By examining prostitution as a whole—taking into account the perspectives and motivations of those who enter the sex industry—one can identify four distinct categories, ranked according to the degree of freedom of choice.

 

The first category

consists of enterprising women who run a successful, well-paying business, entirely independent of any pimps. Many of these women enter prostitution for the high earnings, and some view it as a job on equal footing with any other. Women in this group are often citizens of the country in which they work as prostitutes (this category does not constitute trafficking).

 

The second category

consists of women who engage in prostitution on an occasional basis to supplement their regular income—again, acting from a position of free choice. Their motivations may be similar to those of the first group, and they are generally not subject to exploitation by third parties, such as pimps.

 

Many in this category are young women attempting to pursue a career in the arts who occasionally work in prostitution, as strippers, or as performers in the pornography industry. Women in this group are often citizens of the country in which they work (this category does not constitute trafficking).

 

The third category

consists of women driven into prostitution by severe financial pressure and/or a lack of other options. They enter into a subordinate position and are often forced to submit to extreme forms of exploitation by other parties within the sex industry, such as traffickers or pimps.

 

Many individuals in this category are young female migrants from economically disadvantaged areas in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Women in this group are often severely exploited by other parties—whether on the streets or in enclosed brothels, such as in a monitored apartment or an isolated house. The use of extreme and violent methods to exploit these women varies in scale depending on the location and circumstances. Furthermore, the exact proportion of those being exploited—and the specific nature of that exploitation—is always difficult to assess (this category may involve instances of human trafficking).

 

The fourth and final category

consists of women and children who are clear victims of human trafficking. These are women who have been lured by false promises—such as job offers that subsequently prove to be fraudulent—or women who are offered marriage abroad. A common feature is that these women are later forced or coerced into prostitution. This category also includes women who are deceived regarding the conditions under which they are made to engage in prostitution.

 

The exploiters behind these operations seize almost all earnings, preventing the victims from realizing their dreams of financial security or transforming their lives—whether in the country where they are working as prostitutes or in their home countries (this category constitutes clear-cut human trafficking).

 

These four categories within the sex trade can sometimes overlap, and an individual woman may occasionally move between the different categories.

 

Source: Text based on *Sex Trafficking* by Paola Monzini, 2005