The Pros And Cons Of Sex Work

The safety of Nevada’s brothels is one of the main elements highlighted by Brents and other researchers. For instance, Brents found that 84% of the women that she interviewed felt safe. “Workers report that they felt safe largely because the police, employers and co-workers were there to protect them,” said Brents. Conversely, it’s important to note how much more dangerous the industry is in Las Vegas. Again, prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas, but there is a bit of a charade. It’s hard to believe that the city’s marketing campaign, “What

"Work–Life Management in Legal Prostitution: Stigma and Lockdown in Nevada’s Brothels." Human Relations, vol. 70, no. 6, June 2017, pp. 725-750. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0018726716674262.

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

With no government control or regulation, work-place violence, harassment, and medical care are not monitored or concerned, even though this line of work is the most vulnerable to all three conditions. In fact, nearly seventy-five percent of sex-workers experience work-place violence. For this, “decriminalization could be the best means to protect the rights of sex workers and ensure that these individuals receive adequate medical care, legal assistance, and police protection” (Amnesty International). Along with Amnesty International, one of the most respected human rights organizations in the world, the World Health Organization, UN Women, Global Commission on HIV and the law, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society Foundations also support the decriminalization of prostitution in the United States. Criminalizing prostitution will not end prostitution. Instead, the only plausible solution is government regulation. With government support, clients can be tracked through credit cards and any violence or harassment will be able to be reported and taken care of, on a legal level. The sex-work industry also has alarming statistics involving STI’s and STD’s. The men who control the women, or the ‘pimps’, force the women to have oral, vaginal, and anal sex without any kind of contraception, if that is what the client prefers. The Porn Industry,

Violence against women is an issue of concern in the United States. The truth is that prostitution can never be stopped and participants – especially

Prostitution, according to Merriam-Webster, is the act of engaging in sexual activities in exchange of money. It is a business transaction between the sex worker and the client, one that is considered illegal here in America save for the brothels in Nevada.

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

Amy, a long-term worker at the legally regulated Moonlight Bunny Ranch, was once part of the Air Force but made $500,000 a year working at a brothel (Shrager, 2016). While only 15% of prostitutes who go into sex work to survive, most women who become sex workers choose this path and are content with its financial stability and flexibility (Burgmann, 2017). Although there is potential for a sex worker to become wealthy, a prostitute’s “appearance and activities are attacked, limited, and kept in line by the threat of “sluthood” and “whoredom”” (Thorn, 2010). Without knowing Amy was a prostitute, people would thank her for her service to the country. But because there is the persistent “whore stigma” revolving around sex workers, prostitution’s continued illegality hampers the dignity and respect of the women as they are treated as outlaws by society. In the Canadian Review of Sociology, 22 prostitutes from Vancouver were interviewed on how the industry changed their lives. In one anecdote, Cheryl had been in her professional job for 5 years, but as soon as her manager knew about her promiscuous past, “he joked that a nameplate on her desk read ‘pubic relations.’ When Kayla started a new job, a police officer informed her boss she was a former “prostitute and a junkie.” Kayla lost her job and went back to sex work. (Canadian Review of Sociology). What is

Prostitution is the selling of sexual services for money or other benefits. While illegal in most areas of the United States it is legal within Nevada. Legalized prostitution varies from illegal prostitution in many ways. Legalized prostitution works similar to other businesses. Places such as brothels provide a location for the legal transaction of money in exchange for sexual services. Other forms of legalized prostitution can be seen in agencies and window working as seen in the De Wallen, the largest

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

Sex worker Toni Mac explained that “if you’re selling sex in places like Kenya, South Africa or New York, a police officer can arrest you if you're caught carrying condoms, because condoms can legally be used as evidence that you're selling sex.” This causes sex workers to gauge whether carrying condoms is worth getting caught. Oftentimes, it is not worth the fine or jail time, and sex workers risk contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. In a study of San Francisco prostitutes, 82% reported experiencing some sort of physical violence, 55% of that at the hands of a client. Sex workers are unable to go to the police when abused because of the fear and reality that they too are involved in illegal activity. Sometimes, sex workers who do actually attempt to seek help instead are further abused by law enforcement. A reported __ of prostitutes were abused in some way by a police officer. People, predominantly men, know they are able to get away with violence towards sex workers because there is nothing a victim is able do about it. This makes violence that much more inevitable. High-profile murderers like Jack the Ripper and the Green River Killer both targeted prostitutes, presumably for their anonymity and allure. These serial killers went undiscovered for years by preying on vulnerable women. Because of the lack of regulation of the sex work industry, workers can disappear for

The sex industry is highly divided between those who call themselves “sex workers”, and former prostitutes who call themselves “survivors” (Glazer 340). Women should have the right to choose what they do for a living, including prostitution. 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.

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

As academia progresses in nature, there has been an increased awareness in the severity and commonality of rape and sexual assault. Conversely, despite how much literature is present on the matter, there is still a grossly disproportionate amount of literature on the nature of rape and sexual assault of marginalized victims versus that of an ‘ideal victim’ (Christie, 1986). More specifically there is very little to no research and literature on the topic of rape and sexual assault of prostitutes while in the process of their occupation. Women involved in prostitution are amongst the most victimized groups in society. However, there are some critics who present prostitution as a non-victim crime (Matthews, 2015). Victimization raises the issue

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.