Tuesday, April 17, 2012

More on the Secret Service, Prositution, and the Real Issue of Sex Tourism

As the Secret Service prostitution scandal widens, CAASE is watching how media are covering the issue of demand in the sex trade (men who buy sex). In our latest Huffington Post blog, you can read about how agents allegedly became sex tourists, and the harms people perpetuate when they travel abroad to seek out prostituted people. More here.

In this latest coverage from Reuters, the prostituted women are labeled as potential enemies. On senator asks, ""Could they have been members of groups hostile to the United States?" How has this scandal become the prostituted women's fault? Let's examine the real issue here, the one of power. If Secret Service and members of the military did feel entitled to buy sex, what are the consequences? So far, agents have lost security clearance. If we want to see real change, it's time to talk about the real issue--men who buy sex because they face no real consequences. If this ends up being a story only about security, an opportunity has been lost.