A Melbourne-based website that bills itself as a haven of free expression has been labelled a breeding ground for misogyny, where users freely demean sex workers and discuss violence against women, sexual coercion and targeting teenagers.

The Punter Planet website has been operating for 15 years and offers a nationwide directory of brothels, escort agencies, independent sex workers and massage venues, and a forum where users can anonymously review sex workers.

“The things they write are vile, they’re disgusting, they’re really graphic,” sex worker Dallas Rayne said. “They’ve got topics and threads like how to get unprotected unsafe sex, how to coerce a younger or inexperienced worker … They’ve got threads on targeting teens.”

Rayne said posts also discussed graphic sexual violence and d

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