Prostitution is violence as it involves an unwanted sex. When one part do not have sexual intercourse out of pleasure and personal interest, but rather does it for a reward (in this case payment for sex), out of fear (threat by a pimp or sex buyer) or lack of choice (poverty, hunger, trafficking) and another one receives desired sexual act by buying access to another person, such event becomes unconsensual which concludes it as violence. Consent cannot be bought, it can only be given voluntarily and freely with no coercion, manipulation, and threat. So, sexual acts in prostitution cannot be consensual, as it is an exchange of access to one’s body by paying money. It dehumanize women, who are primary targets in prostitution and viewed and used as objects for men’s sexual desires.
Moreover, women in prostitution are exposed to violence from pimps, sex buyers and traffickers all the time. Sex buyers, who buy access to women’s bodies often physically and verbally abuse women in prostitution, because they think their privilege to buy access to another person’s body allows them to do anything they want. Pimps and traffickers are all the time violent with women in prostitution, because they view them as their property that brings them profit. They beat, rape, kill, drug, control and verbally abuse their victims making them fear and obey. They also manipulate, coerce and give false promises, so that they wouldn’t dare to leave prostitution.
When society allows prostitution, in reality they are actually allowing a commodification of women. And it is inherently violence against women.