Abstract
least have laws which prohibit prostitution of children?" Her response is an unqualified no. Instead, she argues, "we need to apply existing laws against rape, violence, coercion and forced labor in all contexts for all people" (19). Pheterson's essays all turn on the theme of why, through the trope of prostitution, these laws and various other forms of social liberties are only selectively granted to women. The equation is simple but compel- ling: a woman's honor is based on her sexual reputation. To lose honor in this realm is to lose rights (42). By continuing to designate prostitution per se as a site of evil and the source of exploitation of women and children, policy makers and moral crusaders are able to overlook the institutions, such as the legal family, that are actually the most common sites of these injustices (20).
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