Why people are uncomfortable listening to sex workers talk about legalizing prostitution has nothing to do with concerns about women`s health and safety. If that were the real concern, prostitution would now be legal in the United States. The reason people don`t agree with legalizing prostitution is because prostitution is considered amoral because it involves (mostly) women selling their bodies for financial gain. However, telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies does not come from a place of morality: it comes from a place of control. As Cornell law professor Sherry Colb wrote, « Prostitution should not be a crime. Prostitutes do not commit an inherently harmful act. Although the spread of disease and other disadvantages are possible in the practice of prostitution, criminalization is a sure way to exacerbate these effects rather than combat them. « We should listen to them and involve them in the reforms, because they are the ones who will be affected. The desire to protect women from sexual abuse will always be valid, and if anything is a desire that should be more prevalent in the United States. What is dishonest is the rejection of legalized sex work on grounds that claim to be women`s safety, but actually stem from a place of discomfort towards women who openly engage in sexual interactions for financial gain.
If you are not comfortable with the idea of women having sex for money, then you should also have a problem with pornography, exotic dances, and dating for money. If you don`t have a problem with all these socially accepted practices, but a problem with prostitution because it is « morally questionable, » then you have lost your right to any forum where decisions about women`s safety and rights are made. Decriminalization reflects changing social and moral perspectives. A society may come to the conclusion that an act is not harmful, that it should no longer be criminalized, or that it is not an issue that needs to be addressed by the criminal justice system. Examples of issues that have seen a change in views on crime over time in different societies and countries include: One sex worker told Newsweek she was « devastated and scared » by the shutdown and that « people will die » as prostitution continues to be forced underground and prostitutes have to work with more dangerous people. Dershowitz also told MSNBC`s Michael Smerconish, « Every hour spent looking for prostitution is an hour that could have been spent pursuing terrorists and persecuting people who become victims. » Proponents of legalizing prostitution believe it would reduce crime, improve public health, increase tax revenues, lift people out of poverty, get prostitutes off the streets, and allow consenting adults to make their own decisions. They say prostitution is a victimless crime, especially in the 10 counties in Nevada where it remains legal. Illegal prostitution businesses in America, of course, don`t pay taxes. If these brothels were legalized, state and county governments could generate significant revenue. Instead of forcing sex workers to run their businesses in unregulated black markets where their lives are in danger, all with the mislabeled purpose of « saving » women, take concrete steps to save women. Legalize prostitution, impose strict regulations, and put in place comprehensive support systems that allow sex workers to do their jobs safely.
Prostitution is not only guaranteed on the basis of social structure, but women`s decision to enter the sex industry is often not taken lightly. Poverty, homelessness, gender inequality and gender discrimination are issues that can lead women to become sex workers. Poverty can be an important factor in forcing women into prostitution in order to survive. From an economic point of view, prostitution is considered logical because, depending on one`s qualifications and level of education, it can offer better livelihoods than would be possible with any other legal alternative. Critics of the decriminalization of prostitution often point to the increase in reports of human trafficking in countries that have legalized prostitution, such as Germany. However, it is entirely possible that this is because people have finally started to see human trafficking and report it in greater numbers. In addition, a Harvard study on the subject noted that « the likely negative impact of legalized prostitution on the influx of human trafficking into a country could help those advocating for the prohibition of prostitution, thereby reducing the flow of human trafficking. However, such reasoning overlooks the potential benefits that legalizing prostitution could have for workers in the industry. This new law in the Netherlands has decriminalized both sex workers and businesses. Local authorities monitor the conditions under which prostitution is permitted. Industry standardization implements mandatory health and safety regulations such as running water, access to condoms, and fire escapes. Most importantly, these reforms grant prostitutes all the legal, social and labour rights that meet many, but not all, requirements of sex workers` organizations to work under legal and satisfactory conditions.
However, the legalization of prostitution has had positive benefits for sex workers across Europe. The best-known country that has legalized prostitution is the Netherlands, where sex work has been legal for nearly two decades. Taking the industry out of the black market and imposing strict regulations has improved the safety of sex workers. Brothels must obtain and renew safety and health licenses to operate, and street prostitution is legal and highly regulated in places like the Red Light District. Not only does sex work become safer when regulated, but legalization also helps eliminate the black market in prostitution and make women safer overall. In addition, sex workers are not labeled criminals, so they have better access to the legal system and are encouraged to report behaviours that pose a danger to themselves and other women in the industry. Finally, the legalization of sex work will bring many other positive externalities, including tax revenues, the reduction of sexually transmitted diseases, and the redistribution of law enforcement resources. As a result, prostitution was considered legitimate work rather than criminal activity. To further protect the rights of these workers, the Dutch government took a realistic and open-minded approach and passed another law in 2000 abolishing the ban on brothels. It also gave sex workers the same status as other workers, including taxed income and access to the social security system. Brothels were legalized on the condition that they did not interfere with public life. Illegal street prostitutes could be pressured by pimps and clients to stop using condoms.
But states that legalize prostitution can force sex workers to use condoms and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Everyone deserves access to financial services and everyone should be able to earn a living, including sex workers. Prostitution does not allow the general public to take advantage of these pretexts. On the contrary, the industry is honest about how sex and money are directly related. And for many people, it`s an uncomfortable idea. It is even more uncomfortable for some people to believe that women should have control over their bodies that would allow them to voluntarily engage in prostitution; You cannot afford to believe that women would choose such a profession. But instead of acknowledging this reality, those who oppose the legalization of prostitution advance with arguments about concern for women`s safety. They don`t realize that criminalizing prostitution doesn`t help sex workers, and their arguments lead to legislation that harms women while operating under the morally motivated pretext of wanting to protect them. In one federal country, actions can be decriminalized by one level of government, while being subject to sanctions imposed by another; For example, possession of a decriminalized drug can still be prosecuted by one level of government, but another can always impose a fine. This should be compared to legalization, which eliminates all or most of the legal disadvantages of a previously illegal act. It was also noted that while some acts have been decriminalized, such as homosexuality and adultery, others have increased, such as incest.
[3] Researchers estimate that there are up to 31,000 people in the legal sex work industry in the Netherlands.
