Sexual exploitation, which includes but is not limited to prostitution and sex trafficking, has increased throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. This increase in the objectification and degradation of women is creating a world where there will never be true equality between men and women because it guarantees that men will refuse to stop seeing women as objects of sexual pleasure rather than living beings unless sexual exploitation is put to an end. There are many false beliefs about prostitution in today's world. Many people consider prostitution to be the oldest profession in the world, but contrary to popular belief "prostitution is not the oldest profession in the world... although it is probably one of the oldest forms of male violence against women and girls." (Hughes). Another popular belief about prostitution is that women always choose to take part in it and therefore must want to do so. What some people don't seem to understand is that yes, some women choose it simply because they want to, but most prostitutes are forced to choose it. It's almost always a last resort. “Most women “choose” [prostitution or the sex industry in general] only because [sexual exploitation] is a way to abuse and control women that socializes and coerces women until they comply, they take responsibility for their subordinate status and say, “I choose this.”” (Hughes). This mentality is especially true for young women who are born into poverty because most girls living in poverty follow a very similar cycle: they get pregnant at a very young age, sometimes as young as fifteen, and then, if they survive childbirth , they choose to sell their bodies to support their family. Even if most women emerge from prostitution as poor as half the paper, prison time must be imposed. Additionally, there needs to be someone or something put in place that focuses solely on catching those who traffic to dismantle and eventually eliminate the sex trafficking system as a whole. Then, there are things you can do as an individual to possibly help eliminate the issue of sex trafficking, such as being able to distinguish between a brothel that supplies prostitutes and a brothel that traffics women. …….Finally we must also recognize that the woman's body must be her own. It must be her choice to do with her body what she wants one hundred percent of the time, which would most likely lead to the total abolition of sex trafficking. Women should not be able to be treated as if they were slaves because they are bought and sold. Women should be treated as if they were human beings who deserve the same rights as men.