At first glance, this one may sound odd. But as always, there’s more to the story than meets the eye. There is, in fact, an ongoing debate about whether or not prostitution should be legalized. The reasons are controversial, but there are many unpleasant statistics that should still be addressed. Whether or not prostitution should be, or will be, legalized in more states across the U.S. is ultimately up to the voter. There are two sides to the story that must be understood, and tat includes this one. But even so, the shadows of this crime need to be exposed to the light, and certain people’s involvements need to be called out.
On the side for the legalization of prostitution, the root of the problem isn’t in the business, but in its illegality. The argument goes like this: crime invites crime. And as with drug trade, much of the violence associated with sex work is exacerbated by its illegality. So, as long as prostitution is seen as a ‘criminal activity’, it allows violent people to prey on sex workers, confident they won’t be reported to the police. And worse, it seems as if this violence has just become part of the job. A prostitute has a 45 percent to 75 percent chance of experiencing workplace violence at some point. But this can be broken down even further. When prostitution is illegal, and the workers don’t have a someplace to back them, like a brothel, they’re forced to the streets. A study of San Francisco prostitutes found that 82% had been assaulted and 68% had been raped while working as prostitutes. Can a sex worker be raped? Absolutely. According to a report by the World Health Organization, Violence against sex workers is associated with inconsistent condom use or lack of condom use. This leads to increased health issues too, but we’ll get to that later. So, why don’t these workers speak up?
A study by the Urban Justice Center found that New York City cops were actually using condoms found on women as evidence in criminal prostitution cases against them. And not only that, but one study estimates that 30 percent of the abuse that sex workers report comes from police. Some estimate that police actually abuse American sex workers more often than clients do. Clearly, some criminals activities are going on that shouldn’t be taking place. And it’s no easy task for these workers to speak up. Because the violence is so often neglected, workers often become reliant on pimps and madams for protection, leading to even more violence. Recently, sex-positive feminists believe it should be up to the woman or man to decide whether having sex is a ‘legitimate’ career or categorized differently. And this new feminism also recognizes that some people would rather work in a brothel than a factory to make rent. In fact, a study concluded that brothels offer the safest environment available for women to sell consensual sex acts for money. And back to that medical note, data is pretty clearly in favor of legalizing sex work to improve public health. According to the WHO, violence in sex work leads to increased risk of STI and HIV infection; and, Violence also prevents sex workers from accessing HIV information and services. So what is the debate? Wouldn’t it be better to stop this violence, crime, and improve health in doing so? Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.
There are legitimate concerns when it comes to legalizing prostitution. The argument against its legalization addresses many of these issues. Most persons in prostitution are either female or transgender, and in contrast the vast majority of sex buyers are male. Prostituted persons are mostly women and face exceptional risks of murder and violence at the hands of male sex buyers, and this remains true, even in the areas where prostitution is legal. Actually, one study with data from 150 countries found that those with legalized prostitution experience a larger reported incidence of trafficking inflows. And while brothels seem like a good solution to the violence crowding the streets, some evaluations have found that regulation of prostitution creates a facade of legitimacy that hides sexual exploitation. And that brothels can function as legalized outlets for victims of sex trafficking. So, the real issue here is that legalizing prostitution lowers rates of violence against workers, but, it also increases sex trafficking, which can lead to violence, taking the issue full circle.
It’s clear why there’s so much controversy around the issue, and it’s hard to choose whether to decrease violence immediately or decrease violence in the long run. But it’s important to remember throughout all of this that prostitutes are only as guilty in their acts as the customers who are asking. And no matter what, we should respect workers rights as human beings, even if that work is sexual. We should take any reports, concerns, or allegations from prostitutes just as seriously as if it were anyone else. Most of all, we shouldn’t allow members of our justice system and law enforcement to be involved in the criminal activities they should be stopping. It’s a sticky situation, and the debate will continue across the globe, but the issue is rarely as criminal and enigmatic once you shine some light on it and understand the facts surrounding it. The controversy will continue, but it’s up to the reader and the voter to decide which move is the right one.
