This article is the subject of a complaint from Dr Pletsas

It used to be that central and eastern European women dominated Greece’s prostitution industry, but six years of crippling financial austerity have forced local women back into a trade where they now offer some of the lowest prices on the Continent.

The grim competition for business has led to cash-strapped young girls and students slashing prices, and even offering sexual encounters in exchange for something to eat.

“Some women just do it for a cheese pie, or a sandwich they need to eat because they are hungry,” said Gregory Lazos, a professor of sociology at Panteion University in Athens, which has compiled data on more than 17,000 sex workers operating nationwide. “Others [do it]