The prize was launched in 1997 by feminist writer Shere Hite at the Frankfurt Book Fair to honour nonfiction writing by women which contributes to the advancement of thinking about the situation of women in the world. The ILO publication was chosen by a jury including women from five continents, all of whom are renowned for their writings and activism. It says that the provision of sexual services has assumed the dimensions of a full-blown commercial sector, one that provides direct and indirect employment to millions of workers and contributes substantially to national incomes throughout the region.
Adults can choose to become prostitutes or to work in pornography.
Children are much more vulnerable and helpless against the established structures and vested interests of the sex sector and much more likely to be victims of debt bondage, trafficking, physical violence or torture. While there is a range of possible options for coping with the increase in adult prostitution, there should be only one goal for child prostitution - to eliminate it. The report estimates that anywhere between 0.25 per cent and 1.5 per cent of the total female population in the study countries are engaged in prostitution. However, in spite of the size and economic importance of prostitution, it is almost entirely unregulated and goes unrecognised in official statistics, development plans and government budgets of almost all countries worldwide. The report emphasizes the economic bases of prostitution, highlighting the strong economic incentives that drive women to enter the sector, despite the social stigma and danger attached to the work Sex work is often better paid than most of the options available to young, often uneducated women.