Prostitution is the oldest "e; profession"e; in the world- that' s what they say. According to Havocsope, total prostitution revenue is $186 billion worldwide, with 40-42 million women prostituted. The number itself is staggering, but the reality is hard to grasp with the statistics only. Bomnal' s memoir Once You Cross a Street, You' re on the Edge of a Cliff is a personal record of her twenty years in prostitution and a firsthand report of the industry people call "e; sex trade"e; with a clear statement that prostitution is not a profession, but oppression. Bomnal' s personal history starkly presents a larger picture of the prostitution industry: how the pimps trap women with "e; advance payments"e; ; the physical and sexual abuse of the "e; clients"e; ; and the close relationship between the police and brothels. This system built upon the exploitation of women makes it so easy for women to take a step into the industry and much harder to seek escape from it. At this point, the boundary between "e; forced"e; versus "e; voluntary"e; prostitution is pointless- all it takes is one misstep.