Legalization is therefore controversial. But the only alternative to legalization may be exploitation. In addition, international aid programs such as the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act link funding to the promise to reject prostitution. This conditioning limits the ability of beneficiaries to follow their own path of legalization. The study was carried out after a surprising court decision. A state court ruled in 2003 that an old law had decriminalized prostitution in Rhode Island, and it wasn`t until 2009 that state lawmakers reinstated the ban. Meanwhile, there was a 31% drop in rape offenses and 39% fewer female gonorrhea cases — and no exceptional decrease in other types of crime, suggesting that the reduction in rape offenses was not representative of a broader decline in crime or better policing across the board. Finally, sex work is still a rather disorganized sector where many women work from home. Legalization would push many workers out, and more stigma would soon follow. Some neighbours forbid sex workers to live nearby.
Sex workers who are too reluctant to come forward would also be excluded from labor law protection under a legalization program. 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. Would you like to discuss this issue with others? Join our debate “Should prostitution be legalised across Europe?” and add your thoughts in the comments section! A second concern is the risk that legalization could increase human trafficking. Greater legitimacy for sex work could boost the economy of this sector, but sex workers are unlikely to benefit from such growth. Most sex trafficking networks operate in an underground economy and profits are concentrated beyond the reach of sex workers. We need to be aware that legalization alone would not shift profits to lower ranges. However, the study concluded that the best policy to limit human trafficking is to decriminalize and regulate prostitution – in the same way that other businesses are regulated – and maintain severe penalties for those who purchase sexual services from unauthorized (and trafficked) workers.
In this way, legal sex work can meet a demand that would otherwise go to victims of human trafficking, while police can continue to use the full force of the law to crack down on illegal operations that may continue to fall victim to sex worker trafficking. 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. The main argument for decriminalization – that it can improve public safety and health, especially that of sex workers – has been supported by some of the best research on prostitution. 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. It is important to listen to the voices of this community, in the form of trade unions such as the Organización de Trabajadoras Sexuales (OTRAS) in Spain or the DecrimNow campaign in the UK. The legalization of sex work is more than just a legal debate and has an impact on the health of sex workers.
At this point, legalization may require the emergence of consensus in the community rather than government diktat. So what`s the difference? Why are these examples socially acceptable, even encouraged, when prostitution is considered so appalling? In fact, it is entirely possible that most of the reported increase in trafficking has nothing to do with sex trafficking – as illicit sex trafficking appears to be a small part of trafficking. In 2010, the U.S. State Department concluded: “Recent studies show that the majority of human trafficking worldwide takes the form of forced labor. The International Labour Organization estimates that for every victim of trafficking subjected to forced prostitution, nine people are forced to work. It is also consistent with theoretical empirical work suggesting that decriminalizing prostitution can reduce sex trafficking: if prostitution is legal and more accessible, the legal route will satisfy the demand that would otherwise go to trafficked sex workers. The study indicates that there is a likely explanation for the decline in gonorrhea cases: with the decriminalization of indoor prostitution, more of the industry has moved indoors, which is generally safer than street prostitution as it tends to involve more condom use and fewer risky sexual acts. The oldest profession in the world is just that, a profession like any other.