Wives of Australia’s soldiers were horrified by a recent article posted to the country’s defense forces website proposing that prostitutes be sent to comfort Aussie troops who have been deployed overseas.
The idea was floated by Australian Army Capt. Sally Williamson who posted the plan to the Australian Defence Force website in an essay entitled, “Sex and War – A Conversation Army Has To Have.”
In her essay, Capt. Williamson thought it would be advisable to “contract Australian male and female sex workers to service troops in forward operating bases and air bases,” the New York Postreported.
Williamson added that sending sex workers to the troops could ease the “loneliness or prolonged absence from family, friends, partners and spouse” that soldiers feel while deployed. Williamson also felt it might help relieve symptoms of PTSD saying, “Improved intimacy and sexual interaction can help combat veterans with PTSD recovery.”
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“Opinions on the subject will undoubtedly vary, but the conversation about sexual activism and regulation on deployment is worth having,” the captain currently serving in the Middle East insisted. Williamson is serving as part of Operation Paladin, a UN operation supervising operations in the countries of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Sex work may be legal — if highly regulated — in Australia, but, despite that, the wives of the country’s soldiers were not amused by the proposal. The backlash was immediate and loud, so much so that the Australian Defence Force removed the essay from its website and apologized.
One wife noted that the article made her feel worthless.