Prostitution : The Oldest Profession On Earth

Prostitution, sometimes referred to as “the world’s oldest profession” (Henslin, pg. 54), is defined by James M. Henslin as “the renting of one’s body for sexual purposes” (pg. 54). This arrangement, though illegal and socially deviant in most parts of the world, exists universally in many different forms (pg. 54). As a matter of fact, types of prostitutes range greatly in variety from call girls – who are said to be “the elite of prostitutes” (pg. 58), to streetwalkers – “who have the lowest status among prostitutes” (pg. 58), to sugar babies -young, physically attractive women who provide “rich, older men” (Kitchener, par.4) “…with attention (and sex) in exchange for the finer things in life” (par. 4).

Governments of Western nations are trying to change the appearance and the way prostitution is managed, little consensus exists but new laws are being adopted some met with fierce criticism. Prostitution is the sale of sexual services of oneself for money or goods and without

Prostitution is said to be “the world’s oldest profession” (Ramchandran par. 1). The Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines prostitution as “the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money” (“Prostitution” par. 1). Many people argue that prostitution should be legalized, but it hurts people more than it helps. Legalization of prostitution condones sexual behavior for profit. Not to mention, the increased risk of illness or infection via sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), or death. It also does not “enhance women’s choices” (Raymond par. 45). This means that whether

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

Prostitution, also known as commercial sex or solicitation, is the business of preforming sexual activities in exchange for monetary compensation. Prostitution can be seen in many different outlets, from brothels and streetwalkers, to top of the line escort or call-girl services. Prostitution laws make it a crime to suggest, consent, or participate in a sexual act for the benefit of receiving payment (FindLaw, 2016). Prostitution is one of the first known female occupations and appears as early 2400 B.C.

To start off, although many people are aware that Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections are real most of them forget about the protection needed against any. The women and men involved in prostitution do not get to worry about that kind of protection. The health risks involved are brutal and dangerous. “Sex-work communities around the world are in dire need of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services” (Doyle 1). It is not unheard of that, the current prostitution rings do not care about these diseases, in fact “a meeting of sex workers held at the International AIDS Conference heard that the criminalization of the profession was fueling secretive transactions and unsafe sex practices, putting people at risk of HIV and

Prostitution has been known of for thousands of years. The term derives from the Latin “ prostituere” which means “to cause to stand in front of”. Today, prostitution can be defined as granting non marital sexual access for remuneration, under terms established by mutual agreement of prostitutes, their clients and their employers. According to the Uniform Crime Report about 60,000 prostitution arrests are being made annually. In some nations prostitution is legal while other nations punish prostitution with the death penalty (Siegel, 2014, p. 361). However, prostitution can also be forced. Many women are forced to enter the sex trade, therefore, to put an end to international sex trade, men who hire prostitutes should be punished very severely.

The police corruption that accompanies prostitution criminalization further drives women into submission when their attackers are the authorities who can arrest them at any moment for their profession. Furthermore, the murder rate for prostitutes was 18 times higher than non-prostitutes under Colorado’s criminalization policy from 1967-1999, so criminalization does little to protect the safety of prostitutes (Mathieson 377). This, combined with the fact that criminalizing sex work results in inadequate healthcare for prostitutes and therefore higher risks of untreated STDs in the profession, indicates that criminalization would be detrimental to the physical health and safety of people in the sex trade. The legalization and regulation of prostitution, however, may be more effective in preventing the spread of STDs. If all prostitutes are required to pass an STD screening test to get their prostitution license, it could significantly reduce the spread of diseases within the industry; however, the existing legalization regimes in the Netherlands and

Often times referred to as the “World’s Oldest Profession”, prostitution can be dated back to the Sumerian records which displayed it as a typical woman's profession. Up until the nineteenth century any woman who stepped outside of social boundaries, such as owning property or walking alone in public was basically considered a whore. Though originally the act of prostitution was legal in the United States, the main influence that drove it down was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union which later led to the White-Slave Traffic Act. The Act, passed on June 25, 1910, made it a crime to transport a woman across state lines for "immoral" purposes. Today each state has it’s own penalties for the prostitute, the customer, the pimp, and the brothel

Many individuals neglect to recognize how damaging prostitution is, both to the public and the prostitutes themselves. Sex work is not just an odd job that provides easy money, it also offers lifelong repercussions. Health is the most evident concern when it comes to prostitution. In a 2-year study, a group of 117 prostitutes recruited at a clinic were tested to study the prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Well over half of the women reported that they had more than 2000 sexual partners within the last five years. Consequently, among all of the prostitutes in this study, 30 percent of the women had signs of HIV, and over 80 percent of the prostitutes had some form of STD during this time

When it comes to the topic of legalizing prostitution, most of us will readily agree that it should be legalized. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of legalizing prostitution lowering the percentage of STD’s (Sexually Transmitted Diseases). Whereas some are convinced that it will in fact help regulate the spread of STD’s, others maintain that legalizing prostitution will not play a role in slowing down the spread of STD’s.

Prostitution is considered to be one of the world’s oldest professions. Prostitution is the occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. Humans have been exchanging sex and money for thousands of years and it is something that persists today. In SuperFreakonomics Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner explain that prostitution emerged due to the sexual desire of men. Men wanted more sex than they were able to receive for free. This created a market in which they were willing to pay for sex, and women, for the right price, were willing to satisfy that need (Levitt & Dubner 23). Today it is a controversial issue because in the United States it is not legal, however in the state Nevada it

Prostitution has been an issue for centuries, and has become a major debate in many countries today. Prostitution has been called the oldest profession, but the views on prostitutes have changed over the years. Some countries protect prostitutes while other countries criminalize them. In America, prostitution is still illegal except for some regions in Nevada, but in 2003 New Zealand voted to legalize prostitution throughout their country. This has led to many different health, social, and economical effects in America and New Zealand. Prostitution has affected the spread of STDs, violence, and government cost in these countries. In this paper I will discuss how criminalizing and decriminalizing can affect a country 's health, social and

Prostitution is defined as the act of “providing or receiving sexual acts, between a prostitute and a client, in exchange for money or some other form of remuneration” (Hock 557). The idea of exchanging sex for valuables has been around since the beginning of human society. The first reported data about prostitution was reported around 3000 B.C.E in one of the first known civilizations, Mesopotamia (Caraboi and Fierbinteanu 362). It is often referred to as “the world’s oldest profession.” Today, even though prostitution is illegal in most parts of the world, it is still prevalent worldwide with different ways to exchange sexual services for payment and many different types of prostitutes. One of these types of prostitutes are brothel workers; brothel workers work in “a house of prostitution,” a brothel, which are normally in areas where prostitution is not criminalized or is legalized (Hock 560). Like prostitution, human trafficking has been around for thousands of years and is still present today.

Prostitution is known as “the world’s oldest profession.” It has been in practice since the beginning of time; whether it be legally or illegally. Prostitutes-typically women- are either accepted or shunned depending on the society they live in (Jenkins). At a point in time in Southern India, the Devadasi culture required girls to become prostitutes when they reached their puberty years in order to gather dowry money until it was outlawed in 1988 (Kelly). Despite the potential risks that prostitution has, it is still advocated in the twenty-first century. In the United States, prostitution is illegal everywhere other than ten counties in Nevada. “The most infamous brothel,” called The Mustang Ranch, resides in Sparks, Nevada (Nevada’s). Prostitution may reduce poverty; however, due to the increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, abuse against women, and human trafficking, The Mustang Ranch should be shut down and prostitution must be outlawed in those ten counties.