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| Legal Prostitution: A Business, or Slavery? |
Legal Prostitution: A Business, or Slavery?
One of the most contentious societal issues is prostitution. It is considered one of society’s biggest problems and a societal ill that is hard to control much less totally eradicate or eliminate.
There have been many attempts to eliminate prostitution but no measure has met with true success. There may be short-term victories that would make it look like prostitution in a particular area has been curbed but eventually it comes back – if not in the same area, then in another part of the city. This may be because the roots of prostitution is not as clearly defined or identified as others would like to believe. Moralists think it is all about the issue of exploitation, while others think it is ultimately poverty that drives prostitution.
Many solutions or measures have been forwarded as a way of addressing the issue of prostitution. One of the more commonly implemented measure is regulation and legalization. There is a belief that by regulating or legalizing prostitution, certain aspects of the flesh trade will be reined in, making it easier to monitor by the government and also allows a series of safety measures to be implemented.
The bigger question that arises from legalizing or regulating prostitution is whether, by giving a legitimate face to a societal “problem”, it has stopped being a moral issue but an economic one. Is prostitution a form of exploitation or is it ultimately an occupation that must be regulated just like any other forms of trade?
The issue defined
There are two warring schools of thought with regards to this issue. Should prostitution be legalized (and thus be considered a business) or should it be banned (acknowledging its negative aspects like slavery and forced prostitution)?
The distinction between these two contradictory views lies between what is called as “free” and “forced” prostitution. A big number of people who want to ban or eliminate prostitution contend that a big majority of women are forced into a life of prostitution. On the other hand, their opponents reason out that it is not necessarily the case. These distinctions are also acknowledged as an oversimplification of the issues at hand. A young girl who is sold to a brothel has clearly never agreed to be subjected to this form of slavery. A drug addict who takes it upon herself to meet a quota of customers in order to get a drug fix from her pimp is not given the freedom to make a choice regarding her body. But then what about a woman who has lost her job and decides to go to another country to work but eventually finds herself in a brothel?
Distinctions between free and forced prostitution, as previously mentioned, is an oversimplification in that it eventually muddles and obscures the more fundamental socio-economic conditions (marginalization, poverty, lack of opportunities and past sexual abuse) are what ultimately drive women and children into a life of prostitution.
Legal prostitution: Ramifications
However, despite the divergent attitudes towards prostitution there is one thing that all groups agree on – decriminalize prostitution. These advocates contend that there is no reason to punish prostitutes especially under laws that seek to “protect” decency.
The subject of decriminalization ultimately raises the question about the role of the state. This also leads to the subject of legalization.
Legalizing prostitution would usually refer to a range of various situations but it usually means that prostitution is not against the law anymore. Legalization has also been seen to go hand in hand with regulation – wherein laws are enforced to control the trade like the issuance of licenses, mandatory health checks and establishment of specific areas within the city where all trade can be confined. Legalizing prostitution is seen as a way of protecting prostitutes because they are now seen as a legal trade and, thus, given the appropriate protections that are given to other trades under the law. This includes health and medical insurance, retirement insurance, and other benefits. Of course, prostitutes will also have to pay the appropriate taxes as part of putting the trade in a legitimate space.
But there are some people who see legalization as not being able to fulfill its promised benefits – specifically, that it cannot really seek to protect prostitutes. There are non-governmental organizations who are claiming that government-run or sanctioned brothels will actually a be a worse environment for prostitutes because, as they claim, there is nothing worse than to work for a bureaucrat in an “industry” that has already suffered from abuse by the police. These groups also claim that this situation is only an ideal environment for men because they can go to a place where they will not be harassed and they can see women lined up before them waiting to be picked – a very degrading situation for women.
Licenses are also seen as not being able to ensure the safety of either the customer or the prostitute. To them it is merely a piece of paper with no real-world guarantees. Even though it is acknowledged that frequent medical check-ups are very important but there have been complaints among prostitutes in countries with legal prostitution that they are treated like livestock by health workers – they are made to line up and are not given any respect. Most medical facilities are also seen as poorly equipped to handle the constant influx of women.
The Debate Rages On
Ultimately, the debate whether legalized prostitution should be considered as a legitimate business or as a form of slavery will continue to rage. Because of the continued prevalence of the socio-economic factors and conditions that are considered as the main cause for prostitution – the flesh trade will continue despite efforts by both the government and other special interest groups to eliminate or control it.
The answer ultimately will not lie on whether we will legalized prostitution as a business or as a form of slavery. The answer lies in solving society’s ills that are driving women and children towards an “industry” that, regardless of efforts by certain groups to legitimize it, will remain on the periphery of polite society.
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| Average rating: 4 | Add 07 Apr 06 DJ |
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