This book is the culmination of over 20 years research and writing on different aspects of prostitution. Over this period the nature of prostitution and the associated debates have changed significantly. In the UK there was a limited interest in this issue until the late 1980s when prostitution was identi- fied as a source of HIV transmission. Over the last two decades, however, the issue of prostitution has risen up the social and political agenda. The first chapter of this book outlines the main developments which have occurred nationally and internationally and have thereby influenced how the issue has been conceived and responded to.