By Dare Lasisi.
Prostitution is the world’s oldest profession probably older than the rock of Gibraltar and sexual intercourse as a universal language is unarguably a therapy for many troubled souls. In many parts of the world, sex sells like a freshly baked bread!
It is an open secret that women who work in the sex trade over the years have earned popular sobriquets such as prostitute, call-girl, whore, harlot, ashewo, hooker, honey-lady, and ultimately the escort.
With the sky-rocketing cost of post-secondary education in several countries, many students are desperately looking for alternative ways to finance their quest for higher learning because poverty is only good in sermons but very unpleasant in practice and it is true that education may not take anybody outrightly out of poverty but it will definitely not keep one in abject poverty and the sex trade cannot be the last option for these young souls.
Necessity they say is the mother of invention and as the street slogan says, “You need to use what you have to get what you want in life.”
According to a research conducted by Kingston University in southwest London, it was discovered that one in 10 female students had close friends who had stripped, lapdanced or worked at massage parlours and escort agencies to support themselves throughout their university education.
Many students are not really concerned about the fact that prostitution, either part-time or full-time, is a dark enclave and doubles as a dignity-stripping environment which is extremely harmful and dangerous to women.
The coinage “escort” is likely one that involves exceptionally beautiful ladies, paid to accompany wealthy men to classic public events and expensive dinners; elegant women whose aura and splendour are worth several hundreds of pounds per hour to majorly affluent clients.
But in the real world, the escort industry, like all business ventures, is purely about money, and it is strategically driven by the same economic force which motivates the entire exotic industry which is raw sex.
Frankly speaking, health concerns related to intercourse, with or without the use of a condom, are prevalent among women in the sex trade and in underdeveloped and developing countries where fetishism is still highly prevalent, many of these young, innocent, and beautiful ladies become vulnerable to ritualists especially men who are seeking spiritual powers.
It is like dancing on sword’s edge and any slight error would trigger a devastating repercussion for the victim, friends and family members that is why I term it a dangerous adventure, one that can be compared with sitting on the keg of a gun powder that is ready to explode within seconds before our very eyes.
Most escort agencies are just exploiting the vulnerabilities of “struggling” students by paying them pittance when compared to the average wages earned by unregistered street prostitutes, they take advantage of the fact that these young girls do not have their heads and eyes open enough to see other better opportunities around them except that of an escort.
Debt management is another major factor pressuring many young University students in the United Kingdom to prostitution due to student loan repayment policies which can eventually affect their credit rating when trying to apply for mortgages or credit cards from banks or other financial institutions.
To curtail the temptation of joining the sex trade, Universities and Colleges can reduce their tuition fees, advocate for scholarships, grants, interest-free loans, and bursaries for students from low-income family backgrounds or even offer very low-interest-rate where it is impossible to offer interest-free loan.
These measures if strictly adhered to, would certainly discourage the financially disadvantaged students from becoming sex workers at the detriment of their health and university education. It will also help in maintaining the status and the reputation of our institutions of higher learning as a place where morals are being instilled in students as institutions of learning are not only meant to certify students based on their academic performance alone but also on their character.
In a nutshell, the reality remains that, in general, a student who is aggressively desperate enough to sell their body for “quickie” cash is likely to qualify for financial assistance from government student loan programmes or local credit unions as long as that student is working part-time with original payslips to show.
It is estimated that 70% of clients who visit escorts are married, so why do married men visit escorts? This aspect deserves critical analysis.
Many married men are in sex-starved relationships and a visit to a nearby brothel to meet an escort would take them to another “Sugar candy” planet while still on earth! It is still an open-ended debate.
This visit is indeed a lifesaver for some frustrated men to cure their depression and boost their libido, confidence, and self-worth in life.
According to research, married men flirt for six main reasons: to get sex, to explore what it would be like to be in a relationship, to strengthen a relationship, to try to experience new feelings, to increase self-esteem, and above all, to have fun.
Just as we have female escorts, so are there male escorts who work in different gay clubs just like their female counterparts, fighting against all odds to use their bodies to earn a living. It is like a rat race or a Catch-22 dilemma.
To be candid, an escort is just a glorified prostitute or probably two sides of an outdated coin.
Although feelings towards their clients must be mutual, temporary, and consensual in order not to cross the boundary or break the rules.
In conclusion, the legendary Irish writer, Oscar Wilde, opined, “I can resist everything, except temptation.” and that is why all men should resist the temptation of illicit sexual intercourse and be faithful to their partners.
***Dare Lasisi, former Commonwealth journalist writes from the UK University of the year, University of Strathclyde, Faculty of Science, Dept of Computer & Information Sciences, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
