Patron Saint of Prostitutes: Josephine Butler and a Victorian Scandal

by Helen Mathers

The charismatic campaigner who fought Victorian exploitation of vulnerable women, and the state organization of prostitution The "steel rape" of women is a scandal that is almost forgotten today. In Victorian England, police forces were granted powers to force any woman they suspected of being a "common prostitute" to undergo compulsory medical examinations. Women who refused to submit willingly, some as young as 13, could be arrested and incarcerated. The scandal was exposed by Josephine Butler, a beautiful, evangelical campaigner who did not rest until she had ended the violation and helped repeal the Act that governed it. She went on to campaign against child prostitution and the trafficking of frightened girls to government-planned brothels in India, and was instrumental in raising the age of consent from 13 to 16. She challenged taboos and conventions in order to campaign for the rights of women. Her story is compelling and unforgettable.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Feminism, Historical, Christian, Victorian

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2014

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable biography of a remarkable woman. Mathers writes clearly and engagingly--I really enjoyed reading this biography--and gives a clear picture of Butler's movements (physically, mentally, emotionally) and her social circle. Butler spent most of her adult life campaigning against the Contagious Disease Acts, which legalized "steel rape" (invasive "exams" of women suspected of prostitution) in a misguided attempt at curbing STDs. These Acts, as Butler emphasized repeatedly, were not only cruel and unjust for women's bodies, but also unfairly punished women for prostitution, since men faced little to no repercussions (and certainly no exams!) for their part, either in making prostitution a means of earning money or for spreading disease.

Butler campaigned all over England and Europe, turned her attentions toward India at the end of her life, and also advocated for raising the age of consent, which was 12. She also spent considerable time researching and campaigning against human trafficking in Europe. Much of the state-sponsored brothel industry (across all European countries) lasted into the twentieth century, largely as a way to "entertain" soldiers and ensure their health (though the ignorant, one-sided methods had little effect on slowing the spread of STDs). No wonder that Butler had such a hard road, when able-bodied soldiers were more important to the British Empire than the suffering of thousands upon thousands of women. (Makes you realize why institutions like the USO exist!)

I was amazed at Butler's attitude throughout her life. She faced considerable hardship in her work, but felt that the suffering of women was more important than her social comfort. Her eyes were wide open regarding views of women in Victorian society and all kinds of oppression they experienced. Even though she spent her life recording and sharing stories of the very darkest underbelly of Western culture, she retained her sense of humor and a deep spirituality. She wrote and spoke with startling power (and incredible productivity!) and her refusal to divide her work because of church affiliation is something we can all learn from. Butler partnered with everyone from Catholics to Quakers. She enjoyed a close and loving relationship with her husband, children, and extended family for her whole life, and their support was certainly a comfort to her.

Human trafficking is still very much an issue today, though thankfully the tide of public opinion has largely turned. Butler's fearlessness and tireless efforts, even through many illnesses, are inspiring as well as absorbing. I was particularly interested in her religious thought, and Mathers explored that when appropriate, though the focus of this biography is on politics and Butler's various organizations.

Highly recommended as a biography of an exemplary Victorian woman!

Content warnings: Mathers presents some eyewitness accounts of the "outrage" ("steel rape") and conditions in brothels. Being written by Victorians, euphemisms are used and only Mathers uses medical terminology. The Butlers suffered the extremely traumatic loss of their young daughter in a fall, and that scene is detailed. Stories of children in brothels that would put the Marquis de Sade to shame are also part of Butler's work. It's as bad as (or worse than) you can expect, but Mathers is not lurid about the details. I would not recommend reading about this within a few weeks of an OBGYN visit!

[Frrobins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most people have never heard of Josephine Butler, and that is a glaring omission from the history books. While we know a lot about the high Victorian standards for purity, the attempts to create a pool of prostitutes who were disease free for soldiers and other men is something that is less well known. The double standard regarding male and female sexual behavior is well known. I have often wondered where men who insist on pure wives and daughter but laugh off boys being boys expect these boys to find partners for their excesses, and after reading this the answer becomes horrifyingly obvious.

Naturally, the reason we don't know the name Jospehine Butler is because she did stand up for the rights of the most downtrodden of women and for their right to bodily autonomy. She fiercely extended this fight from England to continental Europe. While she was successful in those endeavors, as well as raising the age of consent, sadly, another cause she championed, ending sex trafficking, is a problem that has gotten worse with time.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was encouraged to read this book by attended one of Helen Mathers lectures on Josephine Butler at the Sheffield writing event in November 2015. This is such a powerful book. We were only taught about Josephine Butler in passing at school with no mention of her policy campaigns, which is really not surprising since she helped the type of women that not many people really cared about in Victorian Britain. She was one of the first women to campaign against child abuse and helped bring the legal consent of sex to 16. She was also a supporter against sexual trafficking in Europe. Since she was not a very healthy woman her determination and successes were amazing. There was a lot of references to Sheffield, which I found interesting. The descriptions of the treatment of prostitutes at the Lock Hospitals was quite horrifying and sickening. I'm glad I read the book it. It has taught me a lot about Victorian Britain and how life was like for a lot of poor women.

[SarahO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josephine Butler was a woman made for such a time as hers. Feeling a call by God on her life to fight for the prostitutes and endangered women, Butler put her all into the fight. It affected her health, mentally as well as physically, and at times her relationships but she made a difference. Her life was never easy and riddled with tragedies but her faith was strong. It is sad that such a women is forgotten by history. Josephine Butler inspired so many men and women of her time to action and we should bring out her story as inspiration for our time. Cause the fight is never over.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I read this book because Josephine Butler is one of those women that you really should know existed. Definitely a woman before her time... and yet, pretty much a woman of her time.

Sometimes the narration could get a bit dull, but I found her life so interesting that I was able to push that aside. One question that was never answered: How did she get so many of her friends and supporters to just give her money and horses and stuff? I get that she was doing good work and was a bit on the sickly side, but seriously! she really had it made in the free cash department.

[Morgan Reyelts · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like to learn about profound women of faith throughout history, you will enjoy this book! It is not historical fiction or a novel, but a history of her life, her work, and her faith. Josephine Butler was beyond her time theologically and had a lot of Biblical wisdom that many Christains were lacking at the time. Her dedication, her faith, her honesty, her bravery, it is all very inspiring. She stood up against a predominately male culture to fight against indecent treatment of women, unrighteous double standards of men and women, she was an advocate for stopping the abuse and trafficking that is part of the prostitution world, and she was a firm believer in equality of the sexes. Most definitely, she was a feminist of her time. What a fun and intriguing biography to read.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josephine Butler is my great-great-great grandmother. I am grateful for her hard work and sacrifice in the midst of her tragedies. Grateful that at a time when women were property, her father and husband did not keep her down. We all can learn a lot from this amazing woman. I wish she was mentioned in the history books.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on an incredible woman of strength and compassion. She was willing to go where few had gone before in order to love "the least of these". There were chapters that were hard to read because of what she uncovered. But her life is an inspiration.

[Stephen Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerfully written book about an extra-ordinary woman who fought all her life long for the rights of some of the most marginalised and abused women in society, not just in the UK but across the world. How can it be that Josephine Butler is not more widely known?! Highly recommended.

[Katie Moe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of historical biography I love! If anyone can recommend more like this to me with a real person's journals, letters, and life story, I would read a mountain of them!

[Savina King · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful woman and rightly so Thanks to people who care like this with passion the world is a better place