On the Fight Against Prostitution

“Again the newspapers are full of talk about the struggle against the expansion of prostitution, against the destruction of the trade in white slaves, about rules for single women and for landlords, about protection from the corruption of minors, and so on. Congresses are being gathered and awaited; a union ‘for the protection of women’ is being formed; projects are being prepared; speeches are being written; articles are being written. How many good words, benevolent intentions—one has to give credit for the good intentions, often turning from kind acts into useful trial measures. And year after year, decade after decade, the same story repeats: benevolent acts lead to results almost opposite to what was desired, and from the measures unexpected for the female population arises a new kind of everyday punishment—worse than the previous…”