If Prostitution became a legal profession the rate of STD’S throughout the business would decrease significantly. “Researchers at the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, presented a new paper in which they studied HIV among female sex workers in Canada, India and Kenya. They found that infections could be reduced by 33 to 46 percent in those countries if prostitution were made legal… Because prostitutes fear getting caught by law enforcement, they rush the process along with clients and often don’t take the time to discuss protecting against STDs (Goldberg)”. If prostitution remains illegal then, prostitutes and/or sex workers will be less likely to contact the police in an emergency. However, if legal sex workers will …show more content…
Legalizing prostitution would likely decrease AIDS, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Certain conditions would be encouraged to make the profession more comfortable and safer for most prostitutes. “‘The commission of global leaders and specialists, backed by the United Nations Development Program and Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, spent 18 months discussing sex work, drug use and laws criminalizing HIV status. Its report concluded that laws against prostitution should be repealed because they fail to protect women and instead drive at-risk people away from health care services. ‘Rather than punishing consenting adults involved in sex work, countries must ensure safe working conditions, and offer sex workers and their clients access to effective HIV and health services and commodities,’ said the commission’s report. It added that laws against all forms of child abuse and human sex trafficking still should be enforced (Wetzstein)”. Countries, or states will assist in the safety of prostitutes and sex …show more content…
“Since counties began legalizing prostitution in the early 1970s, they have been reaping an economic benefit from a variety of brothel-related revenue sources, including licensing fees, property tax, work card fees… In total the sources pump more than $10 million into county coffers annually… Kate Hausbeck, a sociologist at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, said that while historically the legalization of prostitution in Nevada was an economically driven endeavor, the economics no longer account for the continued existence of the brothel (Prostitution...Nevada’s)”. The “profession” has many benefits, as seen in Nevada where sex work has been allowed since August of 2013. Prostitution produces an annual income of over 186 billion dollars, worldwide. This consists of property tax, and licensing fees for licensed sex workers. Prostitution is seen by many as a career choice, or an alternative to unemployment. “Reportedly, there are men, women and transgender people who consider working in the sex industry as a viable choice of job… Some women even argue that prostitution gives them the chance to earn more and in a more flexible way. In the Netherlands, sex workers even visit schools to talk about their profession as a job alternative (Schulze)¨. Prostitution is a reliable and sturdy substitutes for unemployed adults. Sex trading also allows a more flexible schedule and pay grade than most other occupations. “While
Prostitution should be legalized because it could be regulated by the government. Legalization can reduce the risk of STD’s (Devdariani). By regulating prostitution, prostitutes can be required to get tested and can also make sure that they aren’t working while infected. There are multiple cases where this has worked. In Amsterdam, where prostitution is legal, there are health services that specialize in informing prostitutes about a free or low-cost clinic for STD’s (Amsterdam Prostitution). This is just one example of how legalizing prostitution can help regulate the spread of STD’s
Prostitution flourishes in territories that have a high crime rate, along these lines, cops and courts are overburdened with these cases, having next to zero effect on prostitution. The sex workers and their clients pay their fines and are back to the boulevards right away in a rotating door process. Law enforcement is occupied with adding prostitution to the rundown of things to shield us from, the genuine violations go unchecked and unchallenged. Not with standing if prostitution were legitimate, police would have less work attempting to dispose of prostitution and additional time shielding people from far more heinous crimes. "It is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year. The analysis seems to support that the rape rate could be lowered if prostitution was more readily available. This would be accomplished in most countries by its legalization (Sexual Violence Such as Rape)."
This will also make it easier for people involved in prostitution to seek out for help without being criminalized. In addition to legalizing prostitution to address the spread of STIs, it is important to
With no government control or regulation, work-place violence, harassment, and medical care are not monitored or concerned, even though this line of work is the most vulnerable to all three conditions. In fact, nearly seventy-five percent of sex-workers experience work-place violence. For this, “decriminalization could be the best means to protect the rights of sex workers and ensure that these individuals receive adequate medical care, legal assistance, and police protection” (Amnesty International). Along with Amnesty International, one of the most respected human rights organizations in the world, the World Health Organization, UN Women, Global Commission on HIV and the law, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society Foundations also support the decriminalization of prostitution in the United States. Criminalizing prostitution will not end prostitution. Instead, the only plausible solution is government regulation. With government support, clients can be tracked through credit cards and any violence or harassment will be able to be reported and taken care of, on a legal level. The sex-work industry also has alarming statistics involving STI’s and STD’s. The men who control the women, or the ‘pimps’, force the women to have oral, vaginal, and anal sex without any kind of contraception, if that is what the client prefers. The Porn Industry,
Although within legalizing prostitution, sexually transmitted would decrease dramatically, which also stated in the Legalizing Prostitution Would Protect Sex Workers from HIV article from NPR.org: the transmission of HIV among female sex workers would go down by at least a third, according to a paper presented at the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia (Brink). The main reason there is so much spread of such diseases is the fear of evidence; with the current laws people would rather not use protection and have a lower chance of evidence against them if caught for soliciting sex, hence the wide spread of HIV and STDs. With the legalizion of sex work and prostitution there would be a higher use of protection and a halting in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases as well stated in the same article Legalizing Prostitution Would Protect Sex Workers from HIV from NPR.org: By decriminalizing prostitution and having safer environments, indoor environments, we could avert 33 percent to 46 percent of new HIV cases among sex workers over the next decade (Brink). In addition, the legalization of prostitution and sex work has been proven to decrease crime rates such as rape and physical abuse such as displayed in Mexico City and the Netherlands. It is logical that instead of
People may not believe that there is a positive outcome of prostitution when first thought of. In fact, there are multiple ways that prostitution can benefit the sex workers, society, and even the economy. A quantitative and qualitative study was made by Lutnik and Cohan in San Francisco on prostitutes in the area. Although the sex workers that were interviewed are not part of the Canadian society, the United States is also part of the Western Civilization and the results reflect those of Canada as well. In the study, women spoke about the beneficial factors of having “police protection, the ability to build community with other sex worker, and obtaining rights as workers” upon the legalization of prostitution (Lutnik and Cohan, 2009: 41). Overall, the prostitutes that were surveyed preferred the “removal of statutes that criminalize sex work in order to facilitate a social and political environment where they had legal rights and could seek help when they are victims of violence.” (Lutnik and Cohan, 2009: 39). This research provides evidence that majority of people in the sex worker industry would like to feel safer as they are working as every person is entitles to feel safe when they go to work. Considering the health of the sex workers, a study was presented at the International AIDS Conference in Australia which showed results of the transmittal of HIV/AIDS among sex workers would decrease by 33-46% if prostitution is either legalized, or at least decriminalized (Listland, 2014). Another factor that is considered regarding sex workers and the legalization is the diminishing of violence and sex crimes. In the same research study conducted by Lutnik and Cohan, it was found that 91% of prostitutes desired laws that protected their rights in specific, and they also wanted more police protection, create safe houses, and would be safest under a regulated system (Lutnik and Cohan, 2009: 41, 43). Lastly, a
It is rather odd to think that prostitution, which is considered to be the world’s oldest profession, would be illegal and harmful in nature. The issue of legalizing prostitution has entered public conversation around the world, which is severely divided. Many, like myself, consider prostitution to be a victimless crime. Despite such opposition to legalizing prostitution, many argue that legalizing it would result in decreased morality issues, increase the economic activity in the United States, and help decrease the number of sexually transmitted diseases among both prostitutes and those who patronize them,
Prostitution has been around as long as human beings have engaged in sexual activities, and it is even touted as the world’s oldest profession. Despite these proclamations, the subject of prostitution continues to spark controversy in the United States in moderns times as it is a hot debate topic. Off and on, throughout the years, various states around the country have proposed that the practice should be decriminalized; however, it remains illegal nationwide, except for a few counties in Nevada. The reasons for this stem from both sides of the argument, as anti-prostitution advocates claim decriminalization of prostitution is immoral and sexually exploitative, while pro-prostitution advocates want to keep the government out of the bedrooms of consenting adults. No matter the stance for or against prostitution, the current legal construction surrounding it is undeniably harmful. Regardless of the arguments against prostitutes, it is time to decriminalize the laws against this practice to protect the rights of sex workers.
Basically, if the supply of legalized sex is increased then the demand of other criminal sexual acts decreases. Decriminalization would also likely decrease the rate of STDs in society given the emphasis the industry places on the health and safe sex standards of the institute and reduction in unsafe sex incidents e.g. sexual assaults/rape. A study where prostitution was legalised within Rhode Island saw a decrease of approximately 2000 cases of gonorrhoea during the seven years indoor prostitution was decriminalized (Shah, 2008). Furthermore, a miniscule amount of STDs are actually contracted as a result of the prostitution. For example, in the state of Nevada, “[p]rostitutes are required to be tested weekly for STDs and monthly for HIV and syphilis. Since 1988, condoms became mandatory for oral sex and intercourse with all sex workers. Brothel owners are liable if a customer becomes infected with HIV after visiting one of their prostitutes. Since 1986, no full-time commercial sex worker has been tested positive for HIV” (Giang
The sex industry is highly divided between those who call themselves “sex workers”, and former prostitutes who call themselves “survivors” (Glazer 340). Women should have the right to choose what they do for a living, including prostitution. The criminalization of prostitution does more harm than good when often women are left unprotected, both socially and legally, and therefore, the United States should make efforts to decriminalize and regulate prostitution instead.
Since time began, women have been selling sex through prostitution, men have been buying it, and society has been debating the legitimacy of the oldest profession in the world. The prevalence of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases have cast a new light on the old moral and victimless crime arguments against and for legalization of prostitution throughout the United States. There are convincing arguments on both sides of this issue, points on both sides that cannot be ignored. However, when all is said and done, it is those who argue for the legalization of prostitution who are most convincing.
Prostitution and human trafficking are taking place all over the world despite the legal restrictions put upon them. According to Ronald Weitzer, “The sex industry refers to the workers, managers, owners, agencies, clubs, trade associations, and marketing involved in sexual commerce, both legal and illegal varieties” (1). There are many questions that arise when discussing the sex industry. Should prostitution be legalized? If it were to be legalized, would anything change? Is prostitution morally acceptable? What is being done to stop human trafficking? There is not one correct answer for any these questions, but each question can be analyzed by scholars who have different opinions on the issue. Prostitution should be legal while
Prostitution has long been known as, “the world’s oldest profession”. Some countries in Europe have even it a set further and made it a legal profession. The Netherlands and Germany are typically the most commonly known areas of the world with legal prostitution. In America we have taken steps in the direction of legalizing behaviors that do not fit with social norms with the legalization of marijuana in select states. This paper aims to explain the downside of legalizing prostitution. I will explain the arguments against legalizing prostitution and why taking it off the street and turning it into a profession would not be of any benefit. Decriminalizing brothels, pimps, and customers was the approach that Sweden and Denmark took while other
As the policies currently stand in the US, no health requirements for prostitutes are in place and this damages public health. The justice system assumes that deterring people from participating in prostitution will prevent the spread of sexual transmitted diseases but this is not the case and has not always been the argument against prostitution. In an article called “Why is Prostitution Criminalized? An Alternative Viewpoint on the Construction of Sex Work,” by Rebecca Hayes-Smith and Zahar Sherkarkhar, researches argue that before the nineteenth century the debate was based on moral grounds, but after the nineteenth century it was shifted to the medical issues. It is especially interesting that, “At the time doctors urged the government to regulate and license prostitution so that prostitutes would be required to take medical exams,” because medical professionals were only wanting exams while the government pushed that illegalization was the only way to prevent the spread of STDs (Smith and Sherkarkahr 45). Nonetheless, protecting prostitutes and clients from STDs is a big concern in all countries but illegalization is not the way to protect the public. In an article “What to know about Nevada’s legal brothels,” by Michael Martinez, he discusses the different health regulations that brothels in Nevada abide by. It is noted that, “The state board of health requires sex workers to undergo testing for sexually transmitted infections. Monthly blood testing is
One of the oldest known jobs in history is Prostitution, otherwise known as the sex labor industry. It is a major part of our society as an illegitimate source of income and employment. The prohibition of Prostitution creates a larger number of issues in society. Before, prostitution was a more individual decision, where countless women picked it as a last resort in emergencies; whereas now these women are coerced into the industry and experience abuse, murder, etc. The involvement and trauma prostitutes experience results in mental disorders. Furthermore, I investigate how the prohibition of prostitution has greater drawbacks on our society and introduce three policies that may help resolve the social issue within sex workers. Some policies I believe will provide the most benefits are first, the legalization of prostitution, second, enforcing and strengthening the law enforcement for human trafficking, and third, development of availability of medical resources.