish skip, when it dawned on them that sexual favours and services are bartered as well as sold.
The kerb-crawling law is aimed at stopping prostitution. It ignores new ways of selling sex - mobile phones and the internet.
But the zero-tolerance lobby ignore the reasons why prostitution is still part of real life - and will be until poverty and inequality have been wiped out.
Policy should concentrate on prevention and management. That shouldn't start with prostitution but with anti-poverty and anti-drug policies.
The new Swedish policy of criminalising men who buy sex sounds simple but it shouldn't be copied.
In the first year, women were off the streets, out of sight, suffering more attacks and out of touch with police and support organisations alike.
When Edinburgh's zone ended, the same happened, as Aberdeen's prostitutes will discover when the kerb-crawling law forces police and council to dump their sensible, supportive prostitution management zone.
Editorial - Make Pervs Pay For Crime
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/comment/ne ... -20397554/
Apr 28 2008
NEW research has revealed frightening insights into the minds of men who buy sex from prostitutes.
It also dispels the myth that men pay for sex because it is their only option.
Almost half of them involved in the research programme were married or had a girlfriend.
A major concern was that four out of 10 of those interviewed believed that, by using prostitutes, they were less likely to commit rape.
One in 10 admitted they would rape a woman if they knew they wouldn't be caught.
More disturbing still were the attitudes shown by those surveyed.
A third thought rape was just men getting carried away, 12 per cent thought it impossible to rape a prostitute and 10 per cent thought rape laws didn't apply to these women.
More than half of those who frequently used prostitutes also admitted being sexually aggressive with other partners.
Last year, the old Scottish Executive brought in anti-kerb crawling legislation in a bid to reduce prostitution.
For the first time, men faced criminal action as well as the women they exploit.
It was a bold move and one that was frankly long overdue.
Now women's support workers, who helped with the latest research, want the legislation to go further.
They want paying for prostitutes to be made a sex crime - and convicted offenders named and shamed by being placed on the sex offenders' register.
According to the latest research, that would stop nine out of 10 Scots from using prostitutes.
In fact, eight out of 10 admitted that a letter to their partner would be enough to stop them buying sex.
The only way to end this exploitation is to cut the demand - and if that means embarrassing some men, so be it.
