Prostitution Reduces Rape

[Belly_Fluff]

External Link/Members Only

A new paper in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy by Bisschop, Kastoryano, and van der Klaauw looks at the opening and closing of prostitution zones (tippelzones) in 25 Dutch cities.

    Our empirical results show that opening a tippelzone reduces sexual abuse and rape. These results are mainly driven by a 30–40 percent reduction in the first two years after opening the tippelzone. For tippelzones with a licensing system, we additionally find long-term decreases in sexual assaults and a 25 percent decrease in drug-related crime, which persists in the medium to long run.

Cunningham and Shah studied decriminalization of indoor prostitution in Rhode Island and found very similar results.

    We exploit the fact that a Rhode Island District Court judge unexpectedly decriminalized indoor prostitution in 2003 to provide the first causal estimates of the impact of decriminalization on the composition of the sex market, rape offenses, and sexually transmitted infection outcomes. Not surprisingly, we find that decriminalization increased the size of the indoor market. However, we also find that decriminalization caused both forcible rape offenses and gonorrhea incidence to decline for the overall population. Our synthetic control model finds 824 fewer reported rape offenses (31 percent decrease) and 1,035 fewer cases of female gonorrhea (39 percent decrease) from 2004 to 2009.

In addition a working paper by Riccardo Ciacci and María Micaela Sviatschi studies prostitution in New York and also finds that prostitution significantly reduces sex crimes such as rape:

    We use a unique data set to study the effect of indoor prostitution establishments on sex crimes. We built a daily panel from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2012 with the exact location of police stops for sex crimes and the day of opening and location of indoor prostitution establishments. We find that indoor prostitution decreases sex crime with no effect on other types of crime. We argue that the reduction is mostly driven by potential sex offenders that become customers of indoor prostitution establishments. We also rule out other mechanisms such as an increase in the number of police officers and a reduction of potential victims in areas where these businesses opened. In addition, results are robust to different data sources and measures of sex crimes apart from police stops.

It’s become common to think that rape is about power and not about sex. No doubt. But some of it is about sex. Quoting Ciacci and Sviatschi again:

    We find evidence consistent with the fact that potential perpetrators substitute towards indoor prostitution establishments instead of engaging in sex crimes….This mechanism is in line with a survey of men who had purchased sex from women in London. About 54% of these men stated that if prostitution did not exist then they would be more likely to rape women who were not prostitutes. This belief was clearly held by one man who even stated: “Sometimes you might rape someone: you can go to a prostitute instead” (Farley et al., 2009).

In short, a wide variety of evidence from different authors, times and places, and experiments shows clearly and credibly that prostitution reduces rape. This finding is of great importance in considering how prostitution should be rationally regulated.

[vw]

What a load of crap.

[peter purves]

Interesting had a look but too lengthy for me to read before bed time 

It's a worrying thought - if conversely the article is inadvertently suggesting - that males with unfulfilled or unreleased sexual desires who cannot visit WGs are likely to commit sexual abuse and rape.

Notwithstanding such sexual abuse and rape isn't about sex per se.

Perhaps some light reading for me later on throughout the day. 

[Georgejetson]

Punters are not frustrated rapists.  Want to know who, in grade 6, is most likely to score well in a test?  Measure their shoe size. The larger the shoe size the higher the likelihood of good grades. So big feet equals smarter!   No. Big feet correlates with being held back a grade. And the second time through a grade is easier.  This article falls into the trap of confusing correlation with  causation.A decent study with an unjustified conclusion.  The authors need to dig deeper.

[Picti]

Don't have time to read the original papers so I respond at face value.

Despite their superficial appeal as a justification to legalise prostitution, these studies also state a high correlation between punters and beliefs / behaviours supportive of rape. On that basis they could be used by the anti-prostitution lobby to vilify punters by appearing to "confirm" that negative stereotype.

I wonder where they get their participants, and also wonder why they don't ethically report these guys to the Police. I'm pretty sure that most punters condemn rape.

[scutty brown]

"About 54% of these men stated that if prostitution did not exist then they would be more likely to rape women who were not prostitutes"

Total bollocks, must be one heck of a sampling bias there.

[shagmore]

What a load of bull, if a block is intent of raping someone, because he is a deluded fucker, he will, regardless go if WGs are available, rape is about a power trip and inferiority complex for these low life fuck wits.

[munterhunter]

And the moon is made of green cheese! What a load of bollocks. The vast majority of punters are married guys who aren't getting what they want at home or just enjoy the thrill of getting to fuck someone they usually wouldn't encounter in real life.
Rapists are a different animal. They have anger issues towards women generally and seek to punish dominate or humiliate the women they target.
I'm not saying that a rapist or someone with a tendency to commit rape wouldn't punt but to suggest that prostitution reduces rapes implies that many punters are potential rapists and they aren't.

[JamesKW]

Rape isn't necessarily about sex it is about violence and mental control of women.Many punters are either stag trippers, those who are unable to socially contact with women well,divorcees ,or those who are no longer getting it from the O/H (or not as much as they would like it).

[rebelscum]

I too resent the suggestion that every punter is considered a potential rapist.  It would never even enter my head to force myself upon a civvy or a prossie. 

[Brazilian Martian]

Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[Sir Lance-a-lot]

Interesting reading.  Of course most punters aren't potential rapists, but what the report seems to be saying is that guys who are potential rapists might become punters instead, and the data seems to bear this out.

But the information regarding the views of punters is from feminazi crackpot Melissa Farley, and is therefore bullshit.  Probably a mistake to use Farley as a source for anything, but this might be a deliberate ploy to use Farley's data against her, to support decriminalisation, which Farley wouldn't want.

[JamesKW]

Interesting reading.  Of course most punters aren't potential rapists, but what the report seems to be saying is that guys who are potential rapists might become punters instead, and the data seems to bear this out.

Possibly,in this country WGs have always been fairly easy to obtain,apparently there were meant to be 80,000 in medieval London (a much smaller city) so we wouldn't know what the correlation is between the two,we still have rapes even though it is pretty easy to get a WG (even quite cheaply in SOHO).In Sweden rape is meant to have increased, is this due to their tougher laws on punters or their influx of immigrants ?

[Acerimmer]

Rape isn’t motivated by sex it’s motivated by violence and power.

[milo]

apparently there were meant to be 80,000 in medieval London

It's possible the medieval period is being confused with the Victorian.

80,000 prostitues is sometimes attributed to the Victorian period - External Link/Members Only

The total population of London is estimated to have reached 80,000 in 1300, in the medieval era - External Link/Members Only

[peter purves]

Interesting reading.  Of course most punters aren't potential rapists, but what the report seems to be saying is that guys who are potential rapists might become punters instead, and the data seems to bear this out.

But the information regarding the views of punters is from feminazi crackpot Melissa Farley, and is therefore bullshit.  Probably a mistake to use Farley as a source for anything, but this might be a deliberate ploy to use Farley's data against her, to support decriminalisation, which Farley wouldn't want.

Cheers for bringing out the above point - and I can understand your reasoning. Having had another skim, of it again, I am not sure the article follows through to your logical conclusion, since there does not seem to be any mention of potential rapist vis-a-vis non-potential rapist. Notwithstanding the backdrop that there is a suggestion that all men are potential rapist.

[Malvolio]

The report also claims that the presence of prostitution reduced gonorrhea infections.  Any ideas why that might be?

[S.X. MacHine]

Bollocks.
I often have the urge to punt. Never the urge to rape.

[scutty brown]

The report also claims that the presence of prostitution reduced gonorrhea infections.  Any ideas why that might be?

prossies use condoms
civvies don't

[notcalledchris]

Amazing misunderstanding of evidence here guys.   Rape is far rarer than shagging prossies. This means that it MIGHT be possible for prostitution to reduce rape AND for the vast majority of punters to not be potential rapists.  For the hypothesis to be correct you dont need a significant number of punters to be rapists if punting wasnt available. You just need a sjgnificant number of the much smaller population of potential rapists to take the less risky route of punting as opposed to attacking women.   Or maybe men who punt are less more likely to be single than non punters and single men cant rape their partner if they dont have one which eliminates Aa significant proportion of rapes

[JamesKW]

You just need a sjgnificant number of the much smaller population of potential rapists to take the less risky route of punting as opposed to attacking women. 

Rapists attack women because that's what gives them their kicks,they are less interested in the sexual element of it,they like the violence and domination.As you say getting a WG is so easy and can be cheap they would take this option if they wanted to.

[notcalledchris]

Rapists attack women because that's what gives them their kicks,they are less interested in the sexual element of it,they like the violence and domination.As you say getting a WG is so easy and can be cheap they would take this option if they wanted to.

Imnot saying anything really beyond pointing out that human behaviour is complicated and suggesting that the link if  it exists may not be founded in the behavior of the average punter or the average rapist. 

[peter purves]

The report also claims that the presence of prostitution reduced gonorrhea infections.  Any ideas why that might be?

And also makes reference to a reduction in 'sexual abuse' as opposed to rape. Not sure if a working definition was given in the piece of what constitutes it?

Again, I guess one could repeat the same question 'any ideas why that might be?'

[Autopunter]

Good to know I'd be out there raping women if I didn't have my strippers, porn and hookers to fall back on! Well, actually I'd probably just go get into a relationship again lol! Still astonishes how much society despises men in general and punters in particular when this kind of stuff comes out.