Riley Newton
April 15th, 2015
Government and Economics
Mike Franz
The Effects of Criminalizing Sex Work In The United States Sex work and prostitution has long been a taboo topic in many societies, and the United States is not exempt. It is viewed by many people outside of sex work as exploitive, degrading, morally wrong or questionable, and is criminalized in the United States. However, many people who hold these views, including government officials, either are misinformed about the effects of criminalization or simply do not know the extent of negative consequences. Areas of misinformation include the important distinction between sex work and sex trafficking, the safety of those involved in sex work, measures against the spread of
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Police do not have to be present or witness the sex act itself in order to make an arrest.
“Sex worker” is a label used to describe people who work within all trades of the sex industry, which is anything concerning the “exchange of sexual services for material compensation as well as the selling of erotic performances or products” (Weitzer 3). It is preferable to the term “prostitute” in that is is more inclusive to workers who don’t provide “full service” and does not have a history of being used as a degrading insult. People get into sex work for many reasons; while money is usually the biggest consideration, things like documentation or immigration status can also be important factors into someone’s decision (Incite National). The U.S. Government often fails to make distinction between sex work and sex trafficking. In a 2004 publication made by The State Department, ‘The Link Between Prostitution and Sex Trafficking,’ “[equates] trafficking and prostitution” (Weitzer 64).
The distinguishing factor between sex work and sex trafficking is consent; refusing to recognize that sex workers choose to engage in prostitution and that it is voluntary invalidates their voices and perpetuates violence against them while wasting resources that could actually go into helping victims of sex trafficking (Ditmore, Urban Justice Center). An excess of
Sex trafficking looks like the old dehumanizing slave exchange. It includes automatic bondage and is accordingly regularly alluded to as advanced slavery. It is the lack of uniformity in how trafficking is defined is frequently cited as a major problem for the development of data sources and comparative analysis (Laczko & Gramegna, 2003; Kangaspunta, 2003).
Four sections listed in the Criminal Code covers activities in relation to prostitution. Section 210 outlaws
Those opposing the legalization of prostitution believe that there are several reasons why the United States should not legalize the buying and selling of sexual acts. If prostitution were legal, sex trafficking in the United States would surge (Bruckert and Hannem 47). In order to avoid being taxed, entrepreneurs would simply kidnap girls and sell them into an underground trafficking system, making a business of their own (Perer 829). Children and teens would be abducted, forced to take drugs, and forced to prostitute themselves for the profit of their kidnapper (Bruckert and Hannem 47; Perer 829). Sex trafficking would be used to avoid the use of sexual protection. Johns will pay more for a girl who does not make them use a condom, and this alone could spark a new interest for sex trafficking (Perer 830). Sex trafficking is a horrible industry that most abducted girls never make it out of, and legalizing prostitution will only make it worse (Wagenaar and Altink 280).
Policies and laws fail to stop prostitution, and it will not stop. It is more costly to keep prostitution illegal. Prostitutes will be more vulnerable to getting criminal records, which then makes it harder for them in society, to obtain legal jobs. Also, with prostitution being illegal the workers may not be able to protect themselves from crimes against them. As prostitution is not legal, then they have to find discreet places to work, which usually is not in a safe environment. If some kind of crime against them did happen, they may feel that, they aren’t able to go to the police for help, as their work is illegal. It actually makes it harder on the worker, in turn making it harder for the client. There are all sorts of people who turn to prostitutes. From blue collar workers to high executives of companies, business owners and more. With prostitution being illegal, the clients are facing criminal charges as well. This does not only hurt the client, but communities as well. The author believes that people around the world have changed their older views and sexual norms to adapt to a more modern society. Brents, B.A., Jackson, C.A., & Hausbeck, K. (2010) concludes that prostitution is better being legalized than being criminalized (p.233). And with this change, people should reevaluate and learn from Nevada’s policies on prostitution being legal. While the author has shown many reasons why
Prostitution is considered one of the eldest and most nefarious professions throughout history. In fact Mary Magdalene, a figure of the bible who walked with Jesus, was considered a repentant prostitute. Whore, tramp, wench, jezzebel, ho, thot, are some of the nouns used to describe women who sleep with numerous men. But has anyone ever thought to describe them as victims? This paper will take a look at modern day slavery in California, as it pertains to human trafficking. I will attempt to explore who is being trafficked, how they are “groomed, and why prostitutes are victims of sex trafficking.
When looking for topics to research I wanted to do something that was a prominent problem in my hometown, which was Sex Trafficking (ST). Coming from Houston, Texas, Sex Trafficking has the 2nd largest home in Houston. The main highway I - 10 is the main road used to travel these victims to state lines to get them out of the country. A better definition of sex trafficking is when someone uses force, fraud or coercion to cause a commercial sex act with an adult or cause a minor to commit a commercial sex act. A commercial sex act is a list of things known as prostitution, pornography, and sexual performance done in exchange for any item of value, such as money, drugs, shelter, food, or clothes. In the United States alone 14,500 - 17,500 people are trafficked alone in the United States and 46% of it is from Texas. Most cases found on sex trafficking come from Women and Child, but there are a percentage of males that are trafficked, but because the act makes most feel degraded they refuse to report it. Also the effects it has on these victims is indescribable and many programs created and people there to help still can sometimes not get close to giving these victims the closure they need. This topic is important because it is a worldwide social issue that destroys not on the people physically taken and put into the trafficking but everyone that is involved in saving that person. When choosing these two articles,“Sex Trafficking: Policies, Programs,
The first chapter of this book details what Raymond believes to be the most dangerous myths surrounding sex work, or prostitution as she refers to it. The first point she makes is that “Prostitution is Inevitable.” She claims that this is “the most senseless argument in defense of maintaining the system of prostitution” (Raymond, 2013, p. 2). Raymond backs her claim by explaining that this idea stems from the patriarchy from a time when women were objects. Raymond then continues on to berate the mindsets that say that sex work cannot or should not be banned because the safety of the worker has to be taken into consideration. She compares the “harm reduction” mentality to the same mentality that tobacco industry claimed to be using filtered cigarettes.
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
The International Labor Organization estimated that there were 4.5 million victims trapped in forced sexual exploitation, or sex trafficking, globally. Most would believe that this is a problem that does not occur in the United States, but they would be wrong. In 2007 alone, 14,588 sex trafficking cases were reported in the United States and the problem is only getting worse. This research paper will discuss multiple topics such as the definition of sex trafficking, recruitment and those at risk, where it occurs, organizations, consequences, a healthcare provider’s role and a study on the attitudes of the public. The objective is to bring light to this problem and educate those who are reading (Polaris Project, 2016).
In parts of this country where legalization has not come about, violent crime accompanying prostitution, poor working conditions for prostitutes and STD’s ravage the sex work industry. Let’s examine first Hunts Point, Bronx in New York where sex work is illegal. HBO produced four documentaries detailing the stunning situation in Hunts Point. Hunts Point is a place where violent crime runs rampant with and sexually transmitted diseases affect nearly 33% of the population. The lack of public health and safety can be largely traced back to the darkness within which the expansive sex work industry operates. Because the industry functions in the darkness of illegality, regulations like decent pay and benefits for the prostitutes, protections against STD’s for the consumers and protections from violence over drug disputes that often
Currently, the FBI estimates 100,000 minors in America are victims of human sex trafficking. ABC News explained that “pimps target the most trusting or vulnerable teens to fill out their stable of working girls, often ignoring their ages.” Human trafficking is one of the worst human rights violations that involves transporting and selling people into forms of slavery, such as sex exploitation. The crime goes unnoticed, manifesting itself in places like massage parlors, illegal brothels, or fake modeling companies. However, the real way to fight human trafficking is through legalization of sex work. If law enforcement no longer occupied themselves with safe, registered sex work, they would have more time and resources devoted to stopping human trafficking. In addition, legalization would lead to more public awareness of the difference between sex work and human
Thesis: 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.
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
“Sex-Trafficking” is a very complex and layered phenomenon. Critically evaluate some possible explanations for it's continued prevalence and seeming invincibility to regulation and control.
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.