303 – Prostitution Research with, Dr. Melissa Farley

Dr. Sandie Morgan is joined by Dr. Melissa Farley. The two discuss the issues surrounding the legalization of prostitution. Dr. Melissa Farley Dr. Melissa Farley. She’s a feminist psychologist who has authored or co-authored 52 peer reviewed articles on trauma, healthcare, prostitution, pornography, and sex trafficking as well as two books, “Prostitution, Trafficking and Traumatic Stress” and “Prostitution and Trrafficking in Nevada: Making the Connections.” Her research and publications have been used by governments in South Africa, Cambodia, Canada, France, New Zealand, Ghana, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States for education and policy development on prostitution and trafficking. Dr. Farley founded Prostitution Research and Education, a nonprofit research institute, which disseminates educational materials by survivors and others who contribute to the movement to abolish prostitution. Main Points Prostitution, pornography, and trafficking are linked and are difficult to separate because they all affect each other. Research should include survivor voices and cultural representation from leaders and experts should be a part of the process. Trafficking is essentially pimping, and in simple terms is the control of one human being by another who uses them for the purpose of making money by selling them for sexual use. The common narrative that permeates the nuanced issue of prostitution, and it is often pushed by the pimps themselves, is that most people engage in prostitution voluntarily but there are few who have been trafficked. Prostitution is not a freely made choice, by coercive control is involved and social conditions that surround an individual. When prostitution is legalized, the stigma around it remains. Resources Prostitution, Trafficking and Traumatic Stress by Melissa Farley  Prostitution and Trafficking in Nevada: Making the Connections by Melissa Farley Prostitution Research and Education Federal US Trafficking Victim Protection Act  Project SWOP Episode #197, with Dr. Donna Hughes No on K SAGE: Standing Against Global Exploitation Safe House San Francisco  Episode #219, with Bradl