It is refreshing to see some calm objective analysis of what has been a debate in which it was difficult for anyone to understand the facts. Thanks Abigail.

There are always those like 'God' who attack the subject like a preacher rooting out sin, without any understanding of what really happens at a human level. (I note that several of the comments have been removed which suggests the level of thought was not very high). If we examine the facts, prostitution as bjb says is legal in virtually every country except the USA. What is illegal is often soliciting, using premises, and living off the proceeds which makes life difficult for sex workers and makes them vulnerable to abuse. It is difficult to see how society could possibly benefit from treating a group of its citizens so badly. The fact that it is illegal in the US (other than certain Nevada counties) has made no difference, it thrives everywhere. So calls for 'cracking' down are pointless - that just escalates violence and often results in police corruption.

I have a lot of problems with people like Farley describing their approach as 'feminist' - denying women rights and ignoring their voices is not my brand of feminism which seeks out inequalities in power and seeks to restore balance by empowering the disadvantaged. Most feminists support sex workers rights - 100 of them recently signed a letter in a Vancouver newspaper (where so many sex workers have been murdered recently). However it is not by people's attitudes that we should evaluate research but by the soundness of their methods and the ability of others to replicate their results. Farley's work does not meet those standards.

The 'what about your family' question often gets asked by those convinced they are freeing the world from evil. Well, I respect my family's ability to make their choices in life. And anyway many sex workers I know are people I value as friends and as human beings. Unfortunately they are painted in a very different light by those who preach hate.

Iamcuriousblue (who writes a lot on this subject) is correct - we should not judge a city or its women by the actions of a few crusaders. As AL says many women (and men) who work in the sex industry are also your neighbours, police, judges, nurses teachers and in most ways no different from anyone else. Some researchers are surprised at first when they start interviewing sex workers.

The only humane approach is to treat men and women who work in the sex industry like any other citizen - not as outcasts. Incidentally 'God' appears not to have read his bible, or he would know where Jesus chose his friends.