Summary: The Partial Decriminalization Of Prostitution

Prostitution known as one of the ‘world’s oldest professions’ continues to survive centuries of stigma and denunciation. Today, many countries have attempted to create safer environments for sex workers. Yet, it is argued that laws decriminalizing prostitution have failed abysmally to protect those in the trade around the world. The list of abuses by ‘pimps’ and clients including rapes, beatings, trafficking and lack of proper health care support continue to deplorably grow. Through the legalization of prostitution in the rest of Australia, an undeniable increase in human trafficking, violence and sexually transmitted diseases will occur. Whilst legalization may appear to elevate the balance of power and women may be able to demand their rights, the nature of this profession remains an exceptionally dangerous one where women are wholly vulnerable and appropriated for their sexuality.

Prostitution is considered to be one of the oldest professions. Prostitution is an illegal business in many countries of the world and it is considered to be largely immoral. However, its scope is expanding simultaneously with the globalization of business and culture, which is the hallmark of our time. Researchers and activists continue to discuss whether it is possible to consider the purchase and sale of sexual services as an industry. Is it necessary to regulate the activities of prostitutes in a legal way, or should they be provided with legislative and medical protection? Can the government tax this kind of trade and profiteer on this profitable business? Or is it necessary to apply all kinds of legal, social and cultural prohibitions and measures against prostitution in order to eliminate it?

The United Nations’ Convention held in 1949, stated prostitution to be “incompatible with human dignity”. According to the Oxford Dictionary, prostitution is defined as "The practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment." Often referred to as the “oldest profession” in the world, prostitution has become a burning issue in today’s world. The ongoing debate on whether to legalize, criminalize or decriminalize prostitution seems to be quite unresolvable. This paper investigates the negative impacts of legalizing prostitution such as 1) encouragement of prostitution, 2) increase in the incidence of human trafficking and 3) exposure of prostitutes to severe harm such as drug abuse, infection from sexually transmitted diseases and violence, which clearly supports the fact that prostitution should not be legalized.

Those who enter the sex industry with consent are usually forced to due to the vulnerability of their environmental conditions. The decriminalization of their work does not condemn the world which lead them to choose this means of survival but will allow them to have access to the same human rights as others. In adopting this policy, states would have to provide adequate and timely access to support such as education and benefits to allow for use if wanted. Sex workers’ ability to communicate openly and clearly with clients including their ability to negotiate safe practices. Social judgment of sex work is a significant barrier to sex workers access to health services. Not only do sex workers face abusive and disrespectful attitudes from healthcare

The infectious disease of prostitution that has poisoned the population of sex workers can only be alleviated through the criminalization of its nature. The idea that prostitution is merely the exchange of sexual services for money is what buries the reality of sexual violence deep into the ground. Often, sex workers will be coerced to surrender their power to the hands of their client. In Canada, sex workers are stalked as prey by the treacherous monster of sexual abuse. They are enslaved into a sexual commodity and are stripped of their basic human rights. In an international study done by clinical psychologist, Dr. Melissa Farley, it was concluded that, of all of the Canadian women participants, 75% were injured during their work of prostitution

Today 's continuously evolving world is the breeding ground for many legal issues, surfacing and flourishing into numerous controversial debates. Among these regular disputes, the topic of prostitution and it 's legalization is one of the most prominent ones. Countless diagreements emerge when trying to argue whether prostitution should be legal or not, and ultimately it is a battle between the importance of having a personal choice, and the morals possessed by the the society we live in. Oftentimes, it becomes very difficult to come to a definite decision on a serious topic like this, just like the topic of aborition, same-sex marriage, and the legalization of drugs have all been controversial and highly debated topics in the past.

Fourteen is the average age that a person, male or female, begins their work as a prostitute. Moreover, most of these adolescents have run away from their homes and have been picked up by a pimp who exploits and sells them for sex. The practice of prostitution is very dangerous for sex workers. It is said that prostitution is the oldest trade, as it used to be the only method a woman could earn money without the assistance of a man. Sex work is not regulated and not treated the way it should be. Prostitution should be legalized. Although people believe that making prostitution illegal would minimize the possibility of exploitation, it actually forces the business ‘underground’ which causes more problems and doesn’t stop it from happening.

Many of them have only attended school for one year or have graduated college and are unable to find employment (41). The economy does not supply adequate learning facilities or a stable environment for expecting women, single mothers, or abandoned children and pushes them to the sex industry in order to earn money and protection. Younger woman tend to travel abroad in the sex industry in the hopes of a better life in a different country. When the victims are asked why they are reluctant to leave the sex industry they answer with “the wish to survive”, “to be independent from their families”, or the need “to help the family” (41). With many children being born into poverty everyday, prostitution is viewed more as a positive lifestyle for all rather than something detrimental to their lives, it becomes more widely accepted.

Prostitution will never be eradicated from society and by making no distinction between free and forced prostitution just forces it to move further underground and into the controlling hands of criminals. Prostitution is like any other industry, if you make it illegal then the criminals have control over everything. If free prostitution was recognized, essentially by legalization, then the health and safety of prostitutes choosing this profession would be improved. At the same time, not recognising the difference is detrimental to their safety. Recently, prostitution laws in Canada were challenged because the supreme court of Canada felt that the safety of prostitutes was at risk due to the fact that prostitutes have historically been exposed to extreme levels of violence

Prostitution has continuously remained “shielded” from the perceptiveness of society because of its objectionable characteristics. However, the problem still remains and in my opinion, “it will still exist for years to come.” Ultimately, the Bylaws of Canada has not been able to decipher or impede this problem, apart from triggering elusiveness in the acceptance of anything that is lawful and unlawful in relations to prostitution. All over the world prostitution entwines with the economy of every city, with a potential of legal and non-legal revenue.

Over the years there have been many controversial ethical issues which are still debated in the 21st century. In today’s modern society one such controversial issue is prostitution. Prostitution can be defined as “The act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse for money” (Deigh, 2010, p.29). Prostitution is the oldest profession of all. However the ethics of prostitution is still unclear between many societies. Thus, this essay will discuss on the reasons as to why prostitution should be considered moral, that is, it is a freedom of choice, source of income and it is a trade similar to any other job, while on the contrary it will argue that prostitution is immoral, that is, it goes against religious teachings, involves coercion and degrades

For example , Sweden, Norway, and Iceland have effectively addressed the demand for commercial sex and sex trafficking by decriminalizing prostituted persons, and criminalizing those who purchase sex. As a result, street prostitution and sex trafficking have decreased. Neglect of the demand or the legalizing of commercial sex have increased prostitution and led to increasing numbers of trafficked women and girls to fulfill a flow of international sex tourists as well as increased demand

Prostitution is a widely recognized topic, anyone and anywhere can get involved into this line of work with just one thing, themselves. Do the men, women and children really have a choice whether or not they want to use their bodies to earn a living? Or are they forced by outside influences that make them have no other choice. Preliminary research covered numerous topics about prostitution; When the victims started and why they started was not uncovered by these findings. There have not been a sufficient interviews with these subjects to

Sex-trafficking, in the form that it persists today, was not seen as a major issue by politicians until the 1990s. Today, prostitution is criminalized in most U.S. states with few exceptions in locations, but this does not combat the people who behind much of the organized operation. In America, there is a reoccurring theme of young girls from broken homes, whether there is a missing parent or parental-child discord, who

Although Bill C-36 is titled the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons it seems to only have regard for the ‘protection of communities’. It does so by tethering the idea of nuisance to sex work. By criminalizing prostitution, the Bill puts citizenship of prostitutes beyond reach by perpetuating the notion that sex work is a nuisance (Campbell, 2015). By viewing prostitution as a crime that disrupts the order of a community, sex workers are assimilated into ‘things’ that carry the risk of public contamination and corruption (Campbell, 2015; Hayes-Smith & Shekarkhar, 2010). Much like the ‘unrepaired broken window’ which Wilson and Kelling (1982) indicate signals a lack of social control in a neighborhood, sex work is viewed as a threat