Should Prostitution Be A Victimless Crime?

Prostitution is, and has always been a topic of debate and great controversy in society. The definition and practice of prostitution has changed over time, as a result of social, moral and political influences. Sociologist Ronald Weitzer defines prostitution as, “The exchange of sexual services for material compensations” (Weitzer 2012, P: 3). Generally sex work takes place in many different places, which can include streets, parks, washrooms, brothels, hotels or private homes (Frontline Consulting, 2009 P: 5). That being said it is currently too difficult for the government to control or totally abolish prostitution. The topic of prostitution has always created room for controversy due to ethical, religious and traditional beliefs. As a result, women have become constant victims of public criticism and attack.

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).

Prostitution is the exchange of money for sex which enables the client direct access to sexual satisfaction through physical contact. In this essay, I shall argue that we should be morally opposed to prostitution. I shall analyse Laurie Shrage’s argument against prostitution. I shall then consider Igor Primoratz’s objections to these arguments and examine his account for why we should not be opposed to prostitution. I shall then explain why Shrage’s argument survives these objections and we should therefore be morally opposed to prostitution.

Prostitution is a controversial issue that has been around since the beginning of time and has recently became a major problem in today’s society. Prostitution is defined as the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. Prostitution is often times referred to as “the oldest profession in the business”. It is prohibited in several countries, the United States included, though in some countries it is accepted and is legal in many others. Today, prostitution is so controversial because of the number of youth involved in it. Those who oppose prostitution are against it because it endangers a big portion of women with diseases and can also be considered as a form of slavery. Due to the fact that prostitution increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, while also destroying the image of areas it has heavily polluted, along with the morality of the women involved in it, it is seen as a practice that needs to be done away with, or mandated by the government.

Prostitution is a subject whom many people today have vocal opinions about if it should be legalized and is it moral? Can you imagine how people felt about prostitutes in the 19th century? Today people think the worst possible things of a woman who prostitutes herself and a less rigid view of women’s sexuality exists now almost two centuries later than there was then. In 2011 men and women can have a different view of prostitution and distinctive ways to correct the problem. Men today as they did almost 200 years ago would like to see prostitution legalized and regulated. Women still see prostitution as they did a moral issue that needs reformed. The data suggests that few things have changed when it comes to the punishment and

For the purpose of this study, male prostitutes and sexual acts such pornography, stripping and erotic massage are excluded from the definition of prostitution. The terms ‘sex worker’ and ‘prostitute’ will be used interchangeably throughout the paper. The term ‘sex work’ was coined to circumvent the stigma that accompanies prostitution and to acknowledge that it generates income, like any other profession in our society.

In recent articles and news reports in the United States, many people are debating if Prostitution should be legalized or remain illegal. A lot of women are driven to prostitution to support their family or to satisfy their sex drive. There are a lot of comments made about prostitution on whether prostitution is considered a job or an sex offense to women. Many people don’t agree with Prostitution being considered a job because it is disrespectful to women, or some people see it as a way of support especially when they are the only family provider. But some people don’t understand that if Prostitution is Legalized that gives the sex industry a gateway to expand. In addition The United States Government should not legalize prostitution because

As established earlier, a victimless crime is defined as a legal offense in which all parties consent and no party is injured. I believe that this is a key thought to consider when discussing the legislation of prostitution, because surely an act should only be illegal if there are directly negative impacts caused it? If prostitution is in fact a ‘victimless crime’, does it even need to be considered a crime at all? A crime can be defined as an action which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law, why should prostitution constitute an offence if no one is harmed?

Prostitution, as stated by Flemming, is known as a form of sexual activity, a kind of sexual style or category, and a form of economic activity, a way of making a living through the provisions of certain services, by behaving in accordance with, or falling into such a category (39). This definition, though, is controversial. While conducting research for this project, we found that most topics regarding prostitution and its affiliates were controversial. Each author gave a differing interpretation for the same data. Due to this, our project centered on the female prostitutes, even though there is evidence of male prostitutes.

Prostitution is an act of engaging in sexual activities in exchange for immediate payment or financial gain. Prostitution is too described as a dangerous and exploitative institution relatively close to slavery. Recently, France and Germany have started to amend their prostitution laws to increase the possibility of risk for paying for sex. France following in the steps of Sweden have decided to switch their prostitution laws to the Swedish or also known as the Nordic model, where sex work is legal but paying for it is not. This essay will discuss why prostitution laws that criminalise sex buyers rather than sex workers should be implemented.

Rather than associating prostitution with violence and victims, one should think of human rights specifically, for if a person wanted to, they should be able to willingly offer their sexual services in exchange for money, (Davies, p.4). Yet, it is not possible since it is illegal to solicit sex in public, where it is obviously easier to find prostitutes, buy or sell sex, and to engage in prostitution repeatedly in the same place due to the fact that it would be considered a brothel by the law, (Davies, p.4). They not only have no legal means to work but then, therefore, have to resort to unsafe measures, (Davies, p.4). Sex workers use their bodies in order to provide for themselves and their families, their

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 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 is defined as “the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment.” It is commonly referred to in the media and among society as the “oldest profession in the book”. This is easily explained by the ancient references that are present in religious tales of the Old Testament in the bible to modern day “red light districts” across the United States. Prostitution and its legality have always stirred up a mixture of emotions across countries, cultures and populations. In different periods of time it has gone from being praised, to being prosecuted, to being tolerated in some areas or simply overall evading the social topic. Some of the proponents like Amnesty International, believe that the legalization of prostitution would decrease crime rate, and improve public health. The opponents however like the Christian Legal society, believe that sexually transmitted diseases, human trafficking and rape would increase.

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.