Book Review: Mey, Holger H. (2004). German Security Policy in the 21st Century: Problems, Partners and Perspectives. Trans. Andrew Denison. New York and Oxford: Berghahn Books, Pp. xi, 162

• Published date: 01 December 2007
• Author: Floyd Feeney
• Date: 01 December 2007
• DOI: 10.1177/1057567707311620
• Subject Matter: Articles

Increased sex work activism and the organization and unionization of sex workers are the fifth

change since the 1980s. In 2002, for example, the International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW)

achieved two of its main goals in the United Kingdom when it officially became part of the Britain’s

General Union (GMB): (a) The acceptance of sex work as legitimate employment and (b) the estab-

lishment of the rights of sex workers to join official trade unions. Beyond unionization, the number

of self-help projects, health care, and social care services have increased dramatically.

Finally, the sixth notable issue is that factors related to globalization are greatly affecting

commercial sex work at all levels: local, regional, and international. Voluntary migration of sex workers,

forced migration, and trafficking are changing the face of commercial sex work. On the one hand,

women who are sex trafficked tend to be little affected by national and local policies relating to street

prostitution because they are usually forced by their traffickers to work in venues other than street

work. Again, all forms of sex worker migration tend to be included in the trafficking discourses.

Finally, authorities tend to show little concern for women’s human rights when responding to the

migration or trafficking of sex workers.

On the other hand, many issues relating to modern sex work are similar to those that McLeod

described in the 1980s: First, prejudice, stigma, and taboo relating to sex work are common in the law

and in the public mind. Second, sex workers (women and men) experience high levels of violence

directed against them in the process of providing commercial sexual services. Third, McLeod

pointed out the fact that there was a dearth of research relating to the clients of sex workers; the present

scholars explain that research in this area is still sadly lacking.

Fourth, though it has appeared that modern jurisprudence has slowly moved toward a more modern

approach to sexual offenses, in reality, the effects of the law are similar. For example, though in the

British Isles prostitution has been decriminalized, Anti-Social Behaviours Orders have criminalized

the practice of prostitution in many localities. Thus, the present application of the law, and its effect

on sex workers, is as it was in the 1980s.

Fifth, McLeod recognized problematic drug use as a common route into sex work. The proportion

of street sex workers with problematic drug use has actually increased in recent years.

Finally, prostitution continues to be a critical topic of feminist debate: Traditionally the debate cen-

tered on the issues of the rights and wrongs of prostitution. The sides have become increasingly polar-

ized in recent years. There exist presently two ideological feminist camps: These can be more or less

identified by whether they argue that (a) sex work is violence and abuse against women, or whether

they argue that (b) sex work “should be approached within a labour rights framework” (p. xviii).

Sex Work Now is a valuable resource and addition to the sex work, prostitution, and sex trafficking

literature. It adds thorough exploration of the changing reality and diversity of sex work, notes the

existence of choice and coercion in provision of sexual services, and argues for policy responses that

take into consideration the complexities and diversities of sex work. Sex Work Now should be

considered a necessary volume in a well-stocked social sciences section of the university library.

Edward J. Schauer

Prairie View A&M University, TX

Mey, Holger H. (2004). German Security Policy in the 21st Century: Problems, Partners and

Perspectives. Trans. Andrew Denison. New York and Oxford: Berghahn Books, Pp. xi, 162.

DOI: 10.1177/1057567707311620

Concerning itself, as the title suggests, with Germany’s military security, this book seeks to identify

trends that will shape the security environment over the next 30 years and analyze the major security

risks that “the West” in general and Germany in particular will face during this time. A main purpose

Book Reviews 365