83 per cent men view buying sex as an 'addiction'

Sydney, May 7 : A new survey has shed light on why men are hooked on hookers, by revealing that a vast majority of males view buying sex as a form of addiction.

To get a broader insight into the attitudes of men who buy sex, the team of researchers, mostly young women invited more than 100 US men who visited prostitutes to sit and talk about their attitudes and experiences. They received more than 200 responses.

The survey designed by anti-prostitution activist Melissa Farley showed that majority of men believed that there was nothing wrong with prostitution and 83 per cent viewed buying sex as a form of addiction.

Moreover, many believed that women entered prostitution freely, however they did consider sex trade was devastating to women involved.

57 per cent of the male respondents revealed that prostitutes they paid were abused as children, and about a third viewed women's relationships with pimps as harmful.

About 40 per cent of the men admitted that said they are usually in an inebriated state when they buy sex.

"For a small second after I buy sex, I feel happy, and then it's over. It's so fleeting. There's frustration beforehand, and depression afterward, (because) it's so quick. Those feelings are always there. They're associated with buying sex," The Age quoted a man, as saying.

Another majority viewed their interaction with prostitutes as a business contract in which payment permits them to treat the women the way they want and even women give up their right to say no once they get paid

"Prostitutes are a product, like cereal. You go to the grocery, pick the brand you want, and pay for it. It's business," said another man.

Farley said that her team anticipated feeling angry at their subjects, as many men talked freely about their attitudes towards women as sex objects. But they did empathized with some men and their confusion about their own sexuality.

The aim of research was to push for harsher criminal punishments for men who buy sex from prostitutes, she said. However, nearly 90 per cent of the men said that they would stop if they felt there was a likely chance they would be caught and prosecuted.

ANI