(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
And I have something to say about the prostitution debate in this country. With a few honorable exceptions, the debates are limited to individuals. About the individual prostitute, whether it is the unfortunate trafficking victim or the cynical and "happy whore" who sees prostitution as an easy way to make money. Preferably the last one. Rarely is the discussion raised on a collective level, about what kind of society we want to have. The debate is almost never about those who keep prostitution going – the prostitutes.
prostitution debate is again updated through Martine Aurdal's review of Martin Gaarder's sentimental article "I am Gina" from the last issue of At the same time. Gaarder's article joins the series of tantalizing stories about the exciting lives of people who really "live strong" – this time about a Nigerian prostitute in Oslo. Behind such postmodern narratives are ingenious "cultural radicals" who, strangely enough, are amazed that there are human destinies behind societal problems, and who have also forgotten that "cultural radicals" have traditionally fought against prostitution (cf. Chr. Krohg). Gaarder's article deserves criticism, but not because of insufficient anonymisation, as Aurdal does. Then she also got the passport signed by the article author and by contemporary editor Åmås. Gina thought it was good to get in touch, she, but is that now the point?
In a small section Gaarder discusses what should be the main issue in the prostitution debate, namely: "Few, if any, have drawn the obvious perspective, namely that Nigerian women would never have been here if no one had been happy to be here. […] Demand is high up here. The need the [prostitutes] cover among Norwegian men is a big and rather untouched topic. ”
Courts are blunt who has not realized that the Women's Group Ottar and others have for a long time been trying to bring the problem of prostitution into the debate, but he is right when he points out that the demand for prostitutes is great. There are many more whore customers than whores! The reason why some sell themselves is of course that they need money, but why are there so many who want to buy other people? And why are men's sex purchases tacitly accepted? Could it be related to what human vision prevails in society, belief? That men have sexual "rights" and "needs" that must be satisfied at all costs and that, among other things, cause rape to be punished milder than, for example, hashish smuggling? Could it be because the male sex, despite the fact that few men feel comfortable with it, is portrayed in the mass media as primitive sex animals lost in their domestic violence?
Prostitution concerns not just those directly involved in the sex trade. It concerns the 4th grade girl who is called "whore" by the classmates, the man who expects to "get something" when he sponsors beers at the ladies in town, and me when I go to certain parts of town and be asked how much I cost . If you see prostitution as a societal problem, it does not help that postmodern researchers try to normalize prostitution by calling the prostitutes "liberated sex workers" and portraying sex purchases as charity. Human trafficking takes place right in front of us, and we demand that the new government do something about it. A ban on sex purchases, as LO advocates, will not only make Norway a less lucrative market for international sex trafficking, but will also signal that we do not accept human trafficking.
Trine Rogg Korsvik is a member of the Women's Group Ottar.
