Ethical Issues In Sex Trade

In recent years, there has been an exponential increase of interest in human trafficking in the sex trade. Many have described it as “modern day sex slavery” (Logan, Walker and Hunt, 2009). Discourses around the issue centers around the dismay that vulnerable young people from rural areas of developing countries. These people are susceptible to being duped to developed countries with the false premise of a better life and higher income (Huijsmans and Baker, 2012). Using trickery and threats, women are being recruited, transported and exploited for their bodies. There is a growing concern that women and children are being traded as commodities (Omer-Demir, 2010). Public awareness on the trafficking of women and girls for sex has captured

While there are some that make the career choice willingly, many of them have been found to be victims of human trafficking. This becomes an ethical conflict as the justice systems end up prosecuting and punishing the very people they were meant to protect. Should the girl even managed to overcome the trauma of being a sex slave and survive the justice system, they now have a criminal record for sex work related offenses when they try to reintegrate back into society. They are often prevented from getting decent jobs and other prospects of rebuilding their lives after. Therefore, even if they are able to escape from the horrors of the sex trade, a record of their “criminal” activity victimizes them for the rest of their lives (Flora and Keohane,

The approach of regulation can seem to provide effective means to battle aspects of it. While that may be legitimate, the overarching dilemma is that it reinforces and endorses sexual violence. The consequences of this is an ominous reality for the victims. Strengthening a trade that contravenes human rights is a great slippery slope. Instead of regulation against and prosecuting the person that have been brought in illegally, the attention should be placed on executing the law which prohibits sex trafficking, and prosecute the people to buy sex and the perpetrators. It should not be the girls themselves. By criminalizing these agents, a significant positive change will result in the core of the ethical