Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Prostitution

Sinful, sexist, demeaning, cruel, and abusive, these are the words that have been used to describe the connotation of the word, prostitution. Prostitution is an occupation that requires sexual acts or services to be provided in the trade of money. This occupation has been illegalized in the United States throughout all 49 states, excluding Nevada. However, the action of legalizing the occupation, is a controversial topic. Many advocates for prostitution declare it as a way of sexual liberation for women, as well as, a way to secure equal rights and welfare for prostitutes. Many advocates against prostitution explain that the occupation may lead to an increase in STI rates, crime rates, human trafficking rates, occurrences of sexism, and abuse.

34 Sec. 3207). These laws protects against human trafficking and sexual abuse, crimes found with the occupation. Prostitution should not be legalized because it promotes human trafficking, drug abuse, and sexual abuse. Prostitution should remain illegalized because it encourages human trafficking and forced prostitution. Forced prostitution pertains to the action of a pimp, a manager of a prostitution ring, persuading or tricking an unwilling person to go into prostitution. Human trafficking can also be applied into prostitution as there are accounts of human trafficking done in order to supply the

This occupation can cause harassment and rape on prostitutes, because these activities can be seen as discipline to the prostitutes, if they may seem disobedient to the pimp or the client. Prostitutes that are from sex trafficking or coercion are often raped due to the fact that their consent is usually not needed by their pimp or client, and are forced to commit the demanded sexual act being provided a negative incentive. Nazafarin Nazemi, a PhD student in the University of Pune, states that “In prostitution, women are tortured through repeated rape and wild and vocative treatment either by client or the exploiter and subjected to cruel and brutal treatment and verbal abuse without human limits.” (Nazemi 3) Therefore describing how the manager and clientele may disregard the human rights and welfare of the prostitutes, and rather, treat them like sex toys. Their treatment by the higher authorities in their occupation can injure them severely, whether it be physically or mentally. Because of this, prostitutes’ rights,security, and overall esteem and confidence are demeaned by their occupation. As said earlier, such abuse can be seen as discipline for the prostitute. The website, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, which is headed by the Gale Database, explains how “Many women are beaten by their pimps if they refuse to work or if they disobey his rules.” (Opposing