The Pros and Cons of Illegal Prostitution

The sex work industry has changed and is changing over the years, similar to controversial issues such as, gay rights and abortion. Hence, there will never be a ‘black and white’ solution due to the distinct views of what prostitution entails versus what the law intends to do about it. Decriminalization is the removal of criminal penalties from an act formerly defined as crime (Weitzer, 2012, P: 49). Prostitution should be decriminalized so the government can regulate public safety and the safety of sex workers. This paper will also, examine how the government can regulate the prostitution business and reinforce the feminist ideology. In effort to best present my arguments this paper will be divided into different paragraphs, whereby each paragraph presents a different argument of why

The attempt to force a connection between prostitution and sex crimes, such as sex trafficking, does not make sense.

Being the oldest profession, prostitution will create employment opportunities for many workers and also be a significant source of revenue for the nation (Weitzer, 2011, p. 9). It is significant to note that until today, prostitution-associated businesses are not eligible to paying tax in the US. Legalizing prostitution will enable county authorities to have a legal platform for collecting tax from brothels among other adult entertainment businesses. Such generated revenue would help the authorities facilitate development projects. This would boost the economy and improve the quality of service delivery to all citizens.

Prostitution could lead to a breeding ground for organized crime in places that it is legal. In Australia, illegal brothels and sex trafficking increased due to the legalization of this service and in the Netherlands, gang crime increased which left the government scrambling to buy back property owned by brothels to gain control back over the industry. Not even the workers are truly safe in their work either because many of the women brought into the industry only ended in it because of their backgrounds. They had childhood emotional trauma from experiences like rape that forced them into the industry. These women also become trapped in the industry once they begin because of the stigma surrounding this issue because they feel they could not

To start off, although many people are aware that Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections are real most of them forget about the protection needed against any. The women and men involved in prostitution do not get to worry about that kind of protection. The health risks involved are brutal and dangerous. “Sex-work communities around the world are in dire need of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services” (Doyle 1). It is not unheard of that, the current prostitution rings do not care about these diseases, in fact “a meeting of sex workers held at the International AIDS Conference heard that the criminalization of the profession was fueling secretive transactions and unsafe sex practices, putting people at risk of HIV and

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.

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

Releasing laws on prostitution … specifically, legalizing this area of the sex industry, will create a profound impact on society. While halotry (as it was once commonly called) has its detractors and negative connotations, the benefits outway the problems society consistently point out. Society at large questions the merits of legalizing prostitution, when in fact there are several advantages legalization could create. At a minimum, legalizing harlotry will make the job significantly safer and keep sex workers and clientele healthier. By placing a public and government spot-light on prostitution, the public can expect to see less violence, for fear of prosecution and fines. If the government and or an organization stays on top of the work prostitutes do, there’s a likely chance sexually transmitted diseases will decrease; human trafficking and illegal children in relation to prostitution will also diminish. On an even higher note, this “new” occupation will assist in dropping unemployment and benefit the economy, tax payers, and government. While there are certainly strong points as to why legalizing prostitution is wrong and unorthodox, there’s powerful evidence that supports the concept of legalization. For instance, if one looks at the history of prostitution, they’ll learn how long prostitutes have been around and how they were all but welcomed and accepted in older societies! Existing laws on harlotry, pertaining to the majority of the U.S, must be converted; not only

As for those that sell themselves willingly without being forced to by an outside party like that of pimp, still in some way, have the ability to harm others in the process. To put in simply, participants in the act of prostitution, and other victimless crimes, are indirectly inflicting harm upon others by directly committing the crime themselves (Ruskin, 2012). With that being said, the offenders’ families/significant others may be hurt, and this crime (as well as many others) could even lead to other problems where there are unwilling victims (Meier and Geis, 1997). For example, prostitutes and the act of prostitution are considered by the United Health Organization a reservoir for the spread of HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases (Rosenberg & Weiner, 1988). Although the paying user at the time is willing and understands that such diseases could be transmitted, this doesn’t count for those who engage in intercourse with said person after he/she has participated with a prostitute. If the new person ends up contracting any form of STD from the paying user,

On top of that, there are some sex workers who face the risk of violence at work, inclusive of rape and other sexual assault, physical assault, and even murder. These forms of violence might be a result of demanding, overbearing, jealous and ‘protective’ clients.

In the book Sex for Sale Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry, Table 1.1 shows characteristics of types of prostitution. There are six categories; Business location, prices charged, exploitation by third parties, risk of violent victimization, public visibility, and impact on community. There are also six types of jobs in the sex industry; Call girl, escort, brothel worker, massage parlor worker, bar or casino worker, and street walker. For every job besides the street walker the prices charged are high or moderate, exploitation by third parties were low to moderate, the risk of violent victimization was either very low or low, public visibility is either none or very low, and the impact on the community is either none or little (Weitzer 8). This shows that prostitution, unless one is a streetwalker, is relatively safe, profitable,

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.

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

When many people hear the term prostitution they automatically have a negative thought in their heads. They see the violence, the drugs, and the manipulative things that are said and done to these people, all due to their pimps. What people fail to realize is there is a fine line between human trafficking and prostitution, many people get these two confused. Human trafficking is a different level of prostitution defined as the action of illegally transporting people from one area to another for sexual exploitation. Technically the definition of prostitution is the act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse for money. Nowhere in this definition did it involve it being forced by another

Prostitution is a profession that has been around for thousands of years despite being a controversial topic in many parts of the world. In the modern world, the ethics of prostitution have been debated with many people viewing the profession as immoral. Prostitution is an exploitative and harmful profession for the sex workers. Since women account for a majority of those who engage in prostitution, these negative impacts affect women more. Also, prostitution is a gendered institution that strengthens and