Prostitution : The World 's Oldest Trade

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).

Another major consequence of legalizing prostitution becomes apparent when the legitimization of sex markets strengthen the criminal-enterprise of organized pimping (Poulin par. 19). Such bolstering, accompanied by a significant increase in sexual solicitation activities and human trafficking, brings with it the deterioration of these enslaved women (Poulin par. 19). Decriminalizing prostitution presents one of the root causes of sex-trafficking, to the extent that human trafficking promotes the delivery of people into slavery—a crime equally as old as civilization (Raymond par. 9). “Around the world, for those in desperate poverty, the false promise of a better life often draws victims into the control of criminals who then traffic and enslave them” (Bales par. 1). “Many victims of trafficking of persons begin their journey by consenting to be smuggled from one country to another. Because of this, the crimes ‘smuggling’ and ‘trafficking’ are often confused. Smuggling and trafficking both involve moving

“Prostitution isn 't inherently immoral, any more than running a company like Enron is inherently immoral. It 's how you do it that counts. And the reality is that it will happen anyway. It 's not called the world 's oldest profession for nothing. Why not make it, at the least, safe and productive?” -JEANNETTE ANGELL of A Wellness Perspective on Prostitution, Freedom, Religion, and More", Seek Wellness, Apr. 30, 2005. Prostitution, known as the world 's oldest profession, and it exists everywhere. In the event you leave the country, and go to a whole new country, there is a guarantee you would find prostitutes. People say that prostitution is wicked because it is a disgrace to society, and no one should go into that profession, because it can get the prostitutes into dangerous situations. One instance of this that no one takes into consideration, that the girls or guys are making money off of this. If they are making money, then they help the economy the same way anyone is at their job. Prostitution should be more considered as a legalized job. People will not stop, so why not take advantage, and make laws to help protect the men and women.

“Prostitution, often known as the world’s oldest profession, can be traced throughout recorded history,” (Lerner, 236). Prostitution has been a part of history since the beginning of human civilization. One of the first recorded mentions of prostitution was found in ancient Sumerian records from 2400BC listed among other professions such as doctor, scribe, etc. Many countries are in a constant debate over whether or not it is unconstitutional to make prostitution illegal. Currently there are around 80 countries in the world that have legalized prostitution and around 100 countries that have declared it illegal. Germany is one of the countries with the most widespread prostitution industry. Prostitution was declared legal in Germany as of 2002 and since

Prostitution is sometimes referred to as “the world’s oldest profession,” with the first record of its practice dates back to Ancient Near East civilizations. Despite its age-old existence, not until relatively recently that researches and studies have been conducted in an attempt to obtain a better understanding of and more liberal perspective on a taboo widely perceived as too degrading and immoral to even talk about. When writing about commercial sex in her book “Why Some Things Should Not Be for Sale,” Debra Satz challenges many of the bases on which society justifies its censure and outlawing of prostitution and its objectification and alienation of sex workers. She also criticizes the prohibition of prostitution, recognizes the core problems with sex selling, and suggests an alternative, possibly more effective, way in which prostitution should be addressed.

In his book Love For Sale, Nils Johan Ringdal wrote, “If nobody wants to sell sex, it is a crime to force anyone to do so. But when men or women do want to sell their bodies, they should have that full right without encountering punishment or discrimination.” Prostitution, often described as the world’s oldest profession is a legitimate criminal offence in 109 countries of the world today (“Human Trafficking Statistics”). Laws on prostitution vary considerably from country to country: in some countries it is punishable by death penalty ("Iran - Facts on Trafficking”), in some it is a crime punishable by prison sentence, while in other jurisdictions, it is a lesser administrative offense punishable only with a fine ("The Sentencing 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

Prostitution is considered the world’s “oldest occupation” in history; and yet, there is little to no work done exploring the lifestyles of prostitutes since it is such a controversial role. However, Pasolini embraced the controversy and produced movies about the day in the life of pimps and prostitutes. He explores the dynamics between pimps, prostitutes, and the rest of civilization whom are not part of this risqué subculture. He also has the ability to shed a new light on this occupation and the people who run in the same circle with a nostalgia of the way things used to be instead of the way that things are headed. Pasolini shows the life of the prostitutes and pimps in his movies in order to express his disdain and ill- feelings

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

“There is no clear boundary” between voluntary and involuntary prostitution says Janice Raymond of the University of Massachusetts.(341) Prostitution as the society knows the women that sell themselves on the street as, is presented as a debate around the world, whether it be legalized or not. In the article “Decriminalizing Prostitution” Sarah Glazer reports on the views people have towards prostitution in their cities. Many people have different opinions on this debate such as woman should not be allowed to sell themselves on the street for money because it is bad for the community and cause the woman to be harmed by strangers looking for a good time. Others argue against that opinion. Many people have different views on this topic for various reasons whether it be because they were involved in prostitution or seen prostitutes first hand.

Prostitution is considered as the oldest profession on Earth. Sexual service in return for payment is called prostitution. Prostitution is a big issue effecting women, men, and children all over the world. This is a world-wide controversy and it is something that people are not comfortable talking about. The question is whether people who are involved in the sex industry are willing or are forced to do it. Our society has different points of view on this issue. Some people agree and want to legalize it; some people are strictly against it. Either way throughout our society people look at the work in sex industry as degrading work.

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, 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 seen 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). Also, prostitution 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 many different types of prostitutes and different ways to exchange sexual services for payment. An example of a type of prostitute is brothel workers; brothel workers work in “a house of prostitution,” a brothel, which are normally in areas where prostitution is not criminalized (Hock 560). Like prostitution, human trafficking has been around for thousands of years and is still present today.

Prostitution is the act of engaging in sexual activity for financial gain. It is described as one of the oldest profession and one of the most controversial issues in the modern society. In the ancient world, prostitution was allowed as part of religious traditions in some cultures such as Greek where prostitutes were dedicated to gods. Today prostitution has become more open, and some countries such as Bulgaria and Netherlands have legalized the practice. In the recent past, ethics of prostitution have been debated with many people claiming that it is morally wrong. However, like all other controversial practices, prostitution has continued to thrive in the society as evidenced by recent headlines. In this paper, I will argue that prostitution is not morally permissible despite being around for thousands of years. Prostitution is an immoral transaction that has brought many negative impacts such as community policy issues, health issues, and religious issues.

Prostitution has frequently been touted as the world's oldest profession, for the simple fact that it has been prevalent in society for quite some time. In order to properly discuss the many social ramifications of this particular crime and possible ways for dealing with them, it is first necessary to define prostitution and to explore the reason why it is a crime. Prostitution is the exchange of money or monetary assets for sexual favors and pleasure. It is the paying for sex in all of its myriad facets, from conventional coitus to a number of lewd and arcane acts from which people derive pleasure. Prostitution is part of the sex industry, which includes legal business such as strip clubs (Weitzer 7). There are a couple of different reasons as to why exchanging money for sex is deemed illegal. One principle reason is that if it were legalized, it would be exceedingly difficult for the government to tax and to capitalize off it, which is one of the reasons in which marijuana is widely considered illegal. More importantly, however, prostitution is illegal because it promotes the objectification of women and their bodies, and inherently reduces the degree of parity between men and women in which the latter are viewed as things simply for the fulfillment of men's sexual desires. Additionally, there are a variety of noxious activities that accompany prostitution such as trafficking in which the will of another is subjected to someone else's.