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Not a Choice, Not a Job: Exposing the Myths about Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade Hardcover – July 1, 2013
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length296 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPOTOMAC BOOKS
- Publication dateJuly 1, 2013
- Dimensions6.38 x 0.99 x 9.23 inches
- ISBN-10161234626X
- ISBN-13978-1612346267
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Not a Choice, Not a Job is a timely and needed book for those who are looking to dispel the smoke and mirrors and uncover the horrific and complex truths of prostitution and the global sex trade. Janice Raymond’s years of experience in leadership, education, and advocacy are undeniably found within this book. This is a must read for those who want to understand the facts about the harsh realities that so many experience.”—VEDNITA CARTER, founder and director of Breaking Free, a survivor-led service for victims of sexual exploitation
“This is an extraordinary work that will serve for years as the go-to book on the relationship between sex slavery and prostitution. Janice Raymond, who has spent decades wrestling with the prostitution challenge, has covered every nook and cranny of this issue: the history, the efficacy of present practices and, where we should go from here.”—JOHN MILLER, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large of Modern Day Slavery; former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (R-WA); and former director of the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons from 2002–2006
“Janice Raymond has written a thoroughly documented book on combating prostitution in all its forms. I have no doubt that the book will greatly benefit not only governmental authorities and human rights activists but also academics and researchers in understanding the complexity of this ‘crime against humanity’ and methods to eradicate it.”—SIGMA HUDA, former UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children; Secretary General, Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights
“Janice Raymond has uncovered, analyzed, and exposed one of the biggest legislative scandals since the slave trade—that of state-sanctioned prostitution. Her research is impeccable, and her conclusion—that the international sex trade be seen as a human rights atrocity—should be taken on board by every politician, policymaker, and law enforcer around the world.”—JULIE BINDEL, journalist, author, and social commentator for the Guardian and other publications
"Not a Choice Not a Job is a desperately needed voice speaking out for the rights and dignity of women and girls worldwide, worthy of the highest recommendation."—Midwest Book Review
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : POTOMAC BOOKS (July 1, 2013)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 296 pages
- ISBN-10 : 161234626X
- ISBN-13 : 978-1612346267
- Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.38 x 0.99 x 9.23 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,285,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,776 in Medical Psychology of Sexuality
- #2,055 in Human Rights Law (Books)
- #2,762 in Human Rights (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews from the United States
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Unfortunately, Not a Choice, Not a Job contains at least one serious error. On page 163, Raymond misquotes UN Special Rapporteur Sigma Huda. Raymond misquotes Huda as follows:
"For the most part, prostitution as actually practiced in the world usually does satisfy the elements of trafficking. It is rare that one finds a case in which the path to prostitution and/or a person's experiences within prostitution does involve, at the very least, an abuse of power and/or an abuse of vulnerability."
Paragraph 42 of UN Special Rapporteur Sigma Huda's report, INTEGRATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND A GENDER PERSPECTIVE, dated 20 February 2006, actually says the following:
"For the most part, prostitution as actually practised in the world usually does satisfy the elements of trafficking. It is rare that one finds a case in which the path to prostitution and/or a person’s experiences within prostitution do not involve, at the very least, an abuse of power and/or an abuse of vulnerability. Power and vulnerability in this context must be understood to include power disparities based on gender, race, ethnicity and poverty. Put simply, the road to prostitution and life within “the life” is rarely one marked by empowerment or adequate options."
The existence of such a serious error leads me to worry that there may be other serious mistakes in the text. Raymond needs to hire a better proofreader.
It takes a lot of guts to stand up against BOTH sides of the question, but Raymond has facts to back up her claims, and this book is full of them. A must-read; my only disappointment is that Rachel Lloyd's work is not cited in the notes.
To say that legalising and decriminalising aspects of sex work leads to trafficking, abuse and corruption goes against numerous rigorously researched material on the sex industry. The opposite is the case!!
Don't waste your money on this crap.
[...]
The truth about trafficking, now this is FACTUAL research which is taken right off the FBI website...
[...]
To hear from the mouths of USA sex workers please see [...]
Its time to change the social perception that she wasn't a person, she was a "prostitute". No one wants to feel a sense of community or sameness with her. She was something other than us and therefore we don't need to feel fear or grief at the fact or the manner of her death."
Top reviews from other countries
What Raymond does is examine and analyse the meaning of prostitution, focussing on the harm and suffering it causes to the women and girls involved in it. The myths would have it that prostitution is a choice, and that when suitably regulated it's a safe and rewarding environment to work in. Indeed, it's sometimes presented as a form of sexual freedom and expression (akin to, say, those struggles for equality as regards sexual orientation). Raymond demonstrates - with clarity, precision and focus - that such ideas are nonsense. The immense majority of women and girls who find themselves involved in prostitution haven't exercised a choice - rather, it's through desperation and lack of any real choice that their bodies are sold. And prostitution is as far removed from being a form of 'work' as possible. No employment involves female staff being systematically sexually objectified and treated as receptacle for a succession penises. Furthermore, there's nothing liberating about the experience - rather, it's exploitive, oppressive, degrading and de-humanising.
I found the ideas, arguments and conclusions of this book to be convincing. It's informative, especially when exploring the realities of those countries which have sought to legalise and regulate prostitution - such as Holland and Germany. Moreover, the experiences of such countries are compared and contrasted to instances where the demand-side (that is, the men who engage in paying for sex) of prostitution has been criminalised - such as in Sweden. Yet, even though I highly recommended this book, I do think that it seeks to cover too much in such a short space. The main body of this publication is less that 200 pages in length - and that's not sufficient space to adequately offer an in-depth analysis on the problem of prostitution.
Alongside this book, I thoroughly recommend Paid for: My Journey Through Prostitution .


