Dispelling the myths On this page, we provide more information that dispels common myths about prostitution. This adds to the simple answers to common questions on our Frequently Asked Questions page. See also: Crisis reports about women and homelessness dispel myths about prostitution as "choice" One of our members came across this excellent report (see link below) about women and homelessness written by the homeless charity Crisis. The later part of it, which charts three women's lives and their movement through different housing situations, makes sad and disturbing reading. The report highlights how society and the statutory agencies within it are failing some of our most vulnerable women. At the end, it talks about how women are effectively blamed for being homeless and therefore not given adequate support even when the original cause may have been something like sexual abuse as a child, domestic violence or in one case the death of their child. There is a brief part about a woman who is currently prostituted after a cycle of homeless experiences and drug dependency. However, although it only touches briefly on her story, it is easy to see that many of the women featured are vulnerable to the trap of prostitution and the report highlights very well that actually choices made to enter prostitution or start using hard drugs, for example, are not made when you have a veritable plethora of delightful choices before you but actually when you are backed into a corner and the only other life choices are just as dismal or maybe even more so. Mark the sad comments from a couple of women in abusive relationships who say they had the option to continue being abused (by family members or partners) or live on the street - is that really a choice as we think of it? Then the sad story about a young woman who escaped sexual abuse by her parents only to end up in a hostel where she was raped by a man staying there. Why is it that the most vulnerable women always have the fewest escape routes? Here is the link to the report. It's lengthy but well worth a read.