Honestly, I do not think that prostitution should be legalized to protect the rights of prostitues and just because prostitution exists everywhere.
The burkha clad women of Lal Musjid were doing the right thing.
Women need to be less fatalistic and stand up to protect their own rights.
Unfortunately the Lal Musjid women were backed by men and that too of questionable background and means.
The only solution is to have proper training and work provided especially for women.
(This cannot be realized in a male-dominated country in which more than half the men are complicit in the sexual exploitation of women.)
If there are women who still go for this option for the sake of benefits, they should be prosecuted by law rather than stoned by the public or something. It should be treated like any other crime but, of course, in Pakistan anyone can take the law into their own hands against even a petty thief.
Ideally, there should a complementary women's government because if a family should be run equally by a male and female then why not a government.
(Proper female representation in the government is highly pertinent to the matter because women constitute half of any populace and have little recognition for their work.)
Peace All
Speaking from the position of an unbiased onlooker, I cannot see this article being accurate. It assumes that people have no other choice. Consider a clerk as a professional, if there is a job say as a decorator available and the professional clerk does not take this job then the benefits stop? I don't think so.
1) One may need to be qualified
2) One may need to have had prior experience
3) One may need to go to and pass an interview
4) One may need to have the edge to compete with the rest of the applicants
Much has been said about this already, but I still want to clarify that your points has to do with an employer's discretion hiring someone or not. In the case of prostitution, they are completely inapplicable because prostitution is a no skill job. Hence, if the employer offers an interview or hires, then what?
I am not sure how these women's EI would be affected for rejecting interviews or job offers but psychologically, they are definitely being compelled to do something they might think base and immoral.
Also, the government's saying that it is not immoral coerces them to think that it is not. This would increase the pressure on women to think it a normal thing just as people in the west are often under peer pressure for having relations they might not necessarily want.