Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Prostitution

Prostitution is the oldest trade in the world. There are 1.3 million cases reported of prostitution in the United States alone. Prostitution is illegal in almost every country, so the 1.3 million cases are just an estimate. Although some people believe prostitution should be legalized, the facts are that the women and children, involuntary and forced prostitution face massive, in humane, mistreatment and suffer under a form of modern day slavery.

Prostitutes and victims of sexual slavery both suffer from extreme physical and emotional harm. According to Facts on Human Trafficking, “At first, women and children will experience various stages of degradation, physical and psychological torture”. Victims are taken from their homes,and get sent

“One out of seven prostitutes are victims of human trafficking”, (Facts on Human Trafficking). Which means for at least one out of seven, the ‘job’ of prostitution is less of an option and more of a path of survival. According to the article labeled Facts on Human Trafficking, adult women are the largest group of sex trafficking victims, but this is closely followed by young girls. Just to make it clear the legal age of consent is 18, but to sex traffickers this does not matter. Prostitution makes it easier for traffickers to get away with forcing innocent women and even children into the sex trade. These women and children are being held against their wishes, and forced to perform sexual activities for the pleasure of someone else. Human trafficking is a 32 billion dollar industry (Facts on Human Trafficking). This is an industry that hides behind the mask of prostitution and closed doors. While on paper it is said prostitution is a choice, prostitution, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation is no different than any other form of

“The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States”, (Human Trafficking, FBI). Therefore, human trafficking and prostitution are, by basic definition, unconstitutional. Traffickers though, think they are capable of doing anything they want, that the law does not apply to them, and that women and children are just another toy object. Human trafficking may be one of the oldest traditions in the world, it goes against every fundamental ideal that America is based on. The only reason laws are set is to make the United States a safer place. America has an obligation to those souls that have been trafficked and that are going to get trafficked. This country is not a safe place yet, nor a better place for keeping this ‘tradition’