A July 2012 report by the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, a UN-supported group whose members include heads of state and legal scholars, recommends a worldwide legalization of prostitution.
The commission specifically calls for the decriminalisation of private and consensual adult sexual behaviours, including same-sex sexual acts and voluntary sex work. “Laws that criminalize and dehumanize populations at the highest risk of HIV--including men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people and injecting drug users--drive people underground, away from essential health services and heighten their risk of HIV.”
But there are always two sides to the issue. Let us discuss them.
WHAT IS PROSTITUTION
Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2007):
Prostitution
1 : the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money
2 : the state of being prostituted : DEBASEMENT
SUMMARY OF MAIN CONTENTIONS
Proponents of legalizing prostitution believe it would reduce crime, improve public health, increase tax revenue, help people out of poverty, get prostitutes off the streets, and allow consenting adults to make their own choices. They contend that prostitution is a victimless crime.
Opponents believe that legalizing prostitution would lead to increases in sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, global human trafficking, and violent crime including rape and homicide. In Amsterdam, it has led to increases in organized crime and trafficking and has created an environment in which pimps operate with impunity under the title of "manager" or "facilitator." Far from empowering or protecting the prostituted women, where prostitution is legalized, the women are forced to pay rent and fees to a pimp to protect them from being beaten up such that they "can barely make a living." They contend that prostitution is inherently immoral, commercially exploitative, empowers the criminal underworld, and promotes the repression of women by men.
100 COUNTRIES
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Illegal in 39 (39%);
Afghanistan
Albania
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Cambodia
China (including Taiwan)
Croatia
Cuba
Dominica
Egypt
Grenada
Guyana
Haiti
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kenya
Korea, North
Korea, South
Liberia
Lithuania
Malta
Philippines
Romania
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Slovenia
South Africa
Suriname
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
Legal in 50 (50%);
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Belgium
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
Hungary
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Luxembourg
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Senegal
Singapore
Slovakia
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom (including Scotland)
Uruguay
Venezuela
Limited Legality in 11 (11%);
Australia
Bangladesh
Bulgaria
Iceland
India
Japan
Malaysia
Spain
Sweden
United States
Afghanistan
Albania
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Cambodia
China (including Taiwan)
Croatia
Cuba
Dominica
Egypt
Grenada
Guyana
Haiti
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kenya
Korea, North
Korea, South
Liberia
Lithuania
Malta
Philippines
Romania
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Slovenia
South Africa
Suriname
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
Legal in 50 (50%);
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Belgium
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
Hungary
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Luxembourg
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Senegal
Singapore
Slovakia
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom (including Scotland)
Uruguay
Venezuela
Limited Legality in 11 (11%);
Australia
Bangladesh
Bulgaria
Iceland
India
Japan
Malaysia
Spain
Sweden
United States
KEY ISSUES
1. Victimless Crime?
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LEGAL
Prostitution should not be a crime. Prostitutes are not committing an inherently harmful act. What makes prostitution a 'victimless crime' in the sense that no one is necessarily harmed by it is that there are consenting adults involved.
ILLEGAL
Prostitution creates a setting whereby crimes against men, women, and children become a commercial enterprise.... It is an assault when he/she forces a prostitute to engage in sadomasochistic sex scenes. When a pimp compels a prostitute to submit to sexual demands as a condition of employment, it is exploitation, sexual harassment, or rape -- acts that are based on the prostitute's compliance rather than her consent.
Prostitution should not be a crime. Prostitutes are not committing an inherently harmful act. What makes prostitution a 'victimless crime' in the sense that no one is necessarily harmed by it is that there are consenting adults involved.
ILLEGAL
Prostitution creates a setting whereby crimes against men, women, and children become a commercial enterprise.... It is an assault when he/she forces a prostitute to engage in sadomasochistic sex scenes. When a pimp compels a prostitute to submit to sexual demands as a condition of employment, it is exploitation, sexual harassment, or rape -- acts that are based on the prostitute's compliance rather than her consent.
2. Prostitution & Free Choice
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LEGAL
We chose sex work after we did a lot of things we couldn't stand. Sex work is better. For me, sex work isn't my first choice of paying work. It just happens to be the best alternative available.
ILLEGAL
The ILO [International Labour Organization] report admits that most women 'choose' prostitution for economic reasons. Surely no one can argue that this is free choice any more than the cattle in the squeeze chute choose to go to their death.
We chose sex work after we did a lot of things we couldn't stand. Sex work is better. For me, sex work isn't my first choice of paying work. It just happens to be the best alternative available.
ILLEGAL
The ILO [International Labour Organization] report admits that most women 'choose' prostitution for economic reasons. Surely no one can argue that this is free choice any more than the cattle in the squeeze chute choose to go to their death.
3. Prostitution & Violence
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LEGAL
Decriminalization would better protect people in the sex industry from violence and abuse.
...Police cannot and do not simultaneously seek to arrest prostitutes and protect them from violence.... Indeed, women describe being told, 'What did you expect?' by police officers who refused to investigate acts of violence perpetrated against women whom they knew engaged in prostitution. The consequences of such attitudes are tragic: Gary Ridgway said that he killed prostitutes because he knew he would not be held accountable. The tragedy is that he was right - he confessed to the murders of 48 women, committed over nearly twenty years. That is truly criminal.
ILLEGAL
Regardless of prostitution's status (legal, illegal or decriminalized) or its physical location (strip club, massage parlor, street, escort/home/hotel), prostitution is extremely dangerous for women. Homicide is a frequent cause of death....
It is a cruel lie to suggest that decriminalization or legalization will protect anyone in prostitution. It is not possible to protect someone whose source of income exposes them to the likelihood of being raped on average once a week.
Decriminalization would better protect people in the sex industry from violence and abuse.
...Police cannot and do not simultaneously seek to arrest prostitutes and protect them from violence.... Indeed, women describe being told, 'What did you expect?' by police officers who refused to investigate acts of violence perpetrated against women whom they knew engaged in prostitution. The consequences of such attitudes are tragic: Gary Ridgway said that he killed prostitutes because he knew he would not be held accountable. The tragedy is that he was right - he confessed to the murders of 48 women, committed over nearly twenty years. That is truly criminal.
ILLEGAL
Regardless of prostitution's status (legal, illegal or decriminalized) or its physical location (strip club, massage parlor, street, escort/home/hotel), prostitution is extremely dangerous for women. Homicide is a frequent cause of death....
It is a cruel lie to suggest that decriminalization or legalization will protect anyone in prostitution. It is not possible to protect someone whose source of income exposes them to the likelihood of being raped on average once a week.
4. HIV/AIDS Prevention
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LEGAL
For HIV/AIDS prevention to succeed, the conditions of risk have to change. The context - legal, social, economic - of sex work has to change, with repeal of criminal laws, access to visas and work permits, freedom of movement and association, and occupational safety and health regulations, to reduce the imposition of risk from above. Until then, it will be heroic, strong individuals that can insist on safe behaviours, leaving those who are less heroic, those who are more timid and afraid, to suffer the consequences of the context of risk.
ILLEGAL
Even if a prostitute is being tested every week for HIV, she will test negative for at least the first 4-6 weeks and possibly the first 12 weeks after being infected.... This means that while the test is becoming positive and the results are becoming known, that prostitute may expose up to 630 clients to HIV. This is under the best of circumstances with testing every week and a four-week window period. It also assumes that the prostitute will quit working as soon as he or she finds out the test is HIV positive, which is highly unlikely. This is not the best approach for actually reducing harm. Instead, in order to slow the global spread of HIV/AIDS we should focus our efforts on abolishing prostitution.
For HIV/AIDS prevention to succeed, the conditions of risk have to change. The context - legal, social, economic - of sex work has to change, with repeal of criminal laws, access to visas and work permits, freedom of movement and association, and occupational safety and health regulations, to reduce the imposition of risk from above. Until then, it will be heroic, strong individuals that can insist on safe behaviours, leaving those who are less heroic, those who are more timid and afraid, to suffer the consequences of the context of risk.
ILLEGAL
Even if a prostitute is being tested every week for HIV, she will test negative for at least the first 4-6 weeks and possibly the first 12 weeks after being infected.... This means that while the test is becoming positive and the results are becoming known, that prostitute may expose up to 630 clients to HIV. This is under the best of circumstances with testing every week and a four-week window period. It also assumes that the prostitute will quit working as soon as he or she finds out the test is HIV positive, which is highly unlikely. This is not the best approach for actually reducing harm. Instead, in order to slow the global spread of HIV/AIDS we should focus our efforts on abolishing prostitution.
5. Prostitution as a Legitimate Business
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LEGAL
Sex work is legitimate work and problems within the industry are not inherent in the work itself. It is vulnerability, not sex work, which creates victims. Sex workers should enjoy the same labour rights as other workers and the same human rights as other people.
ILLEGAL
ne needs to completely rid oneself of the voracity for cash to see that prostitution, although legalized, can never be a legitimate business because it will always be associated with crime, corruption, class, mass sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Sex work is legitimate work and problems within the industry are not inherent in the work itself. It is vulnerability, not sex work, which creates victims. Sex workers should enjoy the same labour rights as other workers and the same human rights as other people.
ILLEGAL
ne needs to completely rid oneself of the voracity for cash to see that prostitution, although legalized, can never be a legitimate business because it will always be associated with crime, corruption, class, mass sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
YOUR OPINION
Poll: Prostitution should be...
legalized (783)
81%
illegalized (181)
19%
964 total votes
illegalized (181)
964 total votes
Your vote: Prostitution should be...
http://www.hivlawcommission.org/resources/report/FinalReport-Risks,Rights&Health-EN.pdf
http://prostitution.procon.org/
http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/12/22/185323/82
http://www.examiner.com/article/10-reasons-we-need-to-legalize-prostitution
Note: I prepared the materials to this thread only today. I might have missed something, or there might be better materials on the issue. Please do not hesitate to correct me or add something of value to the discussion. Also, there is another thread which is meant to be a discussion on a marketing scheme of a car wash service establishment by giving free sex to its customers, yet it has evolved into a discussion on prostitution. This thread is created to provide the proper materials on this topic for discussion.