Former pimp and Hells Angels member Kassra Zargaran has called for a ban on buying sex, arguing that prostitution is closely connected to violence, human trafficking and the exploitation of women.
In an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, the 40-year-old said that during his years in the prostitution business in Hamburg and Berlin, he never saw a woman who was doing the work voluntarily.
Zargaran also rejects the term “sex work.” He believes that such language makes prostitution sound cleaner and more acceptable than it really is. According to him, legal prostitution has allowed criminal groups to operate more freely and has made it difficult for authorities to fight exploitation.
His experiences inside a criminal environment are disturbing and should not simply be ignored. Human trafficking, coercion and violence are serious crimes, and people who force women or men into prostitution should face strong legal consequences.
However, there is a major problem with turning Zargaran’s personal experience into a statement about prostitution as a whole.
One Criminal Environment Does Not Represent an Entire Industry
The claim that essentially no woman enters sex work voluntarily is, in our view, utter nonsense.
Zargaran spent years around pimps, organized crime and the Hells Angels. It is hardly surprising that someone looking at prostitution through this particular environment saw violence, coercion and exploitation.
But that does not mean every sex worker lives under the same conditions.
There are also adult women who choose to provide sexual services independently and without a pimp forcing them to do so. Some work in legal brothels or studios, while others operate independently. Their reasons may include money, flexible working hours, independence or simply the fact that they prefer this work to other jobs available to them.
It is possible to dislike prostitution personally while still accepting that an adult woman can make this decision for herself.
Voluntary Sex Work and Human Trafficking Are Not the Same Thing
This distinction is important.
A woman who is threatened, controlled, trafficked or forced to sell sex is a victim of exploitation. A woman who freely decides to offer sexual services for money is making an adult choice about her own life and body.
Treating these two situations as if they were identical can actually make the debate less useful.
Authorities should focus strongly on identifying trafficking, violence and coercion. Victims need protection, while traffickers and abusive pimps should be prosecuted. At the same time, adults who work voluntarily should not automatically be described as victims simply because outsiders dislike their profession.
Zargaran’s experiences can provide valuable insight into the criminal side of prostitution. But they cannot prove that voluntary sex work does not exist.
The prostitution debate deserves more than one extreme picture. Exploitation exists and must be fought. So does voluntary sex work. A serious discussion should be able to recognize both realities at the same time.