Social Effects Of 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 illegal in the United States and the laws keeping it illegal are causing more problems than they are solving. Because there are no regulations or laws protecting sex workers in the United States, and everything is run underground, there is nothing stopping the mistreatment and abuse of sex workers in the United States. The only way to protect sex workers is to legalize prostitution. In the following paper, I will attempt to prove that prostitution is a victimless crime and the laws against prostitution are hurting prostitutes more than they are helping them. If we want prostitutes to remain safe while earning a living, the only way to achieve this is to legalize prostitution.

Prostitution is a profession that has been around for centuries and has a majority of negative stigmas toward it. People of different genders and sexual practices have found jobs within this industry. They face problems within their line of work due to many areas having this profession marked as illegal. These legal restrictions breed further problems for sex workers ranging from health problems, work environment dangers, and tough economic situations. The idea of legalizing prostitution within the United States has been pitched as a solution to these problems. The negatives ranged from all prostitutes being drug addicts or that legalization of this profession would create many more problems than it would solve. Further examination of the claims for and against the legalization of prostitution nationwide show that the pros of legalization outweigh the cons. If legalized nationwide the sex industry would solve many problems for sex workers and others within the country.

As a part of the legalization and support for prostitution, we need to clearly identify the definition of prostitution. The act of prostitution is defined as the willing participation in the use of sexual acts in exchange for compensation whether it was money or any other means of value gained from the use of the body of sexual pleasure. Prostitution is considered the world’s oldest profession that has been secretly practiced for centuries. Prostitution is not biased to gender or sexual orientation in any class. Prostitution is a multi-billion dollar industry that is very alive and visible according to law enforcement reports and arrest. Experts have determined that approximately 2 million prostitutes currently participate in the illegal sex industry for profit. Unfortunately, in the current state of illegal prostitution, people who

America’s perception of the sex industry is oddly backwards. We allow pornographic films and strippers, but we do not allow women to work in the sex industry. Women should be allowed to make their own decisions for the career or job they enjoy working. A law that prohibits them doing so is an example of taking away their fundamental rights. Moreover, this increases the risk of street prostitution that makes it more susceptible to diseases such as, HIV and AIDS (Sonntag, 2009). It is essential that if prostitutes are allowed to work, there should be management and responsibilities, but prostitutes should have their own freedom of

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.

Abstract: There has been a long drawn out debate on if the United States should decriminalize or criminalize prostitution. On one end of the spectrum, citizens believe that prostitution is harmful and should be considered a crime, while others believe that incriminating commercial sex workers are a violation of human rights. The pro- human rights side argues that prostitution is defined as adults exchanging time and services for money, as any other day to day employment agreements. Half of the prostitutes in the United States are criminalized, ignored, and abused; which been impacted by the way American has put sex work in a negative category. This is the main reason as to why women who are in the profession, are mistreated and violated

“I originally intended to write in defense of legalizing prostitution, but hindsight has made me realize that I cannot defend a profession that dehumanizes its workers.” Tlatenchi, Fredy. "Prostitution Should Not Be Legalized." The Sundial. N.p., 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 07 Sept. 2015. The statement above would lead the author’s readers to believe that prostitution if legal would be no different than it is now, shameful, dangerous, disease ridden and exploitation filled. Prostitution has been around for some time, given it is referred to as the world’s oldest profession. Why is it then, if still illegal, do so many continue their sex work? Desperation? Empowerment? Force? Lack of a moral compass? In

The public health issues that the legalization of prostitution seeks to address are those faced by the sex workers themselves. These issues include: higher prevalences of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (compared to the general population), limited accessibility to health services, sex trafficking, workplace violence, and poverty. Sex workers are at a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections due to a lack of education regarding safe sex, condom use, and access to health care services for testing (1). Criminalization can discourage sex workers from actively seeking education and access to health care services due to fears of arrest or harsh judgement (1). Moreover, criminalization does not eradicate prostitution, but rather forces it to be done in underhanded ways, hence encouraging the elusive recruitment of unwilling participants into the sex industry (3). With the government only targeting those openly involved in sex work, the focus is shifted away from eliminating sex trafficking (1). In addition, the criminalization of prostitution forces the act to be done in areas away from the public. As a result, sex workers are at a higher risk of violence and death at the hand of their customers (1). They are also less likely to report

The laws regarding prostitution, often called “the oldest profession in the world”, have been facing changes for many years. They are multiple attitudes regarding prostitution and opinions on the connotation this word should have but the idea people have of sex worker is usually negative. On a legal matter sex work has been discussed many time and laws regarding this act varies around the world. Some countries found this act immoral and think that it should not be accepted on some ethical and legal concepts while other countries accepts it not only on a legal manner but also as a way of making a living for those who decided for themselves that this is what they want to do. A lot of questions regarding the decision we should make about the legal aspect of this work are in relation to the impact it can have on the society and on the workers itself. Four different views approach this subject; the criminalization of the act, the abolition of the act, the decriminalization of the act or the legalization of it. (p.44 why is prostitution criminalized?) Criminalization is the one presently established in the US. It means that all parties involved in the act are open to criminal punishment. The abolitionist approach is not to punish the sex worker but punishing only third parties. Decriminalization means that the act is not longer subject to legal consequences and their work is consider an independent business. For the legalization the

We will look deeper into those who fight for what they believe are moral standards for societies and their claims. Throughout this essay, I will argue for the positive impacts of a fully decriminalized, thus, regulated sex work has on society as a whole, and protects women, children, and saves the government millions of dollars- money that can be utilized to fight sex trafficking and child exploitation. We will examine the links between the US Government and trafficking statistics, and the assertions made by strange bedfellows, the Feminist abolitionists and Right Wing moral crusaders who have combined both trafficking and prostitution before Congress and in media. Fighting sex trafficking and the prohibition of consensual prostitution with draconian laws have become the renewed White Slavery movement in America. I will examine certain statutes that can stop penalizing sex work, reduce organized crime and reduce rape and violence toward women, sexually transmitted infections, and give quantitative evidence for legalizing sex work, for both receivers and sellers.

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

Becoming a prostitute comes with many different obstacles. Being a prostitute damages you mentally and physically. Mentally it could affect how someone feels about themselves. According to Tahlia Perry in her article Prostitution: A Problem of Equality, Dignity and Integrity prostituted women experience feelings of numbness, shock, fear, loss of control, nightmares, depression, anger, desensitization, shame and guilt (Perry). All these problems could cause a life time of daily problems and how one reacts to social interaction. With saying that mental illness could cause dissociation which occurs during extreme stress among prisoners of war who are tortured, among children who are sexually assaulted, and among women who are battered, raped, or prostituted also dissociation, depression, and other mood disorders are common among prostituted women in street, escort, and strip club prostitution according to Melissa Farley, PhD, Founding Director of the Prostitution Research and Education (Farley). With all the side effects from being a prostitutes it could cause addiction. According to Janice G. Raymond crack cocaine and alcohol were used most frequently during prostitution (Raymond). With all the mental tolls a prostitute could go through it could push them to their furthest limit. Women in prostitution are also at special risk for self-mutilation, suicide and homicide as stated

One of the oldest legal debates comes from one of the world's oldest profession, prostitution, there is no denying that the sex industry has taken international dimensions and is recognized as an economic motor for many countries. As countries around the world debate the merits of legalizing or at least decriminalizing prostitution. The following questions should be addressed. Would legalization reduce some of the inequalities and abuse suffered by the women involved? On the other hand, by legitimizing prostitution, would society reverse decades of work to promote human rights and improve the status of women? On the surface, this looks like a rehashing of a timeless debate. However, it is not. The question is no longer about

Prostitution has been a part of our world's culture since the beginning of time, and is the world's oldest profession. Ever since the beginning of time man has felt the need to pay for services of a sexual nature, whether are legal or not. In our culture; however, prostitution has become a topic of debate concerning the merits of this profession's legality. In viewing the legalization of prostitution one must take into account all the pros and cons of the situation, but more importantly what is currently being done to rid society of the problem of prostitution as well as the lack of effect of these so call solutions. One must ask one's self if outlawing prostitution, as a profession is the most effective or worthwhile way to deal with the