Many people believe that making prostitution a legal activity will help raise the status of prostitutes and promote their protection. However, promoting prostitution as a job does not help women but the sex industry. People often do not realize that, for example, decriminalization implies that this process occurs within the entire sex industry, not just for women. In addition, the fact that the legalization of prostitution gives men the right to consume sex services legally, meaning that they are in an inherently advantageous position, is also overlooked. Of the existing models in the world, which have already shown their results, the Scandinavian model is the most optimal, involving the criminalization of the demand for sex services.
Prostitution as a phenomenon has given rise to sex tourism, which has led to an increase in trafficking, that is, the illegal buying and selling of people. This act is presented as voluntary only on the outside. It is impossible to imagine a full-fledged, powerful development of a society where people are perceived as objects of purchase and sale, as commodities to be bought for money. In addition, prostitution is one of the key routes for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. It is also important to note that many women fall into the hands of pimps as children and are traumatized. As a result, they have difficulty accepting themselves, understanding what is good and what is bad, and evaluating their own skills.
The legalization of prostitution does not solve the problem of its illegal forms. Since most people who come into the sex business are poor and want to make easy money, they will either hide their income or go underground. They may also be driven to the streets by an unwillingness to undergo medical examinations because they are carriers of venereal or other chronic diseases, such as tuberculosis. According to statistical data, it is mainly women of reproductive age who are involved in prostitution (Zenouzi et al., 2021). This means that some of them, having suffered from illnesses, surgical interventions, and various psychological traumas typical for this profession, will not be able to create full-fledged families and give birth to healthy children. No country where prostitution is legalized has a law requiring clients to undergo a medical examination or provide a recent certificate that they are free of venereal diseases. It follows that medical examinations for prostitutes alone do not protect them from contracting sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS, which can be transmitted to clients (Halatoko et al., 2017). By registering, a prostitute loses her anonymity and becomes more vulnerable in society. Her acquaintances, friends, and close relatives can find out about her profession, which can cause them psychological trauma.
The growth in the number of prostitutes and the rejuvenation of the business as a whole is related to the socio-economic situation in the country, not to the authorization or prohibition of prostitution. Improving living standards and the state’s social policy in the sphere of family, motherhood, and childhood will only increase the birth rate and improve the demographic situation in the country. It will also motivate many girls and women to give up prostitution. Trafficking in human beings is an independent crime and is not directly related to the presence or absence of a country’s prohibition on prostitution (Allen, 2021). However, permission to sell one’s body at the state level can positively impact the crime dynamics associated with the illegal international trafficking of women. It seems that the arguments presented are valid and weighty because they are based on statistical data.
References
Allen, K. (2021). Prostitution vs. human trafficking: Understanding exploitation. Exodus Road. Web.
Halatoko, W. A., Landoh, D. E., Saka, B., Akolly, K., Layibo, Y., Yaya, I., Gbetoglo, D., Banla, A. K., & Pitché, P. (2017). Prevalence of syphilis among female sex workers and their clients in Togo in 2011. BMC public health, 17(1), 219.
Zenouzi, A., Rezaei, E., Behboodi Moghadam, Z., Montazeri, A., Maani, S., & Vasegh Rahimparvar, S. F. (2021). Reproductive health concerns of women with high risk sexual behaviors. SAGE open nursing, 7, 1-11. Web.