Prostitution has deep roots in history. In fact, in ancient Rome prostitution was a legal affair that was widely practiced. Weitzer (2011) defines prostitution as a form of business that involves sex for sale. Today, legalization of prostitution has become a debatable subject in most nations. The criminalization or decriminalization of prostitution in most countries may be determined by the way the government may interpret the social practice; is it empowering, educative or immoral? I n addressing the pros and cons of decriminalizing prostitution it is important to have a look at some nations that have legalized the social practice and the impacts it has had on the society. The Netherlands is one of the famously known nations in the world that has decriminalized prostitution (Gibly, 2012). However, Gibly(2012) asserts further that the type of prostitution conducted in the country is under the regularization of government policy. The role of the government in the sex industry is primarily to provide security to the commercial sex workers and create an environment free from harm or violence that may be associated with prostitution such as rape and human trafficking. To understand this better the paper highlights the bright and the dark side of prostitution.
The church views prostitution is widely viewed as a form of violence and an outcome of deficiency in moral values (Mathieson, Branam, & Noble, 2015). Over the years, prostitution has evolved, in fact nowadays it being replaced by a new term which is commercial sex business. According to Isler and Jyrkinen(2018), terms like prostitution, women in prostitution and selling sex, depict the sex trade as an awful activity. The idea to change the name from prostitution to commercial sex business was to make it look more of business activity than a form of sexual violence as well as make it sound less derogatory.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
An advantage about decriminalizing prostitution is the fact that although it may be viewed as an immoral and illicit vice in the society, the participants do it voluntarily and without being forced. Prostitution is a choice; commercial sex workers engage in the activity out of their own will and consent thus, they are not compelled. Therefore, prostitution should be treated just like any other form of business. The government must, however, step in and regulate the business to ensure that all the laid procedures are followed. As long as the law is adhered to, prostitution should be decriminalized. In 2016, the Amnesty International supported decriminalization of “adult consensual sex work” (Isler, & Jyrkinen, 2018).
Another advantage of decriminalizing commercial sex trade is that it shows respect and privacy of all the citizens. Decriminalization of commercial sex trade has received massive support from two international bodies; the Amnesty International and the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the Amnesty International, the government should treat all citizens equally and therefore criminalizing commercial sex trade would be a threat to citizens’ rights. On the other hand, the World Health Organization argues that decriminalizing prostitution would contribute significantly in reducing sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS.
Decriminalizing prostitution would definitely come with a price, the dark side. Since time immemorial prostitution was associated with negative social vices such as violence, forced sex, rape, and human trafficking. Legalization of the deemed social illicit vise without proper regulation policies would put the lives women and children in danger. Despite the fact that everybody regardless of their gender may be at risk, women and children are the most vulnerable targets. Therefore, the government must ensure there are strict laws in place that curb the practice of prostitution.
Another major disadvantage that would result from legalizing prostitution would be increased human trafficking. In the prostitution business, there are two participants; the sellers and the clients. In most cases, the clients are the male, and the sellers are the women. This ideology gives men the power to buy women thus contributing to alarming rates of sex trafficking.
Prostitution may be considered a victimless crime which I vehemently disagree. The government should criminalize prostitution and enforce strict measures to prevent the business from taking root in the country. It is a myth that prostitution is conducted by only the willing parties. However, it is evidently clear that some young girls are forced into the business before they even attain the adult age. Prostitution must be criminalized as it violates the rights of women.
References
Gibly, J. N. (2012). Safe Sex for Sale: Is Legalizing Sex Work the Answer to Sex Trafficking in the Netherlands? International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities , 4 (1), 4.
Isler, C., & Jyrkinen, M. (2018). The Normalization of Prostitution in Switzerland: The Origin of Policies. Dignity: A Journal on Sexual Exploitation and Violence , 3 (2), 4.
Mathieson, A., Branam, E., & Noble, A. (2015). Prostitution Policy: Legalization, Decriminalization and the Nordic Model. Seattle J. Soc. Just. , 14 , 367.
Weitzer, R. J. (2011). Legalizing prostitution: From illicit vice to lawful business . New York: NYU Press.
